Now You See It, Now You Don't!
TellzAll's subject for June is the Pet Rock
Have your parents ever told you that you cannot have a pet because they require too much responsibility? Well, ask your parents for a "Pet Rock."
In 1975, Pet Rocks were all of the rage. Gary Dahl developed the Pet Rock. In April 1975, Dahl had a conversation with some friends regarding pets. He stated that normal pets, like birds, cats, and dogs, were too messy and required too much care. Dahl then stated that he preferred his pet rock. His friends were shocked by Dahl's claim of owning a pet rock, but they quickly joined him in listing the benefits of having such a pet. Dahl returned home that evening and began to work on a training manual for his pet.
In August 1975, Dahl introduced the Pet Rock to consumers at a gift show in San Francisco. Neiman-Marcus, alone, ordered five hundred Pet Rocks. Dahl's Pet Rock came with the Pet Rock, which was packaged in excelsior and housed inside a small cardboard box that resembled a pet carrying case. The Pet Rock also included the Pet Rock Training Manual. The manual went into detail on how to care for the Pet Rock. It had instructions on how to teach the Pet Rock to stay and to sit, which were very easy for the Pet Rock to learn, and harder lessons such as roll-over, which required an owner's help. The manual also had instructions for house training the Pet Rock, which included simply placing the rock on newspaper. The Pet Rock sold for $3.95.
Dahl made his Pet Rocks out of Rosarita Beach Stone. This rock is grey in color and is found on Rosarita Beach in Baja, Mexico. In December 1975, Dahl shipped an average of ten thousand Pet Rocks per day to various stores. By the end of 1975, Dahl and his new company, Rock Bottom Productions, had sold more than 2.5 million tons of Pet Rocks. Dahl earned at least one dollar for each Pet Rock that he sold, making him a millionaire.
Soon copycats developed. One business actually produced Pet Rocks under the name "The Original Pet Rock." Other businesses offered burial at sea for Pet Rocks and Pet Rock obedience lessons.
Despite the Pet Rocks' initial popularity, by 1976, this fad had passed. Still thousands of people remember their Pet Rocks today. Websites exist that are still devoted to the care of Pet Rocks. Maybe even your parents had one of these adorable pets.
