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◆ Did you have this?
👍 I had this💔 I wanted this1950s · outdoor
Hula Hoop
A plastic hoop you swung around your hips and tried not to let drop. The 1958 craze was so intense that Wham-O sold 25 million in four months.
- Era
- 50s
- Released
- 1958
- Category
- outdoor
- Availability checked
- 7/16/2026
From the archive
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The pitch
Wham-O Hula Hoop! Swing it, sway it, keep it spinning! The new toy sensation that's sweeping the nation!
Why people remember it
- The impossible challenge of keeping it spinning.
- Every kid on the block had one in a different color.
- The satisfying clatter when it hit the ground.
Did you know?
- The Hula Hoop fad earned Wham-O $45 million in its first year.
- The name was inspired by Hawaiian hula dancing, which uses similar hip movements.
- Japan briefly banned the hula hoop over concerns about its suggestive hip movements.
How people search for it
“hip spinning hoop”, “plastic hoop toy”, “waist circle toy”
Tags
Questions people ask
- How many hula hoops were sold in the 1950s?
- Wham-O sold over 100 million hula hoops in two years. It was one of the biggest toy fads in history.
- Did Wham-O invent the hula hoop?
- No. Bamboo hoops were used in ancient Australia and Egypt. Wham-O founders Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin saw Australian exercise hoops and made a plastic version in 1958.
