One of the most popular fads of the 1950’s was the hula hoop. The hula hoop was an ancient toy that once existed in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and in 14th century England. It was reinvented in 1958 by Wham-O Manufacturing. The idea for the toy came from a toy made from bamboo that was used in Australian gym classes. The toy was placed around a person’s head and then wiggled down to their waist. They then had to move their waist in a circular motion, similar to a hula dancer to keep the hula hoop on their waist. Wham-O’s version of the toy was made out of plastic called polyurethane.

Americans purchased 20 million hula hoops in the first 6 months of its sales and 100 million were sold worldwide. Contests were held all over the U.S. to see who could spin the longest. The fad lasted less than a year in the U.S. so the toy was marketed in Europe, the Middle East, and the Netherlands. Then the fad spread to Japan and Germany. Japan later banned the hula hoop because they thought it gave America a negative image.