In 1957, Joan Anderson brought back a bamboo "exercise hoop" from Australia, and came up with the name Hula Hoop® at a dinner party. Her husband showed it to Arthur "Spud" Melin and they agreed on a gentleman's handshake that they would share in any profits. Wham-O originally manufactured 42 in (1.1 m) diameter hoops from Marlex plastic. With giveaways, national marketing and retailing, a fad begin in July of 1958, and 25M plastic hoops were sold in less than four months! Sales reached more than 100M units in two years. Watch a classic Wham-O Hula Hoop TV commercial.
* The Hula Hoop is one of the very few toys that have sold more than 300M pieces.
* 1999 - The Hula Hoop was inducted into the Strong Museum National Toy Industry Hall of Fame.
* The modern Hula Hoop was inspired by bamboo exercise rings that children in Australia were playing with.
* In 1957, 400K Hula Hoops were sold in Australia by Toltoys.
* 1958 - 25M Hula Hoops were sold in less than four months after Wham-O's launch!
* 1958 - Hula Hoop was trademarked by Wham-O.
* 1960 - More than 100M units sold by Wham-O in the 2 years after they were introduced, which was $45M in revenue at the time.
* 1965 - Shoop-Shoop, a Hula Hoop with beads trapped inside to make noise was introduced.
* By 2018: Wham-O has more than 20 different Hula Hoops, including classic LEDs, Glow in the Dark, DIY, and hoops with whistles and sounds.
* Wham-O Hula Hoop tricks included: Kill the Buzzard (around the neck), the Natural (around the waist), the Knee Knocker, the Stork, Play War, Skip with the Hula Hoop, Run through it, Giant Horseshoes, Upsy Daisy, Roll and Catch, and Push-o-Hoop.
* 2023 - Hula Hoop 65th Anniversary from trademark filing (marketed in 1958)
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