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Childhood friends Richard Knerr and Arthur “Spud” Melin began the Wham-O Company in a Los Angeles garage in 1948.
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Wham O introduces the Hoola Hoop in the late 1950's by marketing a plastic version of the product.
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Their first product was the Wham-O slingshot, made of ash wood, which Knerr and Melin would promote by showing off their own skills at demonstrations.
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The hula hoop craze of the late 50’s can be traced to Australia, where children twirled hoops made out of bamboo.
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Knerr and Melin are inspired by bamboo hoops used in Australia for exercise and decide to create a "hula hoop" made from a new plastic called Marlex.
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Sales of the Hula Hoop increase rapidly.
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Wham-O passed out free hoops and gave demonstrations across southern California playgrounds and the hula hooping frenzy was born.
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Japan bans the hula hoop because the rotating hip action seems indecent.
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The Soviet Union bans the hula hoop, calling it an example of the "emptiness of American culture."
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By this time, Wham-O has sold over 100 million hula hoops. The company makes over $45 million in profit.
It is estimated that over 100 million hoops were sold in its first year. -
Original price of the hula hoop was $1.98
