You kept this large plastic ring circling around your waist by moving your hips. It became very popular overnight and most teenagers got one. I was very young at the time and I can't remember its name, and I haven't seen any in a long time.
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2@Centaurus en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hula_hoop– ElianCommented Mar 11, 2016 at 2:20
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Gyrations associated with She Wears Red Feathers written by Bob Merrill in 1952; lyrics "She Wears Red Feathers and a Hula-Hula Skirt."– HughCommented Mar 11, 2016 at 2:51
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1"large plastic ring circling around your waist". They have rattan ones too, you know. I had rattan ones, before plastic became popular. I think in the 50s, they were mainly rattan rather than plastic.– Blessed GeekCommented Mar 11, 2016 at 4:25
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2 Answers
Hula-Hoop See Wikipedia
I remember it too. I knew people who were experts, but the #$%@ thing always fell around my ankles after a few twirls.
A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck. The modern hula hoop was invented in 1958 by Arthur K. "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr, but children and adults around the world have played with hoops, twirling, rolling and throwing them throughout history. Hula hoops for children generally measure approximately 71 centimetres (28 in) in diameter, and those for adults around 1.02 metres (40 in). Traditional materials for hoops include willow, rattan (a flexible and strong vine), grapevines and stiff grasses. Today, they are usually made of plastic tubing.
The Wikipedia article has a 1958 picture of a girl hula-hooping.
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I attended the national hula hoop contest, sometime in the 50's, not as a competitor. 1958 sounds a little late -- I was a junior in high school then. The contest was sponsored by Art Linkletter (remember him? "Kids say the darndest things"), who presumably had invested in hula hoops. Some of the girl contestants could do incredible things with their hips. Takes me back.– Greg LeeCommented Mar 11, 2016 at 3:03
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@Greg Lee -- I agree, thinking it over, 1958 seems late. I'll google a bit more.– ab2Commented Mar 11, 2016 at 3:04
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@Greg Lee -- Wham-O introduced the hula-hoop in 1958 and it quickly went viral.– ab2Commented Mar 11, 2016 at 3:12
The device you refer to is known as a "hoola hoop."
