Throwback Thursday – The Pet Rock

Many of you will remember seeing them, or hearing about them, while others secretly remember actually buying one of the dumbest items ever marketed.

The 1970’s had their share of fads that rose to mainstream popularity, much like the Hula Hoop or the Frisbee, this gimmick hooked in over 1 and a half million people.

The inventor Gary Dahl pitched his invention with all the enthusiasm of PT Barnum’s philosophy that there is a sucker born every minute, and my mother actually had one.

Dahl sold a plain rock in a little box with some hay for a bed and a little lease and he called it the Pet Rock.

I seemed to recall my aunt had one too, they were actually proud of owning them, while us kids just rolled our eyes and walked away.

Gary Dahl passed away a few years ago but he’ll always be remembered for his sense of humor and one the biggest marketing pranks of the 20^th century.

My Throwback Thursday memory ‘The Pet Rock

[via Wikipedia]