hoop, circular toy adaptable to many games, children’s and adults’, probably the most ubiquitous of the world’s toys, after the ball. The ancient Greeks advocated hoop rolling as a beneficial exercise for those not very strong. It was also used as a toy by both Greek and Roman children, as graphic representations indicate. Most of these ancient hoops were of metal. Most later hoops were of wood, though occasionally fitted with metal tires, as in the hoop-rolling-fad days of 19th-century England and the United States. North American Indians used the hoop as a target in teaching accuracy of throwing to the young. Adult Eskimos played a game that involved throwing poles through a rolling hoop.
Bowling a hoop along the ground or a sidewalk or street was done with a stick, called a skimmer, or with the hand. In addition to being rolled, hoops can be thrown (quoits), spun, or used as a target (basketball). Hoop playground games include hoop-catch, stepping through hoops (used in training by American football players, with automobile tires as hoops), spear the hoop, and hoop-flicking (spinning). In the late 1950s, the hula-hoop craze had millions, children and adults, stepping into plastic hoops and attempting to keep them revolving around their waists by swiveling their hips.