Hobbies And Interests
Early Hooping History
The hoop concept dates back to 1000 B.C. when Egyptian children played with hoops made from dried grapevines. Children of the ancient Romans and Greeks played a similar hooping game. England had its own hooping craze in the 1300s with hoops made from dried grapevines. The actual term "hula hoop" was coined by British sailors when they were stationed in the Hawaiian Islands and observed that hula dancing looked similar to the hooping that children were doing in England.
Indian Story Telling
As early as 1400 American Indians used hoops made of reeds in a story-telling hoop dance. In the hoop dance, the hoops represented animals like the eagle, the snake and the coyote. The hoops also symbolized the never-ending circle of life. The Indians used the actual hoops to construct symbolic forms.
The Modern Hula Hoop
Wham-O Company introduced the Hula Hoop® in 1958 by passing out free hoops to children and giving Hula Hoop® demonstrations all over Southern California. The original hoop sold for $1.98 and quickly became a major fad. During the hoop's first year on the market, over 100 million were sold. When Hula Hoop® sales fell behind, the Wham-O Company placed ball bearings inside the hollow plastic tube to cause it to make noise as it was twirled. This launched a second wave of frenzied sales that spanned from 1968 to 1981.
Hula Hoop Trivia
The Hula Hoop® was outlawed in Japan and Indonesia because it was considered indecent and immoral to publicly shake the hips. Russia prohibited the Hula Hoop® because it was an example of the "emptiness of American culture." The people at Wham-O disagreed, however, because at the height of the hoop's popularity, they turned out 20,000 of them each day.