In 1958, Wham-O founders Arthur “Spud” Melin and Richard Knerr came up with the crazy idea for a circular hoop made of plastic. As it turned out, the idea was a pretty good one: Wham-O went on to sell 25 million such hoops in the first four months of production. But the company didn’t receive a patent on the invention, now formally known as the Hula Hoop, until March 5, 1963.
Photos from 1958 onward show a much simpler time when a circle of plastic could bring pure joy.
See the photos of people enjoying toy hoops and Hula Hoops below.
Above: Benedictine sisters at the Christ King Convent in Oklahoma City try their hand at the hula hoop craze, Oct. 18, 1958.
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Kids hold up toy hoops in San Francisco circa 1958.
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11-year-old Ann Evans of Aberdare, Wales, the world toy hoop marathon champion, keeps seven hoops twirling simultaneously, Nov. 17, 1958.
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Duke Ellington hoops it up in 1958.
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A group of six children play with hoops in a circa-1960s hoop class.
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A European woman tries out a toy hoop, circa 1958.
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George Washington University cheerleader Anne Sneeringer unsuccessfully attempts to coach Ed Rurbach in the art of spinning a toy hoop, circa 1958.
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Bonnie Manchester demonstrates a hoop in Newport Beach, California, in 1958.
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Hooping in Manchester circa 1959.
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A girl twirls a toy hoop in Chicago sometime in the mid- to late 1960s.
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Mimi Jordan, 10, drinks milk and holds a sandwich while hooping.
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National hula hoop champion Sandra Gaylord spins her hoops in 1972, as world professional trampoline champion Judy Johnson does her thing using a hoop as well.
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A man with a toy hoop he bought at Selfridges in London, 1958.
