Hula hoop
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- This article is about the hula hoop toy. For the subculture, see Hooping. For the snack food, see Hula Hoops.
The hula hoop is a toy hoop, usually made of plastic, that is twirled around the waist, limbs, or neck.
Although the exact origins of hula hoops are unknown, children around the world have played with hoops, twirling, rolling and throwing them throughout history. Hula hoops generally measure approximately 28 inches in diameter. Traditional materials for hoops include willow, rattan (a flexible and strong vine), grapevines and stiff grasses. Today, they are often made of plastic tubing.[1]
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[edit] History
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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.
In 1957 the hula (also frequently spelled "hoola") hoop was reinvented by Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin, founders of the Wham-O toy company. (The two had founded the company in a Los Angeles garage in 1948 to market the "Wham-O" slingshot, which was originally invented to shoot pieces of meat into the air, as a training device for falcons). The idea came from an Australian who had visited California who told Knerr and Melin about children twirling bamboo hoops around the waist in gym class. The new Hula Hoops were made possible by Marlex, a recently invented durable plastic.
Knerr and Medlin were unable to patent their vastly profitable "re-invention", as it had been in use for thousands of years; making the device out of a new material did not meet patent requirements of originality. They were largely able, however, to protect their invention by trademarking "Hula hoop".
After the hoop was released in 1958,Wham-O sold 25 million in the first four months and over 100 million in its first year. As the fad ran its course, Wham-O again struck lucky with the release of their Frisbee.
To relaunch the Hula Hoop in the late 1960s, Wham-O staged a national competition in the US in conjunction with the National Parks & Recreation Network. The National Hula Hoop Contest (subsequently re-named the World Hula Hoop Championships) grew in scope from 500 U. S. cities in 1968 to over 2,000 cities in 1980, with two million participants. Competitors were judged on their performance of compulsory manoeuvres (Knee Knocker, Stork, Hula Hop, Wrap the Mummy, Alley Oop) as well as freestyle routines set to music, establishing the rootsand of the contemporary freestyle Hula Hoop movement.
Winners of the national competitions during 1968 - 1981 were as follows:
- 1968 - Marilou Jones;
- 1969 - Melody Howe;
- 1970 - Richard Low;
- 1971 - Sandra Gaylord;
- 1972 - David Williams;
- 1973 - Lori Ray;
- 1974 - DeAnn DeLuna;
- 1975 - Mat Plendl;
- 1976 - Joanne Barnes;
- 1977 - Carl Cooke;
- 1978 - Robert Lynn White;
- 1979 - Mark Sforzini;
- 1980 - Lori Hayes
- 1981 - Demi Jo Carrillo
In 1983 Wham-O re-launched the Hula Hoop in western Europe, 25 years after the original worldwide craze, with national competitions staged in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The 1984 United Kingdom Championships was sponsored by KP who make Hula Hoop Crisps, and took place in Butlins holiday camps with the final at the Liverpool Garden Festival. It was won by Stephen Parkes of Nottingham.
[edit] World Records
[edit] Duration
An early duration record for the hula hoop was set by 11-year-olds Paulette Robinson, Charles Beard and Patsy Jo Grigby in Jackson, Mississippi lasting 11 hours and 34 minutes (August, 1960). The event was sponored by radio station WOKJ. 8-year-old Mary Jane Freeze, won a hooping endurance contest on 19 August 1976, by lasting 10 hours and 47 minutes. The current record is held by Roxann Rose of the USA, who went 90 hours between 2 April and 6 April 1987.[2]
[edit] Most Hula Hoops Twirled at Once
The record for the most hoops twirled simultaneously is 105, set by Jin Linlin, on October 28, 2007. [3]
[edit] Hoop running
Records for running while twirling a hula hoop around the waist are:[2]
- 100 m: 13.84 seconds, by Roman Schedler (Austria), 16 July 1994
- 1 mile: 7:47, by Paul "Dizzy Hips" Blair (USA), date unknown
- 10 km, men: 1:06:35, by Paul "Dizzy Hips" Blair (USA), date unknown
- 10 km, women: 1 hour 43 minutes and 11 seconds, by Betty (Shurin) Hoops (USA), 30 May 2005 & listed in the Guinness World Records.
