The Hula Hoop Craze Peaks

Setting the scene

Wham-O founders Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin had imported Australian bamboo exercise hoops; after tweaking Marlex plastic tubing, they trademarked 'Hula Hoop' and launched a marketing blitz tying the toy to rock-and-roll youth culture.

What happened

The hula hoop fad peaked in 1958 when an estimated twenty-five million hoops sold in four months, with Wham-O shipping 50,000 units daily at the craze's height.

Why it still matters

Schools banned hoops when chains of kids linked up in playgrounds, fearing disruption; though sales collapsed by 1959, the hoop survived as fitness fad and symbol of postwar disposable toy booms driven by television advertising.

Background

Schools banned hoops when chains of kids linked up.