# What silly fads have you enjoyed and/or participated in? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2025, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102 "2025-06-25T02:52:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/41 "2025-06-25T18:28:18Z")
> [@Nyvaak](#): > > (Remember those? A jump rope hooked to one leg, weight on the other end, so it could be set rotating. You jumped over it with the other foot.) Sounds like Skip It, a toy I mostly knew from the catchy television ad and remember thinking the actual toy was kind of poor. > But the very best thing of all; > There’s a coun.ter. on. this. ball. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8SzMe82v5Tw/hqdefault.jpg "Skip It Toy Commercial (1992)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SzMe82v5Tw) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/42 "2025-06-25T18:46:56Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Trapper Keepers I was fascinated/mystified by the “badass anti-authoritarian” aura that accumulated around that brand - always with an edge of “if you have to ask why a three-ring binder is so controversial, well, you must not be one of the cool kids.” Even today, if you Google “why were Trapper Keepers banned,” you’ll get any number of different answers: they took up too much space in lockers, the Velcro strap made too much noise in classrooms, students were using them to store drug paraphernalia. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/43 "2025-06-25T19:48:36Z")
I was into ska music when third wave ska music was popular, but I also was into it just before it got “radio popular” and I listened to a ton of stuff that “posers” wouldn’t have known. I also did the Ice Bucket Challenge back in the day and I totally do not regret it, and it was a fun time! I got a nice little video out of it featuring my rad (RIP), my dog (RIP) and my nieces as toddlers. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/44 "2025-06-25T19:56:28Z")
Someone at work is engaging in some silliness today. They left a Fart Bomb off in the agency and it smells like absolute a\*\*. I thought that fad lost popularity a long time ago. This stuff is lethal. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/45 "2025-06-25T20:02:03Z")
I had no idea trapper keepers were controversial! I loved those things. And Lisa Frank folders of course. When I was a young kid there was a fad where you wore really thin fluorescent socks and rolled them down to your ankles. I was in on that. Same with slap bracelets. Crimping your hair? I did that too. But arguably the dumbest fad I participated in… When I was in grade school in the 90s the popular thing was “starter jackets.” These big puffy winter jackets emblazoned with sports logos. They weren’t cheap. I had zero interest in sports. I talked my parents into buying me one so I could impress a boy. Detroit Redwings. I’ve never watched a hockey game in my life. He was pretty impressed, though. I crushed on that guy for years. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/46 "2025-06-25T20:45:16Z")
I didn’t think Trapper Keepers were short-lived enough to be considered a “fad” but maybe they were. I had one starting around the 4th grade through middle school. IIRC in high school I switched to a traditional 3 ring binder. I had a slap bracelet in the 5th grade or so. I also had a Koosh Ball around that time. I was into the whole swing music fad of the late 1990s. I didn’t go out swing dancing or anything like that, but I had a collection of CDs from the likes of Big Bad Voodo Daddy, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/47 "2025-06-25T20:48:51Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I jumped on the Crocs shoes. Do crocs count as a fad? Seems like I see all manner of folk wearing the original slingbacks w/ holes, and I think I have a pair of rubber shoes for walking the dog in snow/slush that were made by Crocs. > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Sounds like Skip It, Just a week or so ago, I saw one of those lying on a front yard as I walked the dog. Pointed it out to my wife… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/48 "2025-06-26T11:51:47Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I was into the whole swing music fad of the late 1990s. I didn’t go out swing dancing or anything like that, but I had a collection of CDs from the likes of Big Bad Voodo Daddy, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, etc. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy put on a great show back in the day, or at least the audience did. I’m not out there swing dancing either, but plenty of other people were. It’s fun to see, what would otherwise be the mosh pit, filled with people doing their thing and dressed the part. One part that’s been burned in my mind from those swing concerts was randomly seeing someone’s feet kicking way up in the air as they get lifted or flipped over their partner’s back. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/49 "2025-06-26T12:26:14Z")
