You thought the hula hoop was just a childhood toy, didn't you? Well, think again! The first hula hoop was actually made of willow branches and used by ancient Egyptians for exercise. Can you imagine Cleopatra hooping it up with her royal hoops?

Fast forward a few thousand years, and the hula hoop has gone from a simple circle of willow branches to a plastic, multi-colored spectacle of fun. But despite its evolution, the hula hoop has never lost its touch as a fun way to get some exercise.

Imagine if our ancestors had had the option of glittery, neon-colored hoops? They might have been so distracted by their shiny new toys that they would have forgotten all about building pyramids.

But don't just take our word for it, try hooping it up yourself! It's a fun way to work your abs, hips, and waist all at once. And who knows, you might even find yourself hooping like a pro in no time.

Just don't try to hooping with willow branches, though. We don't recommend that.

In short, the hula hoop has come a long way since its ancient roots, but it's still just as fun and funky as ever. So grab a hoop and give it a whirl!

And with that, we wrap up our hilarious history lesson, leaving you with the words of the great hooper, Yogi Berra: "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future of hula hooping."