Cooperative Living January 2015 - 34

KIDS' KORNER by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
What Goes Around, Comes Around
If you were to look over all of your toys and
playthings today, which ones do you think
you'll still enjoy when you're as old as your
parents?
Did you choose any
of these?
Some childhood toys become ageless. They bring fun
to all of life's stages, connecting
young and old generations
through shared play.
There is another toy that
you may have overlooked or
not considered appropriate
for adult amusement. Perhaps
it's already been thrown
away. (It seldom survives childhood!)
Merely a thin circle of hollow, plastic tubing, it was
once a " must-have " toy when your grandparents were
kids. Now, over five decades later, this swiveling sensation
has rolled into gyms, fitness classes and music festivals
where grown-up kids are rediscovering its attraction
all over again.
Guaranteed to bring fun to all age groups, this comeback
toy is the humble Hula Hoop.
By the 1400s,
England was using
wooden and metal
hoops in religious
ceremonies and for
recreation. However,
hooping apparently
gyrated out of control
at times. Medical
records indicate that
dislocated backs and
heart attacks were
often associated with
the activity and at
one point physicians
warned: " Hoops Kill. "
Native American
Indians, of this same
time period, used hoops for storytelling. Dancers used
dozens of reed hoops as symbols to represent eagles,
snakes, butterflies and coyotes. With no beginning
and no end, the hoop symbolized the never-ending
circle of life.
Fast-forward to the 20th century.
Fad of the Late '50s -
EVERYBODY had to have one!
The Beginning of all the Hoopla
Who came up with this amazingly
simple, yet fantastic,
idea of hoop play in the
first place? The answer is
kids - who else? Ancient
Egyptian children
twisted dried grape vines
into circles and, just like
you, they enjoyed rolling,
throwing and slinging the
hoops around their bodies.
For them it was all about
fun.
The Greeks used hoops
of wood and metal as physical
training devices. And
for them it was all about
staying fit.
32
The Hula Hoop rage that your grandparents experienced
happened in 1958 and is considered one of the
biggest fads to ever happen in America.
After hearing that Australian children were twirling
hoops of bamboo, Wham-O toy company founders
Richard Knerr and Arthur " Spud " Melin decided to
bring the hoop into the plastics age.
They created colorful circles out of Marlex, a newly
invented lightweight plastic, and gave free hooping
demonstrations at schools and
playgrounds. Within four months,
25 million hoops were sold.
By the time the craze ended in
1960, over 100 million had
been sold internationally.
Even though the hoop
hysteria was short-lived, this
captivating circle has
continued to twirl into the
lives of children in every
decade since. Clever
adaptations and add-ons
have kept the simple toy
trendy and marketable. Have
you ever had glitter, bells,
ball-bearings, beads or
fruit-scented plastic rotating
around your hips?
Cooperative Living/January 2015
KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS' KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU'LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!

Cooperative Living January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2015