Hi Joe,
Hula hoops...!
I just came across some interesting info about hula hoops... And how its history actually holds some "money-making" lessons...
Apparently, they're an ancient "invention" - in ancient Greece, they were used to help people lose weight! It was also popular in England in the 14th century.
Then, in the 1950s, the Wham-O company brought it back into fashion with a plastic version (and a marketing campaign). They couldn't patent it - because the invention was at least 2,500 years old! However, they did protect themselves by trademarking the name "hula hoop". So they are the only ones allowed to "officially" use that name for their product!
(Wham-O also performed a similar trick with the Frisbee - they didn't invent it, but they came up with the popular name, and own the trademark.)
I think this shows some important things...
- Ancient toys (and maybe other items?) can be brought back from history and become popular today in a "modern" form...
- Even if you can't protect your product with a patent, you may be able to protect it with a trademark - if your name enters popular usage...!
You can read more about the history at the "hula hoop" article on
Wikipedia and at
About.com ...
By the way, the history also suggests another idea. I wonder if the hula hoop could come back again - but this time as a "weight loss" product?
Cheers,
Dien