You're a Baby Boomer, one of the millions who arrived on the planet in the first twenty years or so after World War II. I won't reveal your age...you know who you are.

And when you were a kid, a young 'un, someone who had a Christmas toy list for the fat man in the bright red suit, it included something from Wham-O. Oh, you probably didn't say it exactly like that, 'I want something from Wham-O, Santa'.

But you did.

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These were the days before electronics, before video games, before Nintendo and X-Box and before whatever else the latest technology has to offer for young eyes now.

These were the days of Wham-O.

So what exactly is Wham-O? Well, they're the company that filled our toy boxes and bedroom floors with the best stuff ever, that's all.

Hula Hoops and Frisbees. Super Balls and Slip-n-Slides. Silly String, Hacky Sack's and on and on and on. Wham-O was the king of just about anything and everything a kid wanted, back there in those 'old days'.

The company started in the late 1940's and their first product was a slingshot (you'll put someone's eye out with that thing!). And while Wham-O was successful, it really blew the roof off the toy-joint in 1957 with...wait for it...wait for it...

The Hula Hoop.

It was the biggest thing in toy history. Heck, twenty five million were sold in four months. And in two years they sold over a hundred million. That's a lot of swirling hips my friends.

Wham-O is still around, still putting out products that are fun and encourage kids (and adults) to get out and move around and be more active outdoors. And there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

So check out the video below and mentally check off which Wham-O toys you had.  I'll bet there's more than a few.

 

Wikipedia Contributed To This Article

2021 Winter Wonderland at Falls Park

A holiday tradition continues with Winter Wonderland at Falls Park in Sioux FallsSouth Dakota.

 

 

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