1911-13 and the equally uninhibited steps of the 1960s.<br > FOREWORD The first， kn imal d featured steps like<br > the turkey trot， the grizzly bear and the rabbit wrasfle;<br > Davy Crockett fur hats， hula hoopthg， goldfish swal- while five decades later there was the twist， together<br > lowing， streaking， mah jongg--all in their time at- with its many later variants like the shagfl~/dog， the<br > ~ned faddish fame. But this narrative about fads in jerk and the fish. Both were done by the young， re<br > America since 1890 will also cover many a fad that pudiating the slow rhythms of the old (or should we<br > dJds t reach such legendary proportions: G-R-O-N-K say "the older ?). The deely bobbers of the 1980s echo<br > I-N-G， bed tucking， op talking， coughing ashtrays and the crazy beach hats of the 1950s， and yesterday s<br > ankle bracelets. Included here are dances like the tar kewpta doll is today s smurl.<br > key trot and the twist; toys and dolls like slinky and the And although it is by no means the typical case，<br > kewpie and Barbie dolls; items of clothing like the it also happens at times that fads become "institution-<br > hobble skirt and the Euganie hat; stunts like peanut alized，" reaching the point of being so commonplace<br > pushing and flagpole sitting; college students fancies that people no longer think of them as passing plea-<br > pie killing and piano hacking; cartoon-inspired fads surabla fancies. This has happened with crossword<br > the crazes for Betty Boop and Batroan; lads sparked puzzles， which--after provoking feverish faddism in<br > by magnetic personalities， like the Milton Bede makeup 1925--are now just a humdrum staple of the daily<br > klti and the "urban cowboy" obsession that followed newspaper. It has happened， too， with the tango and<br > John Travolta s appearance in the movie of that name; the Charleston; while no longer the stylish steps they<br > as well as iust plain unclaasiflable fads like commemo- were in 1914 and 1925， respectively， yet they are not<br > relive historic spoons and pet rocks， at all unknown on today s dance floors. The same fate<br > What， then， might a fad be? Essentially it is a short- has befallen ffisbee throwing， scrabble and ping-pong.<br > lived activity， item of dress， toy or whatever that gives These "institutionalized" fads will also be included in<br > pleasure. For giving pleasure is definitely the primary this account， but the description will focus on the pe-<br > excuse for a fad s existence. Engaging in a fad is in no riod of their most ovetauhelming obsession--the time<br > way necessary for survival. You don t need a fad like when they were ~ uly fads.<br > ~u need to eat， sleep or work. You manifest this or Yet there are certain manifestations often consid-<br > that fad merely for the fun of it_ You don a Euganie ered somewhat faddish in nature that this book will<br > hat when that striking chapeau is the newest thing， or not coven It will not include diet fads， for instance，<br > 0u gyrate lithely in your hula hoop when that is the because this is a book about things that have given us<br > activity， or you doff your clothes and streak when pleasure， not about types of abstinence. Nor， follow-<br > t d~sh in the buff to catch people s fancy (or their out- tag a similar rationale， will it include the various rages<br > ~)Is the pleasurable new craze of the moment， for substances supposedly having medicinal proper-<br > A lad， then， is the newest thing， and it is precisely ties， like Hadacol or chlorophyll. The ancient Oriental<br > b~ novelty that accounts for much of its popularity-- medical practice， acupuncture， wh ch flourished in the<br > lrmuch of the collective imitation so indispensible for 1970 s will， however， be considered because it at<br > Kld0m. The animal dances were new around 1910， tained a most extraordinary celebrity status，<br > were crossword puzzles in the 1920s， the Eugenic Also， since this book is about things and activities，<br > kt in the 193fls， zoot suits in the 1940s， frisbee not about ideas， it will not cover any religious， quasi-<br > infl in the 1950s， skateboarding in the 1960s， religious or inspirational fancies or brief movements.<br > rts~in the 1970s and Rubik s Cube in the 1980s. Thus， Coueism of the 1920s will not be discussed， nor<br > lh0seateo~ya fewofthebest-knownexampkis， est， Hare Ktishna or transcendental meditation. Nor<br > h~ faddish manifestation in this book--and there will it discuss other briefly experienced phenomena--<br > : ~momthan240--wasonceconsideredintriguingly encounter groups， open marriage， primal scream<br > ~， and hence ripe for the excited imitation of great theories--that have more to do with ideas than with<br > b~of always-receptive Americans. tangible objects and activities engaged in purely for<br > i Thls has proved true even when the fad is not pleasure s sake. In short， these are matters both seit<br > ~t ~ Some "new" fads turn out to be just old ous and beyond this book s ken.<br > I that time had forgotten reappearing in a slighfiy But fads are serious business， too， even if they<br > form or even in the same guise， King Tut per- sometimes appear entirely frivolous. Although it is ad-<br > en， bicycling， roller skating and ping-pong all mittedly difficult to regard deely bobbers or beach hats<br > morn than one moment in the faddish sun. with donkeys on them as weighly matters， fads fiaue<br > among nonldentical fads that recur， very ex-<br > ~ slmilatities added a zesty tang to American life while evoking great<br > controversy and damning harangues--and what could<br > can<br > sometimes<br > be<br > spotted.<br > il~ Immedtstely to mind are the wild dances of be more serious than that? Fads may not mirror Amer-<br >