The History of the Hula Hoop

Although this popular toy made it’s popular debut in the 50’s it had actually already been around for hundreds of years.  People have been playing with different versions of the Hula-Hoop since the days of ancient Egypt, over 3000 years ago, when children would fashion circles from dried grape vines and swing them around their waists, rolled them on the ground or tossed them to each other.  Ancient Greeks even used hoops as a form of exercise to lose weight.  In the 1400’s hooping became popular in England until the stuffy British began to blame the practice on heart attacks and back disorders and playing with the toy became discouraged.  Hula-Hoops have been made from every sort of material from wood to metal and they are still enjoyed by people of all ages to this day.

In 1958 Richard Knerr and Arthur “Spud” Melin, the founders of Wham-O, released the first plastic hoop and trademarked it under the name “Hula-Hoop.”  The name was inspired by the way that playing with the toy resembled the Hawaiian hula dance. Luckily Knerr and Melin didn’t go with other name ideas such as Swinga-Hoop or Twirl-A-Hoop.  The toy itself could not be patented because it was such an ancient concept.  The Wham-O team got the idea to make the toy from Australian children who twirled wooden hoops around their waists in gym class. The first Hula-Hoops were made from a patented plastic called Marlex and sold for $1.98.  Amazingly, twenty million hoops were sold in the very first 6 months of production which ignited the Hula-Hoop craze of the 50’s.  In the first two years Wham-O sold over 100 million.

In the months to come there would be Hula-Hoop contests, exhibitions, and new tricks to learn.  The Hula-Hoop was seen everywhere from the circus to late night TV.  The Hula-Hoop was not appreciated everywhere though.  The toy became widespread across the globe but not in certain countries.  Japan banned the Hula-Hoop because they thought the toy would incite improprieties, much like Elvis’ hips.  In Russia the hoops were denounced as an example of the “the emptiness of American culture.”  Maybe these countries were just not as adept at hooping and wanted to avoid embarrassment!

Today you can still find Hula-Hoops in any toy store.  The hoops of today are often filled with glitter, colored water, or even noisemakers that drive mom crazy.  To give credit to the ancient Greeks, Hula-Hooping remains a great cardiovascular exercise for people of all ages and is often used in gym classes.  Hooping is a fun activity for the entire family to do together and if you are a real Hula-Hoop fanatic you can even find others like yourself on the Internet at a web site such as Hooping.org that claims to serve the “underground hula hooping community.”  You can find Hula-Hooping classes in your area or even learn how to construct your own hoop.  In the great tradition of timeless classics, the Hula-Hoop is here to stay!

 Christine Sostarich is a freelance writer and mother of four living in the Pocono Mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania.  She is also a poet and editor of a small literary journal.

 No fifties party is complete with out one! So browse our costume store today to find fifties adult costumes and accessories! Find wigs, dresses, jewelry, shoes and more all to add to your costume. We have costumes for all sizes and a huge variety of childrens costumes!