origin of thought
In 1975, Gary Dahl, an advertising executive, released a fad that would make him a millionaire. This huge profit is even more impressive considering the short time the rocks were sold, only six months, and also the low cost of the product, around four dollars. Dahl’s clever marketing involved common gray pebbles, purchased from a building supplier, which were then sold as live pets. The idea was inspired by the hassle, mess and money required by pets such as cats, dogs or fish. And so Dahl began the production and sale of the Pet Rock, which didn’t need to walk, wouldn’t cost hundreds in vet bills, and wouldn’t poop on the floor.
Production Specifications
Dahl named the company “Rock Bottom Productions” and sold the rocks for $3.95 a piece. The pebbles were imported from Rosarito Beach in Baja California, Mexico, and then packed into a small cardboard box, designed like a pet cage. Dahl also created a “Pet Rock Training Manual,” which contains instructions on how to properly care for the pet, including how to house train the pet: “Put it in some old newspaper. The rock will never know what the paper is for and they require no further instruction. The instruction manual included commands such as sit, stay, turn around, play dead, and come.
Why would anyone buy a pet rock?
“If there were more fads, there would probably be a lot fewer psychiatrists.” –Ben Hakuta, creator of Wacky Wall Walkers
In fact, pet rocks give us more pleasure than we think. These pets support this argument through their very existence, showing us that it is not an actual item that brings joy to the child in the human mind, but simply the idea of the item. The pet sits in a niche in the mind, created by the power of the owners’ imagination. It is in the actual exercise of the mind that such pleasure is found. It’s a pretty valid point that finding such productive and effective uses of recreation time can be more preventative and beneficial to the health of our minds than even the most advanced psychological treatments.
People who bought these unusual “pets” often gave them names, talked to them, petted them, and taught them to perform simple “tricks.”
Pet rocks still live
Like most fads, it never died out completely. There are memorials, spin-offs, and such a pet can still be purchased, although new manufacturers have given their rocks new features and appearance. For example, many smooth gray pebbles are no longer sold. One can buy rocks that are inscribed, painted, and decorated in many ways, giving the rock much more personality than it did Dahl’s creation. One can buy a rock with an agenda, or you can buy a rock that is individually painted in memory of any beloved pet, or you can still buy that rock that is completely empty of prior perception, and let your idea grow in the mind. .
virtual pets
Virtual Pets follows the same formula as Dahl’s product. Operating more in the mind of the owner than anywhere else, virtual pets can be an electronic toy, a computer program, or even a video game. However, while perhaps securing more of an owner’s time, virtual pets don’t leave as much room for the imagination as the pet rock.