In the 1950’s you could have sold Eskimos bags of ice. America was ready for anything. It was the age of Rock and Roll and fancy cars with big engines. It was a time of innocence, yet daring. It was the time when television sets rolled into our living rooms and changed our lives. It was also the time of Hula Hoops. Faster than the spread of Covid in a telephone booth, Hula Hoops swept the nation.
The Hula Hoop, nothing but a big, plastic ring, is said to have got its start in Norway in 1957. Children who had seen circus performers with hoops duplicated the movements and it was game on. The fad sprung up in Australia and made its way to the United States when Wham-O introduced Hula Hoops in 1958. The original Hula Hoops sold for $1.98, roughly twenty bucks in today’s money, but price was no object. In four months, 25 million hoops were sold and sales reached 100 million after only 2 years.
Americans were hooked on Hula Hoops.
I for one, thought they were boring. Maybe because I could only keep one off the ground for about 15 seconds. I wasn’t any good at the Twist, either. Girls, on the other hand, were Hula Hoop Masters – hips, you know.
But for about a year, Hula Hoops were found in every home in the country. Contests sprouted and exercise buffs touted their usefulness in fitness regimens.
I think they still make Hula Hoops, and I still can’t keep one going for more than a few seconds.
