National Pet Rock Day
Everyone needs a friend. Find a suitable rock, pick up some craft supplies, and get to work making your own Pet Rock with googly eyes, paint, whatever you like.
Capitalize on nostalgia and DIY humor by promoting craft supplies and novelty items as the perfect companion to National Pet Rock Day celebrations.
- Create your own Pet Rock: A fun, low-cost craft project for families this September
- Pet Rock revival: Why this 1970s novelty is the perfect stress-free 'pet' for busy professionals
- Craft supply haul for Pet Rock Day – googly eyes, paint, and personality in one box
- The ultimate pet that never needs walking: Celebrate National Pet Rock Day with us
Launched in the 1970s by advertising executive Gary Dahl, the pet rock was an antithesis to those living pets in need of regular care. It did, however, come with a mean “attack” mode. For a mere $3.95 people could adopt their very own rock, supplied on a bed of hay in a well-ventilated box. Like all things, pet rocks are more expensive these days, but you could always catch a wild one for free – just remember that undomesticated rocks may be more difficult to handle…
You may be wondering what caused Gary Dahl to come up with a creation like this. The story goes that he was in a bar with one of his friends when he listened to them complaining about their pets. Because of this, he came up with the idea of the perfect pet. This was a rock. After all, a rock did not need to be groomed, bathed, walked, or fed. It would also not be disobedient, become sick, nor would it die. He joked about rocks being the perfect pets with his friends. However, little did they know at the time that he was serious about the idea, drafting an instruction manual for pet rocks. This was full of gags and puns that referred to rocks as actual pets.
The idea was a simple one. The straw was virtually free, and the rocks only cost one cent. The biggest cost for Dahl was manufacturing and die-cutting the boxes. After producing the initial batch, he then decided that he would add an official training manual to the product. This was a 32-page booklet that was called “The Care and Training of Your Pet Rock.” This manual included instructions on how to care for your new Pet Rock and raise it properly. The manual contained jokes, puns, and gags, as well as listing a number of different commands that you could teach your new pet rock. Commands like “attack” “stay” and “sit” were considered effortless while “shake hands” “stand” and “come” were near-on impossible.
Sadly, Gary Dahl passed away in 2015 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 78-years-old at the time. After becoming a millionaire through the creation of Pet Rock, he opened a bar in California. The bar was situated in downtown Los Gatos, and it was known as Carry Nations. He continued to work in the advertising industry, yet he was known for avoiding interviews. He said that the reason for this was because he was getting harassed with threats and lawsuits because of what he called “a bunch of wackos.”