Skip-It

Last night a few friends and I were reliving some childhood memories, recapping on all of the ridiculous toys we owned, used for a few weeks, and then left in our basements to be covered by dust. One of my favorite toys that falls into the category of being a fad was Skip-It. This plastic, 3 foot, pink object was worn over one's ankle. I remember there was a round object on the top of the plastic rod which one skipped over. This round object had a counter and the point of the game was to see how many times you could jump over the plastic rod in a row. I remember playing this game in my driveway with a few friends. The game often became monotonous and boring after it was played several days in a row, characteristics which probably explain why Skip-It is considered a fad.

Skip-It gained its popularity from enticing commercials boasting smiling children playing with the toy with all of their friends. Skip-it was popular at school, all of my friends owned one, even the boys, for it was manufactured in a blue color as well. Skip-It was cheap in price compared to most outrageous fad toys such as beanie babies and ribbon dancers. Skip-It became a fad because it was an original toy, I had seen nothing like it. Skip-It was easy to transport and could keep someone busy for many hours at a time, characteristics that make a fad toy.

Like many fads its increase in popularity was primarily due to the fact that every 6-10 year old child at the time had one. Skip-It's were often found sold out in stores and on back order.
Often times children felt as though they "needed" a Skip-It because they felt left out in their peer circle rather than actually wanting one. This idea is present in many passing fads. People don't necessarily want the product but, because many others have they feel as though they need it to fit in. Fads come and go, but the desire to always be included will never change.

Tipping Point

The Tipping Point was an interesting book written by Malcom Gladwell which discussed how certain trends and ideas spread throughout.  Whether it be a new pair of shoes or a new book the The Tipping Point included the variety of ways that trends do spread; through word of mouth, magazines, television shows, fashion runways and the three different types of consumers.  There is the maven, connector, and salesman.  I would consider myself a maven.   I find myself relying information about certain clothing stores, sales, or trends to my friends just for their own benefit and not for my own.  The other day I recall telling a friend at school about a sale that Urban Outfitters was having on spring skirts.  I did not relay this information for any benefit to myself other than to help a fellow shopper.  

The structure in which the book was written made the information easy to comprehend and relate to as a reader and consumer.  Each chapter was formatted to describe a different method of passing on trends.  I found the most interesting chapter the one that discussed the importance of advertising for literature success.  When the YaYa Sisterhood novel was released in 1996, the book had little success but only months later as the word began to spread about the book's complex story line and how relatable it was to a variety of audiences.  This is true about books, movies, concerts, cds, clothes, food..etc people will buy anything if others recommend it and convince them it is worth the purchase.