So … How Old is The Hula Hoop?
The Hula Hoop has a long and impressive history: ancient Egyptians played with hoops made from grape vines over 3,000 years ago; Greek gymnasts used hoops for exercise; and they first appeared in England in the 1400s.
But it wasn’t until the late 1950s that The Hula Hoop Craze took hold. Suddenly, they were everywhere! And everyone who was cool had to have one. There were new tricks to learn, Hula-Hoop Contests to enter, loads of opportunities to show off your skills.
And where did the name come from?
Very simple – when you spin a Hula Hoop round your body, the movements you make to keep it going are very similar to those in Hawaiian dance. At least, that’s what people thought. So that was the name that Richard Knerr and Arthur ‘Spud’ Melin, the founders of toymaker Wham-O, trademarked for their plastic hoop in 1958. They couldn’t patent the hoop itself – it had been around far too long – but it was Hula-HoopTM that hit the streets with such resounding success. Wham-O sold over 100 million of them in just two years, spreading them right around the globe.
Anatomy of a Hula-Hoop
In the past, people made Hula Hoops from whatever they had to hand: grape vines, bamboo, thin wood – even iron.
The material in most Hula Hoops made now is plastic, and they are sometimes covered in decorative fabric or plastic tape in different colours, or the plastic itself is coloured. They are also available with noise makers inside the tube and can also be decorated on the with glittery or holographi tape or to which ever colour or design you desire.
Children also use them in school games and as a fun exercise.Children are not the only target market for design and sales of spinning hoops.
Adults use them in daily exercise as they are thought to be very beneficial and are often part of a exercise class routine.
Hoops have been used by many different people as toys, in ceremonies or dances, in games, etc.
Since 2000 the craze is again developing and now is very big world wide (except FRANCE ) Designer hoops are made to measure, and there is a now hoop exercise game on Wii Fit . It is also again being used as a PE activity in schools , big and heavy Hula Hoops are ideal for learning tricks faster.
