Hula Hoop: When Wham-O Pulled Off The All-Time Toy Fad In 1958

By | July 4, 2020

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Dick Clark watches a guest demonstrate the most popular toy in America on American Bandstand in 1958. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

In July 1958, the hula hoop became the biggest fad the world had ever seen. Manufacturer Wham-O used the still relatively new medium of TV to create a sensation; in addition to advertising, Wham-O was able to get its product onto shows as a cultural phenomenon. Today, we're familiar with product placement and PR tactics, but in 1958 Wham-O's moves were groundbreaking. And the result was a fad that became the classic fad of all fads -- from the Pet Rock to Tickle Me Elmo, every sudden must-have toy or gimmick follows the swirling, momentum-gaining pattern established by the hula hoop.

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Source: (Wikipedia).

Wham-O got its start in 1948, when Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr founded a company to sell a slingshot used in hunting. They named the company after the sound the slingshot supposedly made. They expanded their products when they started selling sporting goods, boomerangs, and toys. The first toy was the plastic Frisbee, which they started selling in 1957. In 1958, they began making Hula Hoops.