The Hula Hoop

This posting is for my neighbor Jen, who just loves her hoop!

Hula history

• Japan once banned the Hula Hoop because the hip movements seemed indecent.

• Co-founder of Wham-O, Richard Knerr, died from complications of a stroke on Jan. 14, 2008. He was 82. His partner, Arthur "Spud" Melin, died in 2002.

• According to www.recordholders.org, Roxann Rose holds the U.S.A. record for longest hooping at 90 hours, breaking the record set in 1986 by Tonya Lynn Mistal of 88 hours.

• Jin Linlin of China holds the record for most hoops (105) spun by an individual simultaneously for a minimum of three rotations one time.

Hula Facts

• Spinning a Hula Hoop around your neck is called "Kill the Buzzard," around your knees is called "Knee Knocker," one-legged is called "The Stork."

• Hooping is what you call the sport.

• Teresa Brewer and Georgia Gibbs sang "The Hula Hoop Song" in 1958. Gibbs version reached No. 32 on the Billboard Charts, while Brewer reached No. 38.

• The secret to using a Hula Hoop is size -- an adult cannot use a hoop meant for a child. Wham-O makes three sizes of hoops. The common wisdom for sizing according to Guirlinger is that the hoop, when set on end, should reach somewhere between your chest and navel.