Arising from the dust of the 80s, it is an odd little combo of rubber bands, a pom-pom and a soft ball. I speak of a favorite from my childhood, the Koosh ball. Introduced in 1988, it was one of those semi-trendy fads that enjoyed a few years of popularity then receded into the oddities of the toy department.
During the ancient spandex days of 1986, a father, Scott Stillinger, wanted a safe and soft toy for his children to play with. His efforts resulted in a toy ball made of rubber filaments. The toy earned its name from the "koosh" sound heard when it was moved about. Along with his brother-in-law, Mark Button, Stillinger started OddzOn Products Inc in 1987 to market the koosh ball. Their efforts were well rewarded as the koosh ball made 1988’s ‘hottest Christmas toys’ list.
In their maiden incarnation, koosh were simply rubber bandy balls. As often happens with successful items, they were soon expanded into other toyetic merchandise. Koosh yoyos, key chains and even jewelry became commonplace. One of the more memorable renditions of the koosh had to be the "koosh kins". Cartoony faces and arms were added to the balls to create ‘characters’. The concept proved popular enough for mainstream companies like Warner Brothers and Disney to "koosh" their characters. Even today, you can find Phineas, Ferb and Barry among the collectiballs.
Koosh balls have thwarted the toy graveyard because they’ve found practical niches to fill. Adults have embraced them as occupational enhancement accessories in the workplace. A koosh’s soft, squeezable form makes it an ideal stress ball. It has also been rumored to provide a quiet distraction during meetings.
Because of its visual and touch sensory stimulation, the koosh ball has become popular for educational therapy. Koosh balls are often used for hand-eye coordination as well as touch exercises. The Davis Learning Strategies Program includes them in teaching kits for dyslexic children. Some teacher advice columns recommend using koosh balls as a means of keeping students’ attention.
Even today, your friendly neighborhood koosh ball has personal uses. It makes a unique paperweight. It appears to be a cat-swiping magnet (though ill-advised due to possibility of rubber strands coming out and being a choking hazard). It doubles as a pet Tribble for Sci-fi fanatics. For those of us with a creative mind, koosh balls could be quite a nice army of evil spike monsters which terrorize the world around them.
References:
Starr, Linda. “Education World; Behavior Management Tips: Quiet Classrooms and More”.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/behaviortips/behaviortips034.shtml (2005)
Davis Learning Strategies. http://www.dyslexia.com (2011)
Wikipedia. “Koosh Ball”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koosh ((2011)
“Office Playground: Koosh Ball”.
http://www.officeplayground.com/Koosh-Ball-P161.aspx Retrieved December 30th, 2011.
