Have you ever thought about..
the craziest fads, perhaps?
Flagpole SittingThis fad became a popular spectator sport. It was started by a pro stuntman who eventually set the world record at 49 days.Pez
- In 1927, Eduard Haas, an Austrian candy executive, developed a small candy mint which he called PEZ (short for pfefferminz, the German word for peppermint). The peppermint candies were stored in a small tin and sold fairly well for more than 20 years. Initially it was marketed as a tasty alternative to cigarettes for adults attempting to quit smoking.
More than 3 billion PEZ candies are consumed each year and is sold in more than 60 countries around the world but the candies have become almost a secondary item serving as an accessory for the dispensers of which more than 300 have been issued.
Johnny on a Pony
A game played outdoor with multiple participants, also known as buck buck. Over the years the rules might have slightly changed but the concept is still the same.
...Or also known as.. "Kuda Tomplok?" haha
Gum shaped to look like cigars (some even had a pink tip, to look like they were lit).
Was once a fashion statement of vibrant youth, also known as Ben Franklin glasses. First appeared in the 60's in California. Adorned by such famous faces as John Lennon and Roger McGuinn. Within about 2 years from its beginning, the granny glasses had soon died out, and became undecidedly cool.
Smiley faces
Started in 1963 by creator H.R. Ball. He was working in Massachusetts for an ad agency when one of his clientele asked him to come up with a way to soothe employees. He was only paid $45 for the drawing, which he never trademarked. The Smiley Face has appeared on millions of items since, including a United States postage stamp.
Mood Rings
The famous black oval ring that changed colors when the mood of the person changed. As the moods of society changed, someone thought we needed a way to monitor this change. Tada - the birth of the mood ring.
Bellbottoms
These wide-legged pants were derived from Navy styled uniforms and became very popular with the young society in the 1960's. Elvis Presley, Sonny and Cher helped make bellbottoms a fashion statement for the hippies and counter-culture audience. They were typically made of denim until they were produced with corduroy and polyester so they could be worn in any situation. Bellbottoms were still popular in the 1970's during the disco years and even in the 1990's when the Gen X crowd was wearing them to be cool too.
Not!
The use of the word "NOT!" was spoken in exclamation. For example:
Bob: Hey Mike, do you like my new Vans shoes?
Mike: Yes, they are totally rad!.
Bob: Really??
Mike: Not!
Care Bears
Colorful, adorable, furry friends with a caring mission. These cute bears taught us how to care. Every bear came with a bright colored tummy picture that told who they were and what their special area of caring was.
Hyper-Color Shirts
These were shirts that changed color with temperature change.
PSYCHE!!
This word was used very often during the 80's. It was used as another way to tell someone you were just kidding or pulling their leg about something. For example:
Larry: Hey Bob, who did you buy that ice cream for?
Bob: I bought it for you.
Larry: Really??
Bob: PSYCHE!! ...I bought it for me!
Friendship Bracelets
Friendship bracelets came in bright colors, vibrant woven patterns, beautiful glass beadwork and NFL football team names and colors. Still love 'em these days, don't you? I do.. makin' em is quite something to do when yer bored.
Slap Bracelets
A flexible metal with a colorful cloth over it. You would smack these on your wrist and it would wrap around it.
Gigapets / Tomogatchi
Very popular little electronic device that needed to be feed and cared for. If not then it would die. Kids used to carry them around everywhere they went.
Push Pops
Lollypops that would be in almost a lipstick tube type container you would push at the bottom to get the lollypop to get out of the tube. This pushing in the tube made your finger all sticky. - still love emThe Macarena
During the 90's you couldn't turn on the tv, radio or go to parties without hearing this song. People would dance The Macarena to the song made popular by Los Del Rio.
Beanie Babies
As one of the most popular, endearing and widespread fads of the last 25 years, one would imagine that Beanie Babies must have some type of unique and incredible attributes. Instead, they are simply small, inexpensively priced, stuffed animals with a tag stating the animal's name and birth date. Despite logic, the stuffed animals created an almost cutthroat collecting frenzy, which inadvertently spawned magazines, websites and fan clubs. UHUH, they're totally cute, I've always wanted the hippo and
the unicorn!
Online Slang In Speech
People have started to use internet lingo in their everyday speech. For example instead of saying "Oh My Gosh!" They would instead say "OMG" or "BRB" instead of "Be Right Back". C'mon! You know 'em..
American Idol
A smash hit reality series on FOX in which contestants tryout to be the next superstar singing sensation. After the blowout first season captured a massive audience and produced pop singer Kelly Clarkson, now thousands tryout and millions watch at home. Many call in and vote near the end of the series. It is a popular tv show that is interactive and viewers get to choose the next superstar.
Fantasy Leagues
Sports fans all around the nation are taking part in the hottest new craze. Its called Fantasy Leagues. Whether you prefer hockey, footbal, or baseball there is a league for you somewhere. You can join a public league or a private league with your friends. The object is to draft players and creating a starting lineup (daily or weekly) then you get points based on how your drafted players do in the real professional sport. You can play rotisserie or head to head. You can trade players, sign free agents, or drop players, your the manager of your own team. Thanks to popularity, televised sports games now have stat trackers during games and at halftime.
mp3's / mp3 players (iPod)Thanks to filesharing and online music stores such as iTunes, people are now uploading all their music to their MP3 players instead of carrying around cassettes or cd's. Most mp3 players can hold several hours of music. Haha so.. doh.
Napolean Dynamite
In 2004, this hit movie caused a cult following. DVD sales for this flick were astounding! In early 2005, the search term 'Napolean Dynamite' was a top phrase searched for according to Yahoo! Youngsters were wearing T-Shirts that read, "Vote For Pedro". There has even been talk about a sequel to this movie, or perhaps a prequel.
Anything you might want to add? Can't wait to see what fads are in the next century... Flying scooters to avoid traffic jams? Hmm.. or maybe people would start to sell Money Tree seeds? Maybe you'll start a new fad yourself. Spit some ideas on me.
source: @bored.com
Fads
3/22/2009 06:17:00 PM
