Hula Hoop

In the late 1950s, children found much delight in playing with hula hoops. The hoops—lightweight, hollow, brightly colored circular bands that were 4 feet in diameter—were a simple yet clever creation. The object was to spin one around your waist and then wiggle and reel your hips in an attempt to prevent it from falling to the ground.

The origin of the hula hoop dates to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It also was popular with children and adults in England during the fourteenth century. Back then, the hoops were made of wood, vines, or grasses. The word "hula" became linked to the toy in the early nineteenth century, when British sailors traveled to the Hawaiian Islands and noticed the similarity between hooping and the rhythmic movements of the hips in hula dancing.

Modern-era hula hoops were manufactured and marketed by Wham-O, a toy company. They were made out of a tough, heat-resistant plastic called Marlex. These hoops were introduced in California in 1958. Their price: $1.98. Kids immediately saw the fun in moving like a hula dancer. The toy's popularity quickly spread first across the United States and then to Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. During the first six months of production, Americans bought twenty million hula hoops. By the end of 1958, about one hundred million had been sold worldwide. At the height of the hula hoop craze, Wham-O produced twenty thousand hoops a day. Contests were held to see who could spin a hoop for the longest time and how many hoops could be twirled at the same time. The mass-popularity of hula hoops was short-lived; by the end of 1958, the fad began dying out. However, hula hoops still are produced.

Lori Lynn Lomeli (1958–) began entering hula hoop tournaments as a child. In 1973, she emerged as the World Hula Hoop Champion. She has been cited in the Guinness Book of World Records for spinning fifteen hoops around various parts of her body at the same time, and for spinning eighty-two hoops, all at once, for three complete turns.

—Rob Edelman

For More Information

Asakawa, Gil, and Leland Rucker. The Toy Book. New York: Knopf, 1992.

"Hula Hoop." The Great Idea Finder.http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story009.htm (accessed March 12, 2002).

Wulffson, Don L. The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories about Inventions. New York: Puffin, 1999.