As filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on December 12, 1996        Registration No. 333-_________



                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                       ----------------------------------



                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                        Under The Securities Act of 1933
                        --------------------------------


                                   Graco Inc.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Minnesota                                                            41-0285640
(State or other jurisdiction of             (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization)

                           4050 Olson Memorial Highway
                       Golden Valley, Minnesota 55422-5332
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

                                   Graco Inc.
                         Long Term Stock Incentive Plan
                            (Full title of the plan)

                           CT Corporation System Inc.
                             405 Second Avenue South
                          Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (612) 333-4315
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
           -----------------------------------------------------------


                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
================================================================================
                                    Proposed        Proposed
Title of                            maximum         maximum
securities          Amount          offering        aggregate      Amount of
to be               to be           price per       offering       registration
registered          Registered      share(1)        price(1)       fee
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Common Stock        1,000,000
($1.00 par value)    shares         $24.625         $24,625,000    $7,462.12

================================================================================

(1)   The  registration  fee has been calculated in accordance with Rule 457(c),
      based upon the  average of the high and low prices of the Common  Stock as
      reported on the New York Stock Exchange on December 9, 1996.




INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Pursuant  to General  Instruction  E to Form S-8,  this  Registration  Statement
incorporates by reference the registrant's  Registration  Statements on Form S-8
(File Nos.  33-22246 and 33-47829).  Registration  Statement (File No. 33-47829)
increased  the total number of shares  registered  for issuance  under the Graco
Inc. Long Term Stock Incentive Plan.

AMENDMENT TO INCREASE SHARES

On May 7, 1996,  the  stockholders  of  registrant  approved an amendment to the
Graco Inc. Long Term Stock  Incentive  Plan to increase the aggregate  number of
shares  of Graco  common  stock  authorized  for  issuance  under  the plan from
2,475,000 to 3,475,000.


                                   PART II.
                 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

          The  validity of the Shares  being  registered  hereby has been passed
upon for the Company by Robert M. Mattison, Vice President,  General Counsel and
Secretary of Graco Inc., Minneapolis,  Minnesota.  Mr. Mattison is an officer of
the Company.

Item 8.  Exhibits.  The Exhibit Index appears on page 4.

            5.1   Opinion of Robert M. Mattison, Vice President, General
                  Counsel and Secretary of Graco Inc., regarding legality

            23.1  Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors

            23.2  Consent of Robert M. Mattison, Vice President, General
                  Counsel and Secretary of Graco Inc. (included in Exhibit
                  5.1 above)

            24.1  Power of Attorney

Item 9.  Undertakings.

A.  Post-Effective Amendments.

            The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

            (1) To file,  during any  period in which  offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                    (i)  To include any prospectus  required by Section 10(a)(3)
                         of the Securities Act of 1933;

                    (ii) To  reflect  in the  prospectus  any  facts  or  events
                         arising  after the effective  date of the  registration
                         statement (or the most recent post-effective  amendment
                         thereof)  which,  individually  or  in  the  aggregate,
                         represent a fundamental  change in the  information set
                         forth in the registration statement;

                   (iii) To include any  material  information  with  respect to
                         the plan of  distribution  not previously  disclosed in
                         the  registration  statement or any material  change to
                         such   information  in  the   registration   statement;
                         provided,  however,  that paragraphs (i) and (ii) above
                         will  not  apply  if  the  information  required  to be
                         included  in  a   post-effective   amendment  by  those
                         paragraphs  is contained in periodic  reports  filed by
                         the registrant  pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d)
                         of  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934  that  are
                         incorporated   by   reference   in  this   registration
                         statement.

                                      -1-

            (2) That,  for the purpose of  determining  any liability  under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such  securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

            (3)  To  remove  from  registration  by  means  of a  post-effective
amendment  any of the  securities  being  registered  which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

B.  Subsequent Documents Incorporated by Reference.

            The undersigned  registrant  hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining  any liability  under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's  annual  report  pursuant to Section  13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934  that is  incorporated  by  reference  in the
registration  statement  shall  be  deemed  to be a new  registration  statement
relating to the securities offered therein,  and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.  Claims for Indemnification.

            Insofar  as  indemnification   for  liabilities  arising  under  the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors,  officers and  controlling
persons of the registrant  pursuant to the foregoing  provisions,  or otherwise,
the  registrant  has been  advised  that in the  opinion of the  Securities  and
Exchange  Commission such  indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is,  therefore,  unenforceable.  In the  event  that a claim  for
indemnification  against  such  liabilities  (other  than  the  payment  by  the
registrant  of  expenses  incurred  or  paid by a  director,  officer  or  other
controlling  person of the registrant in the  successful  defense of any action,
suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director,  officer or controlling person
in connection with the securities being registered,  the registrant will, unless
in the  opinion  of its  counsel  the matter  has been  settled  by  controlling
precedent,  submit to a court of appropriate  jurisdiction  the question whether
such  indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and
will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                                      -2-

                                  SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act of 1933,  the  registrant
certifies  that it has  reasonable  grounds to believe  that it meets all of the
requirements  for  filing  on Form S-8 and has  duly  caused  this  Registration
Statement  to be  signed  on its  behalf  by  the  undersigned,  thereunto  duly
authorized,  in the City of Golden Valley, State of Minnesota on the 12th day of
December, 1996.

