I think I got my first one at the San Diego Fair in the late-’60s or very early ‘70s. I don’t think I had another one until the ‘80s or ‘90s.
I have never remotely felt the desire to own one. In fact I thought they were brief fad around the 2010 world cup in South Africa that had deservedly been consigned to the dustbin of history 
The 10-30 years when you had to do without – or live only with one – must have been brutal on you
I had no idea what that was and after Googling, can confirm I have never had one. I cannot imagine what I must be missing.
If anyone else here attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, you may have heard of the 1987 Big Red Freakout. For those not familiar with this, the Big Red Freakout is an annual home men’s ice hockey game at which attendees are given a freebie. Sometimes this is a hand towel or cap or even a cowbell. But in 1987, when the opponent was Brown University, the giveaway was a red plastic horn very much like a vuvuzela. Imagine the racket produced by 5,000 students blowing on vuvuzelas in an indoor hockey arena. The result was the “RPI Rule” introduced by the NCAA prohibiting artificial noisemakers.
Back in the day in the UK rattles were the noise maker of choice for football fans. They were banned as a pound or two of solid wood also makes a fairly good hand to hand combat weapon
They were popular around New Years in Jakarta when our son was little, so … first time was maybe 2002 or so? We probably got them a few times thereafter, but I don’t think I’ve purchased one since the mid aughts.
Never.
Not a decision I regret.
Sure but your football matches are, generally, in outdoor stadiums. We had 5,000 rabid, noisemaking hockey fans in a relatively small indoor rink. It was awesome. And of course we won the game.
What? 
Damn it, I got a uvula by mistake.
I definitely had those plastic horns Dewey mentions, so last month, when I was given a real vuvuzela as part of a project we were doing (shooting soccer test footage with sound effects), I expected that it worked the same way, so ripped off the mylar end cap so I could blow into it, which of course was the resonator, rending my vuvuzela mute.
Those plastic horns required you to blow like a trumpet (buzzing your lips), so you could only blow so long, but they were incredibly loud. I can’t imagine 5K in a hockey barn.
Little Susie back in 10th grade wanted me to play her vuvuzela but I don’t think I did it right.
I knew Susie. You are correct.
Never heard of them until the 2010 controversy, never seen one in real life before or since.
Better than a UTI.
No vuvuzela, but I got my ocarina, wow, must be about 25 years ago…
I guess it was around that time that I got my first one.
And then this past fall, I made another one, in the process of making parts for my homemade tuba.
Oh please, tell me about the Great Vuvuzela Controversy of 2010.