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Every now and then someone invents a new fad product that becomes a great success. to me, it seems like we are overdue for the next fad product. This article below, first published in Columbia Magazine, https://www.columbiamagazine.com/index.php?sid=130141 features the mood ring, which was a big hit in the 1970s. Don’t overlook the fad market.
By Carol Perkins
In the early 1970s, two genius inventors created mood rings, and within a year, millions of women sported one of these rings and compared notes with their friends on the reason for various moods. Joshua Reynolds and Maris Ambats claimed their rings changed colors as wearers’ moods or emotional states changed. They were “magical,” and the sales reached one million in three months and fifteen million dollars within two years. (geekslop.com). When the fad ended, the guys’ moods were violet.
Originally, there were seven colors. Black meant sorrow, depression, etc. Red meant passion or anger, depending on the day; yellow meant tense and cautious; green meant relaxed and alert; light blue meant calm; brown/gray meant nervous; and the best color was violet because it meant happy. How was a wearer supposed to remember all this?
The rings were pricy in the 70s, but they were art pieces. From a few dollars (those rings were not as accurate, of course) to hundreds of dollars, these rings were the rage. If you browse through your relative’s jewelry, don’t throw away a mood ring. Grandma probably owned one.
The fads of the sixties are what I remember most. Bleeding Madras plaid was the most popular fabric. Bleeding because each time I washed my Madras shorts, the water turned assorted colors like water for tie-dying. Then, there were detachable bows and flowers to clip to the top of my dress shoes that pinched my skin and fell off as I walked. Also, none of us girls or mothers left home on Sunday morning without our girdles, nylon hose, and hats. Wool skirts and mohair sweaters made up our school outfits, along with Ked tennis shoes.
It’s fun to travel back to the fads of our teen years. I wish I had my mood ring so I could know my mood, but my face reveals more than the ring would. At least Guy says so. What will be your mood for 2024? I plan to show a face of contentment, peace, and love. Is there a color for that?