The Story of The Hula Hoop

Throughout history, the hula hoop has been used in various cultures for a number of purposes. In ancient Greece, citizens used the hula hoop as a form of exercise. In Egypt around 3,000 years ago, hoops made out of grape vines were propelled around the ground with sticks.

Native Americans used hoops as a target for teaching accuracy for hunting. The word "hula" was added in the early 18th century as sailors who visited Hawaii noticed the similarity between hula dancing and tripping hoops. Plastic hula hoops were first manufactured and sold in Australia.

In 1957, Coles department store sold bamboo hoops, but the supplier couldn't produce enough to meet demand. So they invited Alex Tolmer, the founder of Toltoys, to produce plastic ones. Toltoys sold 400,000 plastic hoops in 1957. In 1958, Melin and Knerr of Wham-O started to market hula hoops in the USA, selling 100 million over that summer.

The craze lasted from January to October, then suddenly died. In only four months, an estimated 80 to 100 million of them were sold in 1958. Hula Hoops became famous all over the world. According to study conducted by the American Council on Exercise, hula hooping would burn around 200 calories in a day if you work out for half an hour.

Hula Hooping has been classified as an aerobic exercise that would increase the flexibility and strength of one's body. It is considered as a low-intensity workout for most people. One of the fun and creative ways to lose weight is by hula hooping.