Fads tend to revive every 17 years or so.... What was hot 17 years ago?

In honor of Joe Cossman, I'd like to revive a topic....

Last year (2001) Don Alm mentioned that in a Joe Cossman seminar he attended, Joe said that fads tend to repeat themselves every 17 years or so....

The fad tends to get "updated".... Joe Cossman took the ant farm - which used to be made of glass, and updated it (and revived it) by making it out of plastic. He revived the spud gun too !

The more recent "scooter craze" was just an updated version of old scooters - instead of big fat rubber tires, the new scooters were "updated" with a sleek new look to become "hot" again!

17 years ago was the end of 1985. What was hot back then? What could become "hot" again (with the right "updating") ? :)

- Dien

1985 was the height of the Cabbage Patch doll craze.... Parents were fighting with each other to get hold of one of those hard-to-get Cabbage Patch dolls! They couldn't make them fast enough!



Each Cabbage Patch doll was slightly different from another (the manufacturer used some kind of randomized computer variation in the manufacturing process) - so each Cabbage Patch kid was "unique". And of course their look was completely different from other dolls!

(The original Cabbage Patch dolls were actually hand-made - only when it really started to take off were they mass-produced.)

Another great "marketing" angle on Cabbage Patch dolls were that they were not for "sale" - they were up for "adoption"! Each Cabbage Patch doll came with its own unique name, birthday, adoption papers, and birth certificate.

Children could send in the "adoption papers" to the manufacturer (Coleco) and receive a birthday card on their doll's first birthday!

It's been 17 years since the height of the Cabbage Patch doll craze.... Could this be a fad (unique dolls that you adopt) that's ready for a revival?

What other big fads were there of the mid-1980s?

- Dien

Damn Dien! Why'd you have to go and bring THAT up. Here I am just returning from a lunch date with a 29 year old woman - and the first thing I read about is Cabbage Patch Dolls?

I bought both my girls Cabbage Patch Dolls once for Christmas. Heck now that I'm thinking about it. After reading your post I bet my lunch date once had a Cabbage Patch Doll!

17 years you say? Well my girls are both in college now. 17 years. Damn. Where'd they go?

Think I'll head downtown and grab a bottle of Celebrex.

Thanks Dien. Thanks...

17 years...

Success and Regards... "Feeling older now" Mike

http://www.CrashCourseMarketing.com
...fastest growing eZine for Sales
Professionals and Internet Marketers...

Okay, all you "fad-nicks".. Here ya go!!

http://www.inthe80s.com Also links to fads of the 70'and 90's!

> Damn Dien! Why'd you have to go and bring
> THAT up. Here I am just returning from a
> lunch date with a 29 year old woman - and
> the first thing I read about is Cabbage
> Patch Dolls?

> I bought both my girls Cabbage Patch Dolls
> once for Christmas. Heck now that I'm
> thinking about it. After reading your post I
> bet my lunch date once had a Cabbage Patch
> Doll!

> 17 years you say? Well my girls are both
> in college now. 17 years. Damn. Where'd they
> go?

> Think I'll head downtown and grab a bottle
> of Celebrex.

> Thanks Dien. Thanks...

> 17 years...

> Success and Regards... "Feeling older
> now" Mike

> http://www.CrashCourseMarketing.com
> ...fastest growing eZine for Sales
> Professionals and Internet Marketers...




Fads of the 80's

What is the No.1 selling toy this Christmas??

Beyblades

What the heck is a Beyblade?

It's a spinning top

A spinning top with a rip cord and it's own cartoon show.

Aparently the toy didn't take off until the cartoon got popular.....Go figure.

How long has the spinning top been around? They recently unearthed a crude version made from Mammoth hide in a peat pit in Scotland.......carbon dating puts it at 4000 years old!

If you want to make money, just take something from the past and give it a new twist.

Spinning top.......Beyblade
Pet Rock.......DigiPet
Flying trash can lid........Fresbie
Naked dncing girls.......Hmmmmmmmmm
And so on and so forth.

MW

The peat pit bit (say that 3 times fast) I made up, but you get the point right?

Hey, maybe I could offer my info products "up for adoption!"

James




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