My hula hoop was yellow. I don't recall where or when I got it, but it was in the early '60s. It could have been a gift from my grandfather because I can visualize him laughing and trying to use it, unsuccessfully. I stored it behind the freezer on the back porch so it wouldn't roll away. It was a perfect game in the suburbs. If no one could come out and play, I could hula hoop outside as long as I wanted. I could hula and walk around the yard at the same time. I could hum, sing, talk, chew bubblegum, think, and dream all while using the hoop. I could compete with myself, counting how many hoops I could make before it fell down.
If there was a group of us neighborhood girls getting together, we could hula hoop in a cluster, talking, laughing, and just hanging out. Sometimes we gathered in the street with the hoops because there was plenty of unobstructed open space, and only an occasional car passed by. We challenged each other to see who could hoop the longest. Most of the time we were in dresses, so they were an accepted excuse for fall out. There were other challenges as well, such as hooping on an arm or a leg or your neck. Using multiple hoops was also tried. You could also use a hoop like a jump rope, swinging it vertically around your body. I was a one of the taller kids so I had to really cramp down to do this.
If there was a group of us neighborhood girls getting together, we could hula hoop in a cluster, talking, laughing, and just hanging out. Sometimes we gathered in the street with the hoops because there was plenty of unobstructed open space, and only an occasional car passed by. We challenged each other to see who could hoop the longest. Most of the time we were in dresses, so they were an accepted excuse for fall out. There were other challenges as well, such as hooping on an arm or a leg or your neck. Using multiple hoops was also tried. You could also use a hoop like a jump rope, swinging it vertically around your body. I was a one of the taller kids so I had to really cramp down to do this.
Art Linkletter introduced the hula hoop on his tv show, People Are Funny, something we often watched together as a family. (Linkletter was an investor in the hula hoop Wham-O California based company.) There were demonstrations of hula hoop skill on other shows like the Ed Sullivan show. It was like an acrobatic circus act and truly amazing. An interesting trick was the roll back, throwing the hoop forward only to have it come right back to you upright, much like a boomerang. That was a hard one to copy.
There were improvements and gimmicks added to the hoop over the years, such as the Shoop-Shoop, a hoop with ball bearings inside that made noise as it went around. The hula hoop fad was popular not only in the US but also around the world. There were local contests and world competitions with people vying to be in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Hula Hoop Factoids:
-using a hoop dates back at least one thousand years to ancient Egypt and Greece where coiled reeds and grapevines were used for play and exercise;
-Native Americans used hoops in their interpretive dances;
-Wham-O American entrepreneurs may have copied the Australian bamboo version of the hoop toy;
-Wham-O sold 100 million hoops the first year. They sold for $1.98 each;
-some countries such as Indonesia considered the hoops improper and banned them;
-the fad died out and has been revitalized at least three times since the late '50s;
-a popular potato snack treat in the UK is Hula Hoops in a variety of flavors.
"The Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be
called the Faithful City...Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets
of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets
will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” Zechariah 8
-using a hoop dates back at least one thousand years to ancient Egypt and Greece where coiled reeds and grapevines were used for play and exercise;
-Native Americans used hoops in their interpretive dances;
-Wham-O American entrepreneurs may have copied the Australian bamboo version of the hoop toy;
-Wham-O sold 100 million hoops the first year. They sold for $1.98 each;
-some countries such as Indonesia considered the hoops improper and banned them;
-the fad died out and has been revitalized at least three times since the late '50s;
-a popular potato snack treat in the UK is Hula Hoops in a variety of flavors.
"The Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be
called the Faithful City...Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets
of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets
will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” Zechariah 8
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