Pet Rock Information
Pet Rocks were a 1970s fad conceived in Los Gatos, California by advertising executive Gary Dahl.
Contents |
Development
In April 1975, Dahl was in a bar (which is now Beauregard Vineyards Tasting room in Bonny Doon) listening to his friends complain about their pets. This gave him the idea for the perfect "pet": a rock.[1] A rock would not need to be fed, walked, bathed, groomed and would not die, become sick, or be disobedient. He said they were to be the perfect pets, and joked about it with his friends.[2] However, he eventually took the idea seriously, and drafted an "instruction manual" for a pet rock. It was full of puns, gags and plays on words that referred to the rock as an actual pet.
Marketing
The first Pet Rocks were ordinary gray stones bought at a builder's supply store. They were marketed like live pets, in custom cardboard boxes, complete with straw and breathing holes for the "animal".[1] The fad lasted about six months, ending after a short increase in sales during the Christmas season of December 1975. Although by February 1976 they were discounted due to lower sales, Dahl sold 1.5 million Pet Rocks and became a millionaire.[3][4][5]
A thirty-two page official training manual titled The Care and Training of your Pet Rock was included, with instructions on how to properly raise and care for one's new Pet Rock (notably lacking instructions for feeding, bathing, etc.). The instruction manual was the real product: it was full of gags, puns and jokes. It contained several commands that could be taught to the new pet. While "sit" and "stay" were effortless to accomplish, "roll over" usually required a little extra help from the trainer/owner. "Come", "stand" and "shake hands" were found to be near-impossible to teach, but "attack" was fairly simple (also with some additional help from the owner). The owners/trainers also found that potty-training their pet rocks was fairly simple, given that they were, in fact, rocks. Dahl's biggest expense was the die-cutting and manufacture of the boxes. The rocks only cost a penny apiece, and the straw was nearly free. For the initial run of booklets, Dahl had a printing job for a client and "tacked" the pet rock booklet onto the main job. This resulted in a batch requiring only a cut and trim, at almost no cost except some labor.
With his money Dahl opened the ironically named "Carrie Nation's" bar in downtown Los Gatos, California.[3] He continued to work in advertising but avoided interviews for years, because "a bunch of wackos" harrassed him with lawsuits and threats. Dahl said in 1988, "Sometimes I look back and wonder if my life wouldn't have been simpler if I hadn't done it."[4]
Availability
The original Pet Rocks are difficult to find today because new ones are no longer manufactured or sold. However, they can occasionally be found on eBay. People have also been known to make their own pet rocks, and some companies market variations on the pet rock concept.[6]
The online store thinkgeek.com sells a USB Pet Rock which recreates Dahl's original product down to its faux cardboard pet carrier box with straw bedding. The rock is also accompanied by an 18-inch USB cable and is advertised tongue-in-cheek as being "compatible with Windows (7 and lower); Mac (all OS's); Linux; and all other past, present, and future operating systems."
In 2009, Martin Abrams of the Mego Corporation bought the rights to the Pet Rock and began manufacturing it.[7] His company, i-Star Entertainment, currently manufactures a new line of Pet Rocks that are sold at retail stores.[8]
References
- ^ a b "The Latest Thing". Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader. Portable Press. p. 373. ISBN 1879682745.
- ^ Pet Rock Page from VirtualPet.com
- ^ a b "Pet rock millionaire offers a new method to getting stoned". The Miami News. Associated Press: pp. 2A. 1977-02-07. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VhBXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=V0MNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4238%2C2999792. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- ^ a b "Between Pet Rock and a hard place". The Milwaukee Journal: pp. 2A. 1988-11-15. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TG8aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1SoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4700%2C7130376. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- ^ Olson, James Stuart (1999). Historical Dictionary of the 1970s. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 284.
- ^ Omega Design Studio. "Fun Pet Rock Collectible Toys for Kids and Online Games". Pet Rock Pals. http://www.petrockpals.com. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- ^ "I-Star Entertainment LLC Engages Alec and Stuart Kessler, and Expands Company's Range of Product Lines and Licenses". Ruby.sys-con.com. http://ruby.sys-con.com/node/1180389/mobile. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- ^ Pet Rock Relaunch Press Release
External links
Categories:
|