Word: fad
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First, there is the cult of the body, whose origins extend to the physical fitness craze of the last decade, but since then it has hypertrophied into a multibillion-dollar industry of fad diets and workouts, swank running shoes and high-tech exercise equipment. Who has not known someone whose motto is "no pain, no gain" or someone who scrutinizes their muscles for their tone...
...company attributes the renewed interest partly to last fall's debut of several new Davy Crockett episodes on NBC. But this time the fad is as big with moms and dads as it is with preteen frontiersmen...
Liquid diets, which enjoyed a burst of popularity in the 1970s, are once again a fad. Programs are being offered in thousands of clinics, hospitals and doctors' offices across the country. Advertisements and articles tout the diets' merits. Celebrity success stories like that of TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, who shed 67 lbs., heighten the interest. In all, the liquid regimens have grown into a $100 million-a-year industry. But the re-emergence of the diets has raised questions about their safety and long-term effectiveness...
Though children flinch at gifts that are meant to be good for them, it is still true that toys that teach unobtrusively have real staying power. "Children are extraordinarily curious about their environment," says Richard Garvey, vice president of marketing for Lego. "Fad items like Hula Hoops do not engage a child's innate desire to learn." That desire largely accounts for the ubiquitous plastic Lego bricks, which can now be found in 55% of American homes with children under 15. "The best thing about the Lego blocks," says Paul Matthews, 37, father of Paul Chandler Matthews...
...cases, because they played with it themselves. Crayola crayons debuted in 1903, Lincoln Logs in 1916. "Today grandparents have more time to spend with and on grandchildren than ever before," says Harris. "They are more likely to buy educational and developmental toys, and least likely to be reactive to fad items...