The pet rock was created by advertising executive Gary Dahl in April 1975. Each rock is a smooth stone picked from Mexico’s Rosarito Beach. It was sold in a custom-made cardboard box complete with breathing holes and a straw. Die-cutting and manufacturing cardboard boxes represented the biggest production expense for Dahl. The stones were regarded as live pets and were marketed as such.
The inspiration behind this strange creation came from complaints from Dahl’s friends about the stress of caring for their pets. During a discussion in a bar, Dahl joked about keeping a rock as a pet. He emphasized the fact that rocks don’t require walking, feeding, treatment, or other necessities a live pet demands. Dahl, however, didn’t stop at just wisecracking; he did them one better.
He went on to write a pet rock instruction manual, which included jokes and gags about how to “care” for the rock. The instruction manual was a popular addition to the pet rock itself, showcasing Dahl’s amazing sense of humor. The pet rock fad came to an end after a slight boom in sales during the festive season of 1975.
Gary Dahl made a tidy profit, selling over a million pet rocks before the eventual discontinuation in February 1976. At the time, each rock sold for $4, making it one of the most fascinating marketing schemes ever. If you were to consider the $4 in the context of today’s prices, each person would have to shell out $18 for each pet rock!
Under The Harvest Moon 