Deely bobber
A deely bobber (also deeley bobber or deeley bopper)
Origin
Stephen Askin invented the original deely bobber in 1981, inspired by the
Deely bobbers began retailing in April 1982 at US$3.[5] They quickly became a fad in the United States,[8] before reaching the United Kingdom in July. At the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, 10,000 a day were sold;[6] total sales by August were estimated at 2 million,[1] with Askin getting 5% of the wholesale price.[6] Imitations costing $1–2 undercut the original,[5] though Askin applied for a patent.[6] The original decorations for the antennae were polystyrene shapes covered in sparkles: spheres, stars, hearts.[5][6] Flashing lights were added to cash in on the hit movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,[6] with seasonal themes for later holidays.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Hard-Times Baubles". Time. August 9, 1982. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
- ^ a b "Deely-bobber" Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper
- ISBN 0-19-860230-8.
- ^ Alexander, Ron (June 7, 1982). "A new fad invades: Martian antennae". The New York Times. pp. B11. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "It's the umbrella that fits on your head". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. July 2, 1982. p. 12. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Lester, Peter (July 26, 1982). "They're Called Deely Bobbers and They Mean $$ for Gizmo King Stephen Askin". People. 8 (4).
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ Barry, John (August 2, 1982). "Computer concocts hyphenation". InfoWorld. 4 (30): 34.
'deely bopper' (those springy cranial antennae that are taking the country by storm)