Graco Inc.



By:/s/Robert M. Mattison
   Robert M. Mattison
   Vice President, General Counsel
      and Secretary

            Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Act of 1933,  this
Registration  Statement  has  been  signed  by  the  following  persons  in  the
capacities and on the date indicated.



/s/George Aristides                       President and Chief Executive Officer
George Aristides                          (Principal Executive Officer)



/s/David M. Lowe                          Treasurer
David M. Lowe                             (Principal Financial Officer)



/s/James A. Graner                        Vice President and Controller
James A. Graner                           (Principal Accounting  Officer)


David A. Koch                             Director, Chairman of the Board
George Aristides                          Director, President and Chief
                                            Executive Officer
Ronald O. Baukol                          Director
Richard D. McFarland                      Director
Lee R. Mitau                              Director
Martha A.M. Morfitt                       Director
Charles M. Osborne                        Director
Dale R. Olseth                            Director
William G. Van Dyke                       Director

George Aristides,  by signing his name hereto, does hereby sign this document on
behalf  of  himself  and each of the above  named  directors  of the  Registrant
pursuant  to powers of attorney  duly  executed  by such  persons  (set forth in
Exhibit 24.1 to this Registration Statement).




/s/George Aristides
George Aristides
(For himself and as attorney-in-fact)

Dated: December 12, 1996

                                      -3-


                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit                                                                   Page


5.1      Opinion of Robert M. Mattison regarding legality                    5

23.1     Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors              6

23.2     Consent of Robert M. Mattison (included in Exhibit 5.1)             5

24.1     Power of Attorney                                                   7

                                      -4-


Exhibit 5.1




December 11, 1996






Graco Inc.
4050 Olson Memorial Highway
Golden Valley, Minnesota  55422-5332



To Whom it May Concern:

I am a member of the bar of the State of Minnesota and Vice  President,  General
Counsel and  Secretary of Graco Inc. (the  "Company").  Reference is made to the
Registration  Statement  on Form S-8 that the  Company  intends to file with the
Securities  and Exchange  Commission  pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, for the purpose of registering  1,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $1.00
par value, of the Company,  pursuant to the Graco Inc. Long Term Stock Incentive
Plan (the  "Plan").  I have  examined  such  documents  and have  reviewed  such
questions of law as I have considered necessary and appropriate for the purposes
of this opinion.

I am of the opinion that the shares of Common  Stock to be issued upon  exercise
of stock  options  granted  pursuant to the Plan or issued as  restricted  share
awards  pursuant  to  the  Plan,   will  be  legally  issued,   fully  paid  and
nonassessable,  provided (i) the value received by the Company is at least equal
to the par  value of the  shares  of  Common  Stock  and  (ii) the  Registration
Statement,  as then amended,  shall have become and remains  effective under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

I  consent  to  the  use of  this  opinion  as an  exhibit  to the  Registration
Statement.

Very truly yours,



/s/Robert M. Mattison
Robert M. Mattison
Vice President, General Counsel
     and Secretary

                                      -5-



Exhibit 23.1





INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT


We consent to the incorporation by reference in this  Registration  Statement of
Graco Inc.  on Form S-8  relating to its Long Term Stock  Incentive  Plan of our
report dated  January 23, 1996,  appearing in the Annual  Report on Form 10-K of
Graco Inc. for the year ended December 29, 1995.





/s/Deloitte & Touche LLP

Minneapolis, Minnesota
December 11, 1996



                                      -6-



Exhibit 24.1

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

         KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE  PRESENTS,  that each person whose  signature
appears below hereby  constitutes and appoints George  Aristides his or her true
and lawful  attorney-in-fact  and agent  with full  powers of  substitution  and
resubstitution,  for him or her and in his or her name,  place and stead, in any
and all capacities,  to execute a Registration Statement on Form S-8 to be filed
under the Securities Act of 1933 for the  registration  of 1,000,000  additional
shares of Common  Stock of Graco  Inc.  under the  Graco  Inc.  Long Term  Stock
Incentive Plan and any and all post-effective  amendments  thereto,  and to file
such registration  statement,  with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in
connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto
said  attorney-in-fact  and agent, full power and authority to do and perform to
all  intents  and  purposes  as he or she  might or could do in  person,  hereby
ratifying  and  confirming  all that said  attorney-in-fact  and  agent,  or his
substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Dated:  May 8, 1996


/s/ George Aristides
George Aristides

/s/ Ronald O. Baukol
Ronald O. Baukol

/s/ David A. Koch
David A. Koch

/s/ Joe R. Lee
Joe R. Lee

/s/ Richar d D. McFarland
Richard D. McFarland

/s/ Lee R. Mitau
Lee R. Mitau

/s/ Martha A.M. Morfitt
Martha A.M. Morfitt

/s/ Dale R. Olseth
Dale R. Olseth

/s/ Charles M. Osborne
Charles M. Osborne

/s/ William G. Van Dyke
William G. Van Dyke

                                      -7-