1963 : Hula-Hoop patented
On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a
huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958,
is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An
estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold in its first four months of
production alone.
In 1948, friends Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr founded a company in
California to sell a slingshot they created to shoot meat up to
falcons they used for hunting. The company's name, Wham-O, came from
the sound the slingshots supposedly made. Wham-O eventually branched
out from slingshots, selling boomerangs and other sporting goods. Its
first hit toy, a flying plastic disc known as the Frisbee, debuted in
1957. The Frisbee was originally marketed under a different name, the
Pluto Platter, in an effort to capitalize on America's fascination
with UFOs.
Melina and Knerr were inspired to develop the Hula-Hoop after they saw
a wooden hoop that Australian children twirled around their waists
during gym class. Wham-O began producing a plastic version of the
hoop, dubbed "Hula" after the hip-gyrating Hawaiian dance of the same
name, and demonstrating it on Southern California playgrounds.
Hula-Hoop mania took off from there.
The enormous popularity of the Hula-Hoop was short-lived and within a
matter of months, the masses were on to the next big thing. However,
the Hula-Hoop never faded away completely and still has its fans
today. According to Ripley's Believe It or Not, in April 2004, a
performer at the Big Apple Circus in Boston simultaneously spun 100
hoops around her body. Earlier that same year, in January, according
to the Guinness World Records, two people in Tokyo, Japan, managed to
spin the world's largest hoop--at 13 feet, 4 inches--around their
waists at least three times each.
Following the Hula-Hoop, Wham-O continued to produce a steady stream
of wacky and beloved novelty items, including the Superball, Water
Wiggle, Silly String, Slip 'n' Slide and the Hacky Sack.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1963 : Hula-Hoop patented
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52414
1770 : THE BOSTON MASSACRE:
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6827
1815 : Innovator of hypnotism dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4812
1946 : Churchill delivers Iron Curtain speech
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=2597
#########################################
On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a
huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958,
is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An
estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold in its first four months of
production alone.
In 1948, friends Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr founded a company in
California to sell a slingshot they created to shoot meat up to
falcons they used for hunting. The company's name, Wham-O, came from
the sound the slingshots supposedly made. Wham-O eventually branched
out from slingshots, selling boomerangs and other sporting goods. Its
first hit toy, a flying plastic disc known as the Frisbee, debuted in
1957. The Frisbee was originally marketed under a different name, the
Pluto Platter, in an effort to capitalize on America's fascination
with UFOs.
Melina and Knerr were inspired to develop the Hula-Hoop after they saw
a wooden hoop that Australian children twirled around their waists
during gym class. Wham-O began producing a plastic version of the
hoop, dubbed "Hula" after the hip-gyrating Hawaiian dance of the same
name, and demonstrating it on Southern California playgrounds.
Hula-Hoop mania took off from there.
The enormous popularity of the Hula-Hoop was short-lived and within a
matter of months, the masses were on to the next big thing. However,
the Hula-Hoop never faded away completely and still has its fans
today. According to Ripley's Believe It or Not, in April 2004, a
performer at the Big Apple Circus in Boston simultaneously spun 100
hoops around her body. Earlier that same year, in January, according
to the Guinness World Records, two people in Tokyo, Japan, managed to
spin the world's largest hoop--at 13 feet, 4 inches--around their
waists at least three times each.
Following the Hula-Hoop, Wham-O continued to produce a steady stream
of wacky and beloved novelty items, including the Superball, Water
Wiggle, Silly String, Slip 'n' Slide and the Hacky Sack.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1963 : Hula-Hoop patented
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52414
1770 : THE BOSTON MASSACRE:
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6827
1815 : Innovator of hypnotism dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4812
1946 : Churchill delivers Iron Curtain speech
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=2597
#########################################
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