Sunday, September 6, 2026

Question: In 1975, a Northern California advertising man turned a bar-room joke into a fortune by selling ordinary stones as low-maintenance “pets,” boxed with air holes and a straight-faced training manual. What was this runaway fad called?

Answer: The Pet Rock. Gary Dahl packaged smooth Mexican beach stones in boxes with wood shavings and a tongue-in-cheek training guide. More than 1 million Pet Rocks sold by Christmas 1975, making the simple gag one of the decade’s most memorable fads.