The history of the hula-hoop dates back to ancient times although
the details of the invention to include the exact date and name of the inventor
are not known. Ancient Greek Art from
the Archaic Period (
620 to 480 B.C) shows
Ganymede, a Trojan prince in Greek Mythology, with a hoop. Hooping, as it was earlier known, was popular
in the 1300 in Great Britain for recreation.
In the 1800s, British soldiers coined the term “hula hooping” after
watching Hawaiian hula dancing.
The Wham-O Company, a US based company, was formed in 1948
by Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin. In
1958, Wham-O obtained a trademark for the name “Hula Hoop” and began
manufacturing a plastic version of the toy.
Other hoops in history were made from metal, grass and vines. When the popularity died after 10 months,
Wham-O added ball bearings to the hula-hoop, which made noise and spurred
another craze. Though the crazes were
short-lived, the hula-hoop is still present in toy stores.
Sources:
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