Bruce Littlefield's Life 101

There are few toys simpler or more fun than the Hula Hoop. The Hula Hoop was born in 1957, when an Australian company began manufacturing large wooden rings for sale. The rings quickly caught the attention of Wham-O who began manufacturing the toy in a range of vibrant colors, and the rest is toy history. The current world record for continuous hooping is held by Roxann Rose of the U.S, who went 90 hours in April 1987.
Today, Hula Hoops can be seen circling the hips of the young (a must watch!) and young-at-heart (make sure you watch at the end when grandma neck hula hoops.) And there’s even a Hula Hoop workout and don’t even get me going about the Booty Bump #HulaHoop Trick. Practitioners call it a “natural high” similar to the effects of yoga.
When was the last time you Hula Hooped?

Use of the internet and “emoticons” have made him (and his various friends and family) ubiquitous these days, but have you ever wondered about the origins of the Smiley Face? He was invented in 1964 by Harvey Ball. A life insurance company had recently gone through a difficult merger and the staff was unhappy with the results. Ball’s advertising firm was brought in to create a “friendship” campaign for the company. It took Ball ten minutes to come up with the design – and he was paid a whopping $45. From there the happy icon has taken on a life of his own, appearing everywhere from t-shirts to finger nails to emails. 🙂 a true American icon. P.S. Studies have shown that those who smile are profoundly more successful-at work and in their relationships. Try your own experiment today: SMILE and see if the world smiles back.