Ok, what is the origin of the hula hoop?
More than three
thousand years ago, children in Egypt played with
large hoops of dried grapevines. The toy was propelled
along the ground with a stick or swung around
at the waist.
During the fourteenth century, a "hooping"
craze swept England, and was as popular among
adults as kids. The word hula became associated
with the toy in the early 1800s when British sailors
visited the Hawaiian Islands and noted the similarity
between "hooping" and hula dancing.
In 1957, an Australian company began making wood
rings for sale in retail stores.
The item attracted the attention of Wham-0, a
fledgling California toy manufacturer. Richard
P. Knerr and Arthur K. Melvin, of Wham-O, manufactured
a plastic hoop in a variety of bright colors.
The Hula Hoop was introduced in 1958. The fad
died out in the sixties, but Hula Hoops are now
very much with us again thanks to the fitness
craze.
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