Pet Rock

History

Gary Dahl came up with the idea in a bar while listening to his friends complain about their pets; this gave him the idea for the perfect "pet": a rock. A rock would not need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed, and it would not die, become sick, or be disobedient. Dahl said that they were to be the perfect pets and joked about it with his friends before producing Pet Rocks as toys in 1975.

Lacking the capital to launch the product, Dahl recruited George Coakley and John Heagerty, two colleagues, to come on as investors. He purchased the actual rocks from Mexican beaches for less than a penny each.

The Pet Rock was introduced in August 1975 at a San Francisco trade show, and Dahl was then swarmed by orders from retailers.

In 2022, the toy company Super Impulse purchased the rights to the Pet Rock, reviving the brand. In the 2020s, Pet Rocks grew in popularity in South Korea as tools for meditation or venting out frustrations. Members of K-pop groups such as Seventeen and Enhypen post about their Pet Rocks online.

A24 produced an official licensed Pet Rock as a tie-in for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once. This version of the Pet Rock has a pair of googly eyes attached in reference to a scene from that film. Also included are the straw bedding and instructions of the original, and a new version of the ventilated box printed with scenery from the film.

Legacy

The Pet Rock has had a lasting impact on popular culture. The character Zoe from Sesame Street owns a pet rock called Rocco. A video of Elmo from Sesame Street shouting at Rocco went viral in early 2022.

In the film Minions: The Rise of Gru, the character Otto acquires a Pet Rock. He trades the zodiac stone for it, an integral point of the plot. To promote the film, Sabec Limited released an official Pet Rock video game for Nintendo Switch. A Funko Pop depicting Otto with his Pet Rock was also released.

The video game Magic: The Gathering Arena features a Pet Rock named Dwayne.

During the travels of the Perseverance rover on Mars, NASA scientists had observed around Sol 341 (February 4, 2022) that a small rock had dropped into one of its wheels. The rock was visible from one of the hazard avoidance cameras, and was determined not to be harmful to the rover's mission. The rock stayed on Perseverances wheel for around 427 sols (439 days) as the rover traveled over 6 mi on the Martian surface. NASA deemed that Perseverance had adopted a pet rock for its journey. Later the rover picked up another pet rock named "Dwayne".

References

References

1. (September 1999). "Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader". Portable Press.
2. Jane and Michael Stern. (1992). "Pet Rocks". Harper Perennial Press.
3. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/595180/pet-rock-history
4. Eury, Michael. (November 2020). "The Pet Rock".
5. (March 2025}} Dahl sold nearly 1.5 million Pet Rocks for just under $4 each during the initial release, turning 95 cents profit on each unit, and became a millionaire.{{cite news). "Pet rock millionaire offers a new method to getting stoned". The Miami News.
6. (1988-11-15). "Between Pet Rock and a hard place". The Milwaukee Journal.
7. Olson, James Stuart. (1999). "Historical Dictionary of the 1970s". Greenwood Publishing Group.
8. Rousseau, Vivian. (2022-10-07). "Super Impulse Earns Official Rights to 20th Century Favorite 'Pet Rock'".
9. Sohn, Jiyoung. (17 March 2024). "Overworked South Koreans Unwind With Pet Rocks—'Like Talking to Your Dog'".
10. (25 January 2023). "A24 is Selling a Pet Rock from 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' to Celebrate Oscar Nominations".
11. (26 January 2023). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Fans Can Now Own an Official A24 Pet Rock".
12. (26 January 2023). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Now Selling Official Pet Rocks".
13. (7 January 2022). "Elmo's feud with a pet rock has consumed the internet".
14. "Minions: The Rise of Gru movie review (2022) | Roger Ebert".
15. (14 July 2022). "Pet Rock now available on Switch". GoNintendo.
16. (2024-03-28). "Exclusive: Funko Announces New Line of Bitty Pops! Inspired By Despicable Me's Lovable Minions".
17. Fink, Zachary. (2024-03-31). "MTG Players Amused by April Fool's Additions to Arena!".
18. Ravanis, Eleni. (June 2, 2022). "Perseverance Has a Pet Rock!". [[NASA]].
19. Marples, Megan. (June 9, 2022). "Perseverance rover has made a friend on Mars". [[CNN]].
20. Baker, Harry. (April 24, 2023). "NASA's Perseverance rover loses its hitchhiking 'pet rock' after more than a year together on Mars". [[Live Science]].
21. Kooser, Amanda. (June 1, 2024). "NASA Mars Rover Picks Up Pet Rock Named 'Dwayne'". [[Forbes]].
22. Woo, Elaine. (April 1, 2015). "Gary Ross Dahl, originator of '70s Pet Rock sensation, dies at 78". [[Los Angeles Times]].