A true fad has little utility beyond its entertainment value.

Hearken, O children of curiosity, to the words of Ken Hakuta, the master of novelty and invention, who once declared: “A true fad has little utility beyond its entertainment value. Think of the Mood Ring, the Pet Rock, the Slinky, Silly Putty.” These words, spoken in the tongue of commerce, are also words of wisdom about the nature of human desire, the fleeting joys of novelty, and the eternal cycle of fascination and forgetfulness.

The fad is a creature of wonder and illusion. It arises suddenly, blazing across the sky like a comet, gathering hearts in laughter and amazement. The Mood Ring, shifting colors with the warmth of flesh, promised secret insight into the soul. The Pet Rock, absurd in its simplicity, invited people to adopt stillness itself as a companion. The Slinky, with its dance of coils down the stairs, delighted the eyes of children and reminded the old of play. And Silly Putty, bouncing, stretching, absorbing the ink of comics, was a toy that blurred the line between uselessness and magic. Each of these brought joy—but joy that did not endure.

In these examples lies the essence of the fad: it fills no need of survival, it solves no great problem, and yet it triumphs—if only for a season. Its power is not in utility, but in entertainment, in the spark of delight that cuts through the monotony of daily life. Men and women, weary of toil and burden, grasp at such novelties for relief, for laughter, for the taste of childlike wonder. But soon, as the seasons turn, the fad is forgotten, left in drawers and attics, remembered only with a smile.

Consider, O listener, the tale of Tulip Mania in the Netherlands of the seventeenth century. Tulip bulbs, though lovely, became the center of a craze so fierce that fortunes were spent on a single flower. Men traded homes for bulbs, believing their value eternal. Yet when the frenzy collapsed, many were left ruined. The tulip was still beautiful, yet the madness around it revealed the danger of mistaking fleeting novelty for lasting worth. This tale stands beside Hakuta’s wisdom, reminding us that the line between harmless play and ruinous obsession is thin indeed.

The meaning of Hakuta’s words is not to mock the fad, but to reveal its place in human life. The fad is a mirror of our longing for wonder, for diversion, for the joy that lifts the heart above the ordinary. It is not meant to endure, nor to provide lasting sustenance, but to remind us that laughter and amazement are themselves part of the human feast. Yet, if we mistake such fleeting delights for eternal truths, we build our houses on sand.

Therefore, the lesson is this: cherish the fad for what it is, but do not cling to it as if it were the cornerstone of your existence. Play with the toy, laugh at the novelty, let your spirit be refreshed by its silliness—but do not let your soul be consumed by it. Seek your deeper purpose elsewhere: in labor that matters, in relationships that endure, in wisdom that does not wither with the turning of seasons.

Practical action follows: when a new fad arises, partake if it brings joy, but also ask yourself—does this serve my greater path? Do not spend beyond reason, do not anchor your identity to fleeting fashions. Instead, let the fad remind you to smile, but let your heart remain anchored in things eternal: truth, love, wisdom, and service. For while the Pet Rock crumbles into memory, the rock of virtue endures forever.