Hi Boyd,

Interesting post...!

I was thinking (as I read your post).... WHY did Sea Monkeys succeed as a product?

I'm sure there were plenty of factors.... One possibility which comes to mind is that they are a kind of "pet", without all the problems of regular pets.... They don't make a mess, they're not dangerous, they're not prohibited (the way some pets are prohibited in apartment complexes)... Yet (according to the sales material), they have a lot of the advantages - they do tricks, etc. Hmmm.... Any other ideas?

By the way, I think it's clear why "punk rock aerobics" and the "sensual dance" type of exercise seem to be succeeding.... There clearly were niches of people who wanted to get fit, but who were not completely happy with the offering of standard aerobics. (For the "punk" market, regular aerobics was probably way too "mainstream" - since I think they tend to pride themselves on being "alternative".) And I guess, these new forms of exercise help to solve some of the "obstacles" presented by regular aerobics, for those niche target markets....

- Dien Rice