randx0 Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I was just sittin' here thinking how did fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror become so ubiquitous and cliche.what is the significance of these ornaments ?did they come from a famous show car or a tongue in cheek way of saying if you ride in this car it's a gamble? I don't even know when they showed up 50's 60's ?any of you old dudes know the story I'd like to hear it.
george 53 Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 Randy, My Big Brudder Art, created them back in the 50's caz he had to wear Buddy Holly type glasses. His vision was SO bad he made them dice so big so he could see the dots when he was shootin at kraps! Them kraps useta be so plentiful they was a downright nusance! Now, only memories of the Killer Kraps is all us oldsters got to remember. So, outa longing for the good ol days, we tend to hang their corpses from our mirrors! Badump pa! I hope you can take the joke! In reality Ran, we'll probly NEVER know who thought them up, kinda like Blu dots, or spinners an the like, the true story is lost to time! But my Big Brudder STILL wears Buddy Holly type glasses!
FujimiLover Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 My bet is somebody in Vegas back in the day's, perhaps a pimp with his pimpmobile? If you want to create that look for your model, I personally don't, but I have seen very tiny little dice available at my local hobby shop and it's perfect size to hang from your models mirror. The dice are probably 1mm square? Very tiny. Just a thought!
MR BIGGS Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 don't know who made them first or where they came from. I always thought they looked cool on older customs. I have a few on my 36 la salle, 32 custom ford and my 49 merc.
MR BIGGS Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 I just found this on Wikipedia Fuzzy dice, known in the British Isles as furry dice or fluffy dice, are an automotive decoration consisting of two over-sized, six-sided plush dice which hang from the rear-view mirror.[1] The practice of Fuzzy Dice originated in the U.S. They where invented by two brothers trying to 'pimp' their car. in the 1950s and is considered one of first items sold specifically to be hung from a rear-view mirror. While fuzzy dice were at the height of their popularity in the 1970s and the 1980s, they have since become increasingly rare as the practice of hanging any object from the rear-view mirror became illegal in many states. A 1993 study showed there to be no correlation between the use of fuzzy dice and the degree of a driver's reckless driving behavior.[2]
roadhawg Posted March 17, 2009 Posted March 17, 2009 The practice of Fuzzy Dice originated in the U.S. They where invented by two brothers trying to 'pimp' their car. in the 1950s and is considered one of first items sold specifically to be hung from a rear-view mirror. I seriously doubt they were trying to "pimp" their car in the 50s......that stupid term didn't get used as a verb until the last 10 years, as the public intellegence level started dropping. "Pimp".....I hate that stupid term. In the 70s, "pimp" was a BAD thing. Anyway....tirade over. I think it probably DID originate in the 50s.
george 53 Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 Tommy, here in Deeeetroit, the word "pimp" has been used since BEFORE I was born! The word pimp is actually a pronoun. If I were to call you a pimp, it would then be a noun. The word pimp as a way to describe a man of little self esteem who abuses women,has been around ALOT longer than the 50's It probably originated in ancient Rome!
roadhawg Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 Tommy, here in Deeeetroit, the word "pimp" has been used since BEFORE I was born! The word pimp is actually a pronoun. If I were to call you a pimp, it would then be a noun. The word pimp as a way to describe a man of little self esteem who abuses women,has been around ALOT longer than the 50's It probably originated in ancient Rome! Well, I learned something today.........but I STILL hate that stupid term!
randx0 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Posted March 18, 2009 (edited) Asking about fuzzy dice ain't easy. Edited March 18, 2009 by randx0
oldcars Posted March 22, 2009 Posted March 22, 2009 Bought my first pair of dice in 1961. They were sitting on the shelf at the autoparts store right next to the eightball gearshift knob that I was getting that day. We also hung our graduation tassles with the dice. Why? Dunno. It just seemed cool. Still is. Richard
FujimiLover Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 A 1993 study showed there to be no correlation between the use of fuzzy dice and the degree of a driver's reckless driving behavior.[2] It wasn't the fuzzy dice. It was the "fuzzy driver" after a few drinks........................... I too hate the term pimp, and I really hate the phrase, "my bad."
