Patents: The Hula Hoop

Did you play with a hula hoop as a child?

Image credit: George Garrigues, Wikipedia

On March 5, 1963, the modern day Hula-Hoop was patented by Arthur Melin. The co-founder of the toy company, Wham-O, Melin was inspired to develop the popular children’s toy after observing Australian children twirling wooden hoops around their waists during gym class. Wham-O began selling plastic versions of the hoop, which they dubbed “Hula” after the Hawaiian dance, and demonstrated them in playgrounds across southern California. Before long, the Hula-Hoop took the country by storm; within the first four months, an estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold. 

Fun fact: The current Guinness world record holder for the Longest Marathon Hula Hooping is Aaron Hibbs. Hibbs hula hooped with a single hoop for a whopping 74 hours and 54 minutes!

Check out Arthur Melin’s patent for the Hula-Hoop below:

 Patent issued to Arthur Melin (Click to zoom)