Anybody remember Wacky Packages? They were little stickers with parody illustrations of commercial products, sold by Topps in bubblegum packs like baseball cards. As a kid in 3rd or 4th grade rasied on Mad magazine I absolutely loved these. And I wasn’t the only one- they were a big deal in my Elementary school. I’d show off and trade them with my classmates just like baseball cards. Looking back on these over the span of more than half a century, the artwork really holds up. > **[Did These Really Exist? 10 Wacky Packages Cards From the ’70s That Are...](https://thefw.com/wacky-packages-surprising-cards/)** > > Wacky Packages were beloved by '70s kids, but revisiting some of the more surprising cards might just leave you amazed that they ever existed. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/50 "2025-06-26T13:00:32Z")
I’d never heard of a Trapper Keeper®, so I had to look it up. Apparently, they were a big deal in the ’80s—a geological epoch that came after I was already out of school and into my adult larval stage. But, they’ve made a comeback (you can buy them online). They look like solid products, but way too bulky to have ever fit in my school locker, which measured approximately 12mm x 8mm—basically the size of a hotel soap. According to [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1LilN7JCzM), some schools banned them because they had a multiplication chart inside the cover. Administrators were worried kids might cheat… by referencing math. The horror. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/51 "2025-06-26T14:02:41Z")
I sometimes wonder what happened to the POW bracelet I used to wear in the 70’s. Not so silly but I still wear bell bottom jeans! With a wide leather belt and clogs. Peasant blouse on top. 🤷‍♀️ Loved paisley shirts and earth shoes too. White overalls used to be a thing iirc. Don’t put them in the dryer! The Farrah Fawsett haircut, and name necklaces. I remember all the toy fads. Had clackers, mixed pop rocks and soda pop etc etc ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/52 "2025-06-26T14:21:30Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Anybody remember Wacky Packages? I had a Wacky Package t-shirt in junior high. It was Rice-A-Phony. I don’t remember exactly what the picture was but I’m pretty sure it included a derogatory picture of an Asian person. UGH ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/53 "2025-06-26T14:28:49Z")
I gotta join in on Wacky Packs, Clackers, fondue, Duncan yo-yo’s and string art during the 70s. Remember string art? Don’t see it anymore. [![](https://assets.classbento.com/images/class/heart-string-art-craft-box-kit-600.jpg?_v=1742968816) ](https://assets.classbento.com/images/class/heart-string-art-craft-box-kit-600.jpg?_v=1742968816) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/54 "2025-06-26T15:03:00Z")
Yeah, some of those Wacky Packages did _ **not** _ age well. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/55 "2025-06-26T15:08:05Z")
I had a shirt with an alligator on it @1984. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/56 "2025-06-26T15:18:36Z")
Magic the Gathering I used to go to the University Center on Friday nights and stay up all night playing and trading cards. I got immersed in the high-end collectible card culture for a heartbeat, at one time owning a Time Stop, worth $120 at the time. I eventually traded it away. I played in an an occasional tournament, and met players from all over. It was what passed for my social life. There were people who made a living playing at tournaments and living off prize money. I never got that devoted. Burnout settled in for me after a few years. MtG is still going strong. WotC did a Lord of the Rings tie-in, and had “The One Ring” as a unique card, which Post Malone bought for $2 million. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/57 "2025-06-26T15:21:31Z")
First thing that came to mind is having a [Water Wiggle](https://youtu.be/OY1cKq5b9R4?feature=shared) in the mid-60s. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/58 "2025-06-26T15:26:15Z")
Sure, when I was young. I had a Hula Hoop. Converse All Stars were a thing for awhile. Trench coats became popular when I was in junior high for some reason. In the late 60s I had bell bottoms, a Nehru jacket, and a peace sign on a leather thong around my neck. I got over that in a hurry. I had a double-knit sport jacket for some reason. Also had a lava lamp and a shag carpet when I first got married. I finally gave all that kind of crap up, as most adults do when fads are of no longer of interest. My eldest son, who is in his 50s, has a basement full of plastic shit dealing with Star Wars and superheroes for some reason. They’ve spent untold thousands of dollars on all that crap. Whether it’s worth anything is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/59 "2025-06-26T15:55:56Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Also had a lava lamp and a shag carpet when I first got married. Hehe, I still have a lava lamp, have had several over the years. I’ll just add that they don’t make appliance bulbs as well as they used to. I can get a modern bulb to last a couple of weeks if I’m lucky. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102/60 "2025-06-26T15:57:07Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Anybody remember Wacky Packages? And how! My brother and I had them plastered on our bed room doors. My Ma hate, Hate, HATED them! To this day some remains of those stickers are on those doors, over 45 years since I moved out. I remember when they jumped in price from a dime to fifteen cents. Ma thought that’d stop me from buying them but she was wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-silly-fads-have-you-enjoyed-and-or-participated-in/1020102.md?page=4)