FujimiLover Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 Bought my first pair of dice in 1961. They were sitting on the shelf at the autoparts store right next to the eightball gearshift knob that I was getting that day. We also hung our graduation tassles with the dice. Why? Dunno. It just seemed cool. Still is. Richard Graduation tassles I can see, pride. But why dice?
mredzadventure Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 I'd rather look at the fuzzy dice then that stupid set of "Nuts" People have been hanging from the bumper hitch. The chrome ones add a real touch of "class"
ramonesblues Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 Back in the day it was a status symbol to have dice that your girlfriend made you in Home Ec. Anyone could buy them, the cool guys had girlfriends make them.
lordairgtar Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 Wikipedia is a bit off as usual. Actually fuzzy dice were originally a novelty given as prizes at carnival midway games. Since real dice are usually seen in pairs, it made sense to string them together. Some unknown just slung them over his rear view and it caught on.
randx0 Posted March 23, 2009 Author Posted March 23, 2009 interesting how something so universal can be so misunderstood. I think George's brudder took home ec and they took a field trip to the carnival and saw a pimp win several prizes including a pair of stuffed dice that after all the other prizes got shoved into the trunk of the pimp mobile there was no room for the dice so they got thrown onto the mirror and afterwards Buddy Holly saw Arts glasses and wanted a pair. shoot I should have just typed this into wikipedia.well maybe someone else will .
roadhawg Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 shoot I should have just typed this into wikipedia.well maybe someone else will . Ummmm.....somebody DID! lol! I just found this on Wikipedia Fuzzy dice, known in the British Isles as furry dice or fluffy dice, are an automotive decoration consisting of two over-sized, six-sided plush dice which hang from the rear-view mirror.[1] The practice of Fuzzy Dice originated in the U.S. They where invented by two brothers trying to 'pimp' their car. in the 1950s and is considered one of first items sold specifically to be hung from a rear-view mirror. While fuzzy dice were at the height of their popularity in the 1970s and the 1980s, they have since become increasingly rare as the practice of hanging any object from the rear-view mirror became illegal in many states. A 1993 study showed there to be no correlation between the use of fuzzy dice and the degree of a driver's reckless driving behavior.[2]
FujimiLover Posted March 24, 2009 Posted March 24, 2009 I'd rather look at the fuzzy dice then that stupid set of "Nuts" People have been hanging from the bumper hitch. The chrome ones add a real touch of "class" I bet some angree divorced wife started that as a symbel of what she'd like to do to "HIS!" LOL! I agree, that is the dumbest thing I've seen on a truck so far. I'd go for fuzzy dice anyday over that!
BlackSheep214 Posted December 20, 2020 Posted December 20, 2020 Heh... now how many of you did hang fuzzy dice on the mirrors in your teen years, early 20s? Come on, admit it. I did.
Rob Hall Posted December 20, 2020 Posted December 20, 2020 (edited) Fuzzy dice were from before my time, but I did have the graduation tassles hanging from the rear view mirror in the summer after high school, 1988. Replaced by the college parking pass in Fall 88. The dumbest thing I did as a kid then were the tinted headlight covers (no bueno at night) and hood bra that collected water under it. Edited December 20, 2020 by Rob Hall
lordairgtar Posted December 20, 2020 Posted December 20, 2020 40 minutes ago, BlackSheep214 said: Heh... now how many of you did hang fuzzy dice on the mirrors in your teen years, early 20s? Come on, admit it. I did. I never did. Hung a small golden cross my GF at the time gave me.
RSchnell Posted December 21, 2020 Posted December 21, 2020 Nothing like digging up an 11 yr old thread!!!! As for the original topic, my dad had fuzzy dice on his 50's cars in the 80s. Yellow & Black '55 Ford Convertible- yellow & black dice. Black & white '55 Crown Vic- Black dice. Blue '56 Ford Sedan- Yep blue dice. You used to see vendors with big piles of multicolored fuzzy dice at the car shows, don't see that much anymore.
webestang Posted December 21, 2020 Posted December 21, 2020 Found on the web............ While it’s tough to pinpoint exactly where the tradition of sporting fuzzy dice on the mirror originated, there is a good theory. During World War II, pilots would carry good luck trinkets with them aboard their aircraft. Gambling items like dice, cards, and chips were popular tokens of good luck because if they brought you luck at the gaming table, they could bring luck while flying a dangerous mission. After the WWII pilots returned home, the tradition of carrying dice for good luck was translated into hanging them from your vehicle’s rearview mirror, and the fuzzy dice meaning continued to be for good luck. This was a trendy thing to do in the post-war boom, and it caught on quickly.
Tom Geiger Posted December 21, 2020 Posted December 21, 2020 On 12/20/2020 at 2:22 PM, Rob Hall said: Fuzzy dice were from before my time, but I did have the graduation tassles hanging from the rear view mirror in the summer after high school, 1988. Class of 76, we did that too. And I had my girl friend’s too. Came across the pair a few years ago, got them in my memory box.
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