6
Kansas State Engineer
I must admit, it was the thinly veiled sex appeal that first
drew me to the hula hoop at the early age of five. The mes-
merizing hip movement—it was pretty risqué back in the
day. Perhaps it was my early prowess with this simple plastic
hoop that brought the hordes of male admirers. It could also
have been my bowl haircut. So, I either should thank Rich-
ard Knerr and Arthur “Spud” Melin for my popularity, or my
barber. However, it is likely that I should instead thank the
Australian visitor who first mentioned the popularity of bam-
boo hoops with Australian children to Knerr and Melin. In
1957, the plastic hula hoop that we know and love was first
introduced by Wham-O toys. Although the hula hoop was
used as far back as ancient Greece where it was recommended
for weight loss, it was
Knerr and Melin who
first realized its recre-
ational potential. Earlier
hula hoops were made
from bamboo, metal,
vines or wood. The first
Wham-O hula hoops
were made of a light-
weight durable plastic,
Marlex, making them
much more enjoyable
to use. When the hula
hoop was first mar-
keted nationally in
1958, 25 million were
sold in the first two
months. While the
craze dwindled after
1958, it has never com-
pletely died. Children
The Koosh Ball is perhaps one of the best examples of
engineers over-analyzing something. While I sit at home
analyzing the plausibility of commercials, other engineers
are out there considering important, life-altering puzzles. Such
was the case with Scott Stillinger. It was in a moment of
genius that he noticed that his young children were having
a hard time grasping the ball during a game of catch. To make
it easier for the small hands to catch, he tied together rubber
bands and created a child-friendly ball. This ball, however,
made a funny sound when caught—it kooshed. Thus the
Koosh Ball was invented and quite ingeniously named. Al-
though the first Koosh probably only consisted of 100 fi-
bers, Koosh Balls now have 5000 fibers. Invented in 1987,
the Koosh Ball has more recently been
reinvented into character
Koosh Balls. Although
these have helped keep in-
terest alive, the Koosh
Ball needs no such
gimmicks to be recog-
nized as a timeless
toy. There is just
something about
the porcupiney ap-
pearance and over-
all squishiness of
this toy that makes
it a classic. Perhaps
the real clincher is the
spikes, which help me
grasp and catch this ball.
New Generation
Timeless Toy:
Koosh Ball
Timeless Toy:
Hula-Hoop
Ben Gramkow CS JUnior
today still enjoy hula-
ing the hoop. But does
it still hold the same un-
deniable allure that once it did? Many may doubt. But I—I
still believe.
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