National Pet Rock Day is a holiday observed annually on the first Sunday of September. It’s a day for people to learn more about the pet rock or to reminisce about a time when owning this pet was a blast. The pet rock was invented in the 1970s, and its appeal was that it was a pet that required no care whatsoever.

Owners of pet rocks didn’t have to feed them, give them water, or even take them for walks. Why? Well, because they’re inanimate rocks and require absolutely no care, that’s why. With that said, let’s check out a holiday inspired by a pop culture phenomenon of the 1970s, albeit one that didn’t last very long.

The History of National Pet Rock Day

The pet rock came into existence after advertising executive Gary Dahl listened to his friends complain about the stress of caring for their pets. They had to feed them, give them water, and find time to walk them.

That’s when Dahl joked that people should just keep rocks as pets. After all