47 Inventions That Sounded Bonkers at First But Turned Out to Be a Huge Success

The Wham-O hula hoop’s design is more weighted nowadays for exercise benefits, but the original brand’s version was just light for the pure fun of it without that extra thought. Back then, it was all about the joy of spinning that plastic circle around your waist and feeling like the coolest kid—or adult—on the block.

Who would have thought that a simple plastic tube could whirl its way into the hearts of millions? It was quite the fad in its time, a pop culture phenomenon that had everyone gyrating in their backyards and driveways. While today’s hoops might target fitness enthusiasts, the essence remains, and we still enjoy it quite a bit.