Take A Trip Down Memory Lane... Do You Remember These 37 Strange Fads?

it is a cycle ...of sorts...

was reading an article ( my add keeps my memory blocked on exactly )..but a marketing firm researched new products according to the old book
CYCLES...

occur every 13, 27 and 54 years....just look at the products, and the dates of their popularity ...interesting ...


thanks
bob

I go back to holly hope but not the telephone thing that is before my time. You guys can't be that old. I thought I was older than dirt.

I know I spelled it wrong please forgive me I just got up. I don't know how to spell it anyway. Holla hops maybe?

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Joetrevison

I know I spelled it wrong please forgive me I just got up. I don't know how to spell it anyway. Holla hops maybe?

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

I just saw a girl at my gym a few weeks ago using a hula hoop to some music that she brought along with her. She was having fun.

Originally Posted by Dien Rice

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

Hula Hoops Lost money did you know that. There was no copyright so that might have been the reason. I am not sure. Maybe someone of you know more than that. Tell us more.