Fads

Fads

Barbie doll

popular dress-up doll; extremely conventional and feminine. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 179]

Beatle cut

hairstyle with bangs, sides trimmed just below ears; banned by many school boards (1960s). [Am Hist.: Sann, 251–254]

bee-stung lips

ruby red and puckered female mouth make-up (1920s). [Am. Hist.: Griffith, 198]

bobbed hair

short, curly boyish hairstyle caused shock (1920s). [Am. Hist.: Griffith, 198]

bobby socks

female short socks that epitomized 1940s teen fashion. [Am. Cult.: Misc.]

car-stuffing

one example: 23 people stuffed in a Volkswagen bug. (1950s—1960s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 300]

chain letters

at height in 1930s, craze crippled postal service. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 97–104]

coonskin caps

raccoon cap with tail worn in recognition of Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone revival (1950s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 30]

flagpole sitting

sitting alone at the top of a flagpole; craze comes and goes. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 39–46]

frisbees

tossing plastic disks was favorite pastime, especially among collegians (1970s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 178]

gold fish-swallowing

collegiate craze in 1930s. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 289–292]

hip-flask

liquor bottle designed to fit into back pockets; indispensable commodity during Prohibition. [Am. Hist.: Allen, 70]

hula hoops

large plastic hoops revolved around body by hip action (1950s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 145–149]

Kewpie doll

designed by Rose O’Neill and modeled on her baby brother; millions were made (starting about 1910). [Am. Hist.: WB, 5: 240–241]

marathon dancing

dance contests, the longest of which lasted 24 weeks and 5 days (1930s). [Am. Hist.: McWhirter, 461]

marathon eating

contestants consume ridiculous quantities of food; craze comes and goes. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 77–78]

miniskirt

skirts hemmed at mid-thigh or higher; heyday of the leg in fashion world (1960s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 255–263]

mud baths

warm mud applied on skin supposedly to retain fresh, young complexion (1940s). [Am. Hist.: Griffith, 198]

panty raids

collegiate craze in the 1940s and 1950s. [Am. Hist.: Misc.]

raccoon coats

popular attire for collegians (1920s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 175]

rolled stockings

worn by flappers to achieve risque effect (1920s). [Am. Hist.: Griffith, 198]

saddle shoes

an oxford, usually white, with a saddle of contrasting color, usually brown; a favorite fad of the 1940s and 1950s. [Am. Pop. Culture: Misc.]

Silly Putty

synthetic clay; uses ranging from bouncing balls to false mustaches. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 165]

skateboards

mini surfboard supported on roller-skate wheels; 1960s craze enjoyed renaissance. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 151–152]

telephone booth-stuffing

bodies piled on top of one another inside a telephone booth; 1950s and 1960s craze. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 297]

tulipomania

tulip craze in Holland during which fortunes were lost. [Eur. Hist.: WB, 19: 394]

yo-yo

child’s toy that periodically overwhelms public’s fancy. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 173]

zoot suits

bizarre outfits with the “reet pleats” (1940s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 275]