Pet Rocks were a very popular fad in the 1970s and 80s, when Gary Dahl began marketing and selling plain rocks as the ultimate pet. Within six months, his idea, coupled with inventive marketing skills, made him a millionaire and he never looked back.
How It Began...
Gary Dahl, an advertising executive, got the idea in 1975 to create the pet rock. He packaged rocks that he bought for pennies at a construction site in small boxes that looked like animal crates, printed a small "Care for Your Pet Rock" book and sold them for $3.95 each. The fad caught on, and he made approximately $3 per rock, making him a multi-millionaire in months.
Theories/Speculation
Dahl's marketing premise was that pet rocks give people more pleasure than they are aware of, that the mere idea of having a pet gives as much joy as actually owning one. The marketing techniques that he used proved his point. Pet rock owners were known to try to teach their pet rocks simple tricks, like sit and play dead, but had little success in paper-training their pet rock.
The Pet Rock Today
Even after 30-plus years, the pet rock is still talked and joked about. Some people paint rocks or decorate them, so the plain rock that started the explosion back in 1975 is quite uncommon.
Dahl Today
Gary Dahl lives in Los Gatos, California and owns Gary Dahl Creative Services. He has written a book, "Advertising for Dummies," which covers all types of advertising strategies.
Value
While it would be nice to think an original pet rock, box and instruction book would be valuable today, it's not. The asking price on eBay is $3, showing that pet rocks were good pets but not good investments.
Tags: Gary Dahl, that rocks