Pom-Poms: A history

We can't be the only ones curious about how pom poms came to be. So we did a little research to enlighten not only ourselves, but our readers as well. Let's dive in. We always think of pom poms as shiny and colorful, but when they were first introduced in 1930 by Jim Hazelwood, they were made from paper. Paper pom poms posed a problem because they were quick to fall apart and unusable in poor weather conditions.

Pom poms were intended to increase showmanship.

Lawrence Herkimer, founder of the "herkie," began to manufacture pom poms in the 1950's, and was the first one to think of adding a plastic hidden handle inside the pom pom. This addition granted him a patent. In 1965, Fred Gastoff recreated the structure of the pom poms with plastic streamers instead of paper for durability in the weather. Since then, pom poms have become part of the cheerleader "image."