North Dakota
The Pet Rock was hatched 50 years ago by a North Dakota native
It’s December 1975. You’re steering your boat-sized Buick down 13th Avenue toward West Acres (WAAAAAAY out west). You’re singing along to the No. 1 song, “Fly, Robin, Fly,” when a familiar Christmas worry creeps in.
I don’t know for a fact that my mother actually lived out this exact scene 50 years ago. But it sounds like her. (Except she’d be listening to the Carpenters or Neil Diamond — not Silver Convention.)
But I hope Joan Briggs didn’t think too long and hard about what we kids wanted that Christmas of ’75. We, like millions of Americans, had caught the fever of that year’s hottest gifts: the Pet Rock and mood rings. Both are celebrating their 50th birthdays this year.
As we mark the golden anniversary, let’s look back at why those gifts were such hits.
First up: the Pet Rock. And did you know a North Dakota native invented it?
We’ve probably all had that fleeting thought (particularly as we’re paying bills): If only I had that million-dollar idea!
Think Spanx. Snuggies. Post-it notes.
A North Dakota native named Gary Ross Dahl had one of those lightning-bolt ideas — the viral (before they called it that) Pet Rock. It would make him a millionaire in less than a year.
Gary Ross Dahl was born in Bottineau, North Dakota, on Dec. 18, 1936, to Richard “Arnold” Dahl and Lavone Ferm Dahl. Arnold was a projectionist at the Pasture Theatre. In the early 1940s, the family moved to Spokane, Washington, where Arnold got a job with a lumber company and Lavone worked as a waitress and welcomed a second child, a daughter.
According to Curt Eriksmoen, in his “Did You Know That” column from April 26, 2015, after his parents’ divorce, Gary said he became “an obnoxious brat, somewhere between a juvenile delinquent and just a bad kid.”
He joined the Marine Corps in 1954 to straighten himself out.
He obviously did — finding his way to Washington State University and eventually California, where he worked as an artist designing signs in San Diego. That later led to a job as an account executive for an advertising agency.
When he wasn’t writing ad copy, he and his wife, Marguerite, took care of enough animals to fill a petting zoo: two German shepherds, two cats, two goats, two chickens and a guinea pig.
This is where fate steps in.
Dahl was at a bar with some buddies one night, commiserating about high-maintenance pets. He quipped that the perfect pet would be … a rock. No feeding. No grooming. No mess. No allergies. Just pure, geological companionship.
Sure, it was a joke. But the light bulb went on — and Dahl was on his way to making millions.
He got to work packaging his new “pet,” placing a smooth stone atop a bed of packing material inside a cardboard box complete with air holes — for “breathing.” Each rock came with “The Care and Training of Your Pet Rock,” a wonderfully deadpan manual that taught owners how to command their rock to “sit,” “stay” and “roll over” (best taught on a hillside).
The Pet Rock debuted in August 1975 and immediately became a cultural phenomenon. A few months later, Dahl’s wife was telling reporters they’d already sold 60,000 of them. By Christmas, more than a million had been “adopted” nationwide.
Ten years before they brought us the hugely popular Santa Bear, the folks at Dayton’s Department Store were all in on the Pet Rock. Gift buyer Ed Hovis called it the “smash stocking stuffer for 1975.”
Here in Fargo-Moorhead, shoppers flooded into the West Acres Dayton’s, picking up their new “pets” for just $4.
Absolute seasonal silliness, to be sure. Still, in 1975, the Pet Rock seemed to delight people as much as dog and cat videos do today.
In The Forum, one columnist wrote that while the shopping crowd looked grim and foot-weary, “every person at the Pet Rock display was smiling from ear to ear.”
But not everyone was amused.
The Duluth News Tribune’s letters section erupted into figurative rock-throwing, with one writer peppering his letter with gems like: “The real rocks are in the purchaser’s skull,” “I bet in this country, with the right promotion and a box and ribbon, human waste could be sold,” and “People who put this item out, those who buy it and those who advertise it are all sick.”
Sounds like someone needed a pet rock to snuggle.
Another letter fought back that it was just for fun and “a form of social commentary, something of which we have far too little.”
By early 1976, the craze faded, despite Ross offering shoppers red, white and blue bicentennial rocks.
He tried to make lightning strike twice that Christmas of ’76 by offering the equally silly “Original Sand Breeding Kit,” which allowed “buyers to grow their own desert wasteland.”
It didn’t hit. But it didn’t really matter. That single year — 1975 — made Dahl a millionaire.
He remained active in the world of advertising, later co-authoring “Advertising for Dummies,” which surely would include a chapter on how the power of one odd idea, packaged with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek charm, can set you up for life.
Dahl always insisted, “I packaged a sense of humor for a very bored public.” And it’s hard to argue that a sense of humor might be one of the best Christmas gifts of all.
Gary Ross Dahl died March 23, 2015, at age 78. In one final, fitting twist, his obituary appeared in many newspapers on April 1 — April Fools’ Day.
And yes, if you’re wondering, the Pet Rock never really went extinct. You can still buy one on Amazon today for $29.95 — proving that inflation affects even imaginary pets.
For a man who once sold the world a rock in a box, maybe Dahl’s greatest legacy is simpler than all the numbers: for one strange, silly season in 1975, he reminded us that laughter itself is sometimes the perfect Christmas gift.
Next week: The other Christmas fad of 1975 — the mood ring — and does the one I wore in sixth grade still work?
What did Christmas shopping look like more than 50 years ago?
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Summer is here, and that means our annual Summer Reading Program is underway. This year’s theme is “Unearth a Story!” and focuses on dinosaurs, archaeology and history.
We have a variety of programs for all ages, including story times for preschoolers and school-age children, movies for kids and adults, crafts and special presentations. This summer, we are bringing back crowd favorite The Mixed Nuts, who will perform their family-friendly comedy show at 1 p.m. June 24. We will also host a puppet performance by Sonflower Puppets at 1 p.m. July 15. All programs are free and open to the public.
We are once again partnering with the Bank of North Dakota to give College SAVE certificates to all youth reading program finishers. When children age 18 and younger complete their reading logs, they will receive money from the Bank of North Dakota to contribute to a 529 college savings account. All finishers will also be entered into a drawing for one of 10 additional $529 scholarships at the end of the summer program.
We are also excited to announce a new partnership with the FM RedHawks. Children enrolled in the school-age summer reading program for grades K-5 can sign up to become one of Hawkeye’s Bookworms. Participants will receive four additional prizes from the RedHawks, including tickets to a RedHawks home game. No additional forms or reading requirements are needed to participate.
Thank you to the Bank of North Dakota and the FM RedHawks for supporting our summer reading program.
Lastly, we are pleased to announce that the Leach Public Library is now fine-free. If you have been reluctant to use the library because of overdue fines on your account, those fines are now being waived. If you have a long-lost library book at home, simply return it and no fine will be charged.
We are excited to remove this barrier, which has often prevented people from using both the library’s physical collection and digital services available throughout the Libby app. Fines will still apply to lost or damaged materials, as well as circulating technology such as iPads and Launchpad tablets.
For more information about fines or library cards, please contact the library.
Have a safe and happy June! We look forward to seeing you at the Leach Public Library!
Rachel Kercher is the youth services librarian at the Leach Public Library.
Miss America 2026 pageant coming to West Palm Beach, Florida
The Miss America pageant is coming to Palm Beach County for the next three years. Here’s what we can expect.
Kianna Healy of Hartford, South Dakota, was crowned Miss South Dakota 2026 at the competition on May 30.
Twenty-seven women competed for the title, which was a record number of candidates, according to a community announcement.
Healy, 23, graduated from O’Gorman High School and Pace University, where she majored in film and arts and entertainment management.
Healy won a $13,000 scholarship, a $1,000 preliminary talent award, a $500 preliminary fitness award and the $500 Callee Bauman Wachter top performing arts award.
Healy’s community service initiative is The Second Chance Project. For her talent, she performed “I’m a Star” by Scott Alan.
She is set to represent South Dakota at the Miss America Competition in September.
First runner-up was Amelie Wilcox of Rapid City, who earned a $5,000 scholarship. Wilcox also received the $5,000 South Dakota Strong award, the overall interview award ($1,000), a $1,000 community service award and the $500 Hunter Widvey Medical scholarship. She also took home the $1,000 Ray Peterson Rookie of the Year award for being the highest placing delegate competing at Miss South Dakota for the first time.
Second runner-up was Sydney Morgan of Hot Springs, who received a $4,000 scholarship and the $500 STEM scholarship. Third runner-up was Katie Milbrandt of Brookings, who earned a $3,000 scholarship and the $1,000 Quality of Life Award. Briley Steffensen of Hartford was fourth runner-up and won a preliminary fitness award, totaling $2,500 in awards and scholarships.
The top ten semi-finalists, each receiving a $750 scholarship, were Thea Tanton of Brookings, Lilly Mae Blume of Redfield, Javonte Madsen of Sioux Falls, Rylin Yerdon of Harrisburg and Natalie Biegler of Timber Lake. Tanton and Biegler tied for the preliminary talent award.
Additional awards included Laney Titze of Mitchell receiving $1,000 in the South Dakota Strong competition. Olivia Granaas, Jensine Matson and Taysan Rouselle each won $500 in the same category. Kyla Andvik of Fargo, North Dakota, earned the most talented non-semifinalist award ($250), while Jenisha Gurung received the highest score for non-finalist in interview ($250). The top fundraiser award ($500) went to Jayden Bender.
Miss Congeniality ($500) was awarded to Miss Northern State University Evelynn Carlson of Aberdeen. Each non-semi-finalist received a $300 scholarship, with total scholarships exceeding $60,000 for all participants.
This story was created by reporter Charles Rankin, crankin@salina.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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