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[MAY 20,
2004]
In
1975 a California advertising executive named Gary Dahl was telling
some of his colleagues what he thought would be an ideal pet -- a
Pet Rock. His friends didn't think of pursuing the idea, but the
37-year-old Dahl thought it had some potential. He didn't take the
idea for granite -- I mean granted (bad pun No. 1).
The Pet Rock is one of the best-known
fads of all time. The Pet Rock is to novelty gifts what a Rube
Goldberg invention is to any type of system that requires about a
dozen steps to achieve what should be a very simple task.
The Pet Rock is synonymous with
inventions that made a fortune for the inventor, even though the Pet
Rock technically wasn't an invention. This totally ridiculous idea
succeeded because the only person who thought it made sense did a
brilliant job of packaging and promoting it. Since this happened in
the '70s, it's my journalistic duty to inform you that he was not
stoned (bad pun No. 2) when he came up with the idea.
The feature that made the Pet Rock so
attractive was the instruction manual and booklet that accompanied
each rock. Retailing for $3.95, each of the rocks cost Dahl about a
penny apiece. The Pet Rock Training Manual and the gift box --
shaped like a pet carrying case -- are what really made it a popular
item, and they also made up the majority of Dahl's costs.
The fact that people would pay for
something as simple as a rock has caused many would-be inventors to
scratch their heads and ask, "Why didn't I think of that?"
The Pet Rock was originally conceived
as a parody of a dog training manual, and it went on to outsell
other '70s fads such as lava lamps and mood rings. It did not have
the staying power of some of the best fads of the '60s such as the
Slinky, the Hula-Hoop or the Frisbee, though. Its meteoric rise (bad
pun No. 3) commanded even more attention than Rubik's Cube or
Cabbage Patch Kids of the '80s.
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this article]
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Dahl introduced the Pet Rock at a San
Francisco gift show in 1975 and began writing up orders immediately.
A major reason why he was able to sell so many rocks was because he
received so much media exposure, including:
--A half-page story in Newsweek.
--Two appearances on "The Tonight Show"
with Johnny Carson.
--Stories in three-fourths of the daily
newspapers in the United States.
In fact, with all of the media exposure
his Pet Rock received, I doubt if he spent a dime on advertising. He
became a millionaire from his idea by selling more than a million
rocks at a profit of $1.05 each. In the process, he became a legend
of nearly mythical proportions. Other inventors have made a fortune
with their products, but it takes a genius to squeeze a fortune out
of a rock!
As is the custom with fads, the
popularity of the Pet Rock fell just as quickly as it began. By
early 1976, just five months after it hit America like an asteroid,
the Pet Rock phenomenon had faded away.
Where is the inventor now?
Gary Dahl runs his own ad agency in
California. He also wrote a book for the popular "Dummies" series,
called "Advertising for Dummies."
If you're
keeping score at home, there were three really bad puns in this
story and, counting the asteroid comment, one pretty good metaphor.
[Paul
Niemann]
Paul Niemann
is the author of "Invention Mysteries -- The Little-Known Stories
Behind Well-Known Inventions." He can be reached at
niemann7@inventionmysteries.com.
© Copyright Paul Niemann 2004
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