Selling more than 100 million hoops in its first year at $1.98 apiece, said Chris Guirlinger, vice president of marketing and licensing for Wham-O, the Hula Hoop became an instant icon.
Bridgeport resident Vivien Small recalls receiving her first one as a child of about 8 or 10 growing up in Jamaica. Although the original is long gone, Small, 46, still uses a Hula Hoop regularly.
"It's just something fun," she said. "It brings the youth back in me, I guess."
Now is the prime time when Small breaks out the hoops. "In the summer, you have the space outdoors," she said. "Sometimes when I pass the Hula Hoop, I'm not planning to use it, I just pick it up and take it for a quick spin. I get everyone involved — the neighbor, my daughter, whoever comes over. My son, Trevor, is 17, but he Hula Hoops, too. I drag them in — boy, girl, man, woman, whoever. We challenge each other." Small's 12-year-old daughter, Angelee, recognizes that her mother's hooping prowess exceeds her own.
"My mom is way better
She isn't complaining — hooping is great bonding time for the family.
"It's one of the things I like to do," Angelee said. "My mom and I do a lot of things together, so that's just one of the things that can help us come together. Doing it with my family and friends is the best part about it." Small attends High Horizons Magnet School that holds a fitness contest annually, including a Hula Hoop event. Once the kids have taken their turn, it's time for the parents to step up.
"She's always one of the final five people left Hula Hooping up there," said Small's daughter.
Vivien Small claims to be the queen of Hula Hooping in her eyes and says she's "still wearing the crown." She may have some competition. In a recent article in People Magazine, Sen. Barack Obama confided that his wife Michelle has a secret talent: "She is the best Hula-Hooper I know," said Obama. "Once she gets the rhythm going, she can drop to her knees!" Unfortunately, the senator said he would never grace the nation with a similar performance.
Wendy Smolen, editor of Toy Wishes Magazine, believes that
"It is an active game," said Smolen. "There is even a component on the Wii Fit where you can virtually Hula Hoop." This renewed interest in Hula Hoops has some people using it in performance art, some, like Small, just for fun, and others use it to burn away calories in a way that's less tedious than jogging on a treadmill.
Carol Becker, a registered physical therapist from Pomfret, incorporates hooping into therapy.
"It helps promote balance and postural control," said Becker. "You're using your core which will improve posture and balance."
Most of Becker's classes are private lessons, such as working with Multiple Sclerosis patients and young adults and children
"I enjoy doing it in different kinds of settings and this is the best time to go outdoors," she said.
When Becker started hooping a few years ago, she lost a full inch in her waist in the first month, she said. "The core strengthening," said Becker, "and waist sculpting are the best benefits." Loren Bidner, of Manhattan, started dancing at corporate events using a hoop. "It started as a form of entertainment, performing in Central Park," said Bidner. "People wanted to get into it, so I started a class in 2003."
The hoops used for exercise are not the same as the Wham-O Hula Hoops. Bidner's hoops are made of PVC tubing and built specifically to the body type of each person.
"It's all about letting go in your head and using your body," said Bidner. "I'm an exercise teacher, and I think that's the biggest benefit by far."
Stefan Pildes, also from Manhattan, deals more with the entertainment side of hooping. He started out with Bidner in Central Park.
"It's a wonderful dance art form," said Pildes. "I got really good at it and now I offer performances and classes. I make a living doing something fun that I love.'
Pildes said it's very easy to learn the basics.
"It's a full body workout," said Pildes. "The more you come [to classes], the more you learn. People are tired of the gym and doing the same thing over and over again. It's brand new and exciting every time you come."
Hooping has become so popular that Annie O'Keefe started World Hoop Day, which will take place in various locations on Aug. 8. Pildes will be present at the Central Park location at the North end of Sheep's Meadow, the same place he got his hooping start. World Hoop Day was created to bring hoops to underprivileged children in impoverished neighborhoods, according to the Web site, www.worldhoopday.com. Toys that allow children and adults alike to remain active, like the Hula Hoop, seem to be here to stay. Small was not surprised about the Hula Hoop sticking around for 50 years.
"It's a sport that will never die," said Vivien Small. "If I'm still doing it, other people must feel the same way."
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