[edit] Other records
The largest hoop successfully twirled was 13.88 meters (45.55 feet) in circumference, by Ashrita Furman of the USA (September, 2005). The record for simultaneous hula-hooping (minimum time: 2 minutes) is for 2,290 participants at Chung Cheng Stadium in Kaohsiung (Taiwan) on 28 October 2000.[2]
In 2000, Roman Schedler spun a 53-pound tractor tire for 71 seconds at the 5th Saxonia Record Festival in Bregenz, Austria.[2]
[edit] Today: Modern Hooping
The past few years have seen the re-emergence of hula hooping, generally referred to as either "hoopdance" or simply "hooping" to distinguish it from the children's playform. An International Holiday World Hoop Day has become the hula hoop holiday celebrating the circle around the world. Every year, in numerical sequence starting from July 7, 2007 7-7-07 and continuing through December 12, 2012 12-12-12 hoopers dance in every city and country to raise money and donate hoops to others who can't afford them. Modern hula-hoopers can be found among fans of jambands like The String Cheese Incident and participants of Burning Man. Many modern hoopers make their own hoops out of polyethylene tubing. They are much larger and heavier than hoops of the 1950s. These hoops may be covered in a fabric or plastic tape to ease the amount of work in keeping a hoop twirling around the dancer, and can be very colorful. Some use glow-in-the dark, patterned, or sparkling tape, and others are produced with clear tubing and filled with plastic balls, glitter, or even water to produce visual or audio effects when used. LED technology has also been introduced in the past few years allowing hoops to light up at the flick of a switch.
During the recent revitalization of the hula hoop, its uses have been extended to serve as an implement for fitness. A multitude of websites have spawned as a result of this revival. Many of which provide links to hooping clubs located throughout the United States, online retailers from which to buy specialized hula hoops and information on workout routines.
Within the past few years, some hoopers have taken up fire hooping, in which spokes are set into the outside of the hoop and tipped with kevlar wicks which are soaked in fuel and lit on fire.
[edit] Popular Culture
The hula hoop emerged in the world of circus in the 1960s. Russian and Chinese artists took the hula hoop to extremes. These influenced contemporary circus artists like Australian circus comedienne and hula hoop historian Judith Lanigan, who performs the Dying Swan — "a tragedy with hula hoops" — using 30 hula hoops. The Cirque du Soleil shows "Alegria" and "Zumanity" feature hula hoop acts involving contortion.
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- The sale of the 100-millionth hula hoop by Wham-O is referenced in Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" as one of the most significant events of 1959.
- A fictionalized version of the invention of the Hula Hoop is the core of the story of the Coen Brothers' 1994 film The Hudsucker Proxy, where it is referred to as (among other things) an "Extruded Plastic Dingus".
Hula hoops are referenced in the Chipmunks song, Christmas Don't Be Late. Wayout Toys, under licence to Emson, introduced the Alvin Hula Hoop Doll, which dances with his hula hoop and sings the song based on wanting his hula hoop.
Mat Plendl, a 25 year old actor, who is considered to be the world's best hula hooper has appeared three times on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. He has become a regular performer at the half time shows of National Basketball Association games.
Quoting Dan Roddick, director of sports promotion at Wham-O, "There is no other product that gives me as much fear and respect for the power of mass culture as the hula hoop."[4]
[edit] External links
- World Hoop Day is a charity that gives hula hoops to children in need. They also celebrate the circle with an international holiday every year. July 7, 2007 (777) started was the 1st, August 8, 2008 (888) is the 2nd, September 9, 2009 (999, October 10, 2010 (101010), November 11, 2011 (111111) and December 12, 2012 (121212).
- Hyperloop Hoops is a community driven hooping site based in the UK.
- iWebPlay.com is a website dedicated to hoop exercise for kids.
- Hoopclass Hoops Promotes hooping for fitness.
- Hooping.org Magazine is a hooping-oriented magazine website.
- Bearclaw Manufacturing hooping instructional videos and the original producer of the fire hoop.
- The Hooper's Compendious is a wiki to resource of hooping tricks
- Hoopaholics Australia Australia's comprehensive hooping resource.
- Hoopadelic Hoopdance promotes hooping as a transformational life tool for well-being and self-empowerment, it is based in the US.
- NPR: Hula Hooping Gets Groovy Again (audio podcast)
- Betty Hoopsis the website for Betty Hoops, the holder of the Guinness World Record for ‘hula hooping – fastest 10 km."
- HeavyHoops Buy specialized Hula Hoops and find out about classes.
- [1] Read workout tips involving Hula Hoops.
- [2] Advantages of exercising with Hula Hoops.
- [3] Discusses pros and cons of hooping as exercise, and includes simple workout tips.
- [4] Workout routines, Hooping products, and assembly instructions for DIY kits.
