Why the Googly Ball?

This is a phenomenon that baffles me.

I work in a store where we sell Googly Balls. We currently sell large Googly Balls and "Ginormous" Googly Balls. The Googly Balls are in a display not too far inside the store, right where I can see them from my photo counter. I would have to estimate that at least 70 percent of the people who come into the store, regardless of age, have to touch or play with the Googly Balls. And a lot of people buy Googly Balls. They say it's for their kids, or their dog, but who knows?



Some time in recent history someone had to think, "I'm going to make a big rubber ball with air inside and lots of little rubber bits on the outside that sort of look like hair." Shortly after that he or she had to sell that idea to someone who could produce and market the product. At some point someone had to come up with a name for the product. Then someone had to buy or finance the making of thousands of these big rubber Googly Balls, in hopes of becoming rich.

It worked.

I'm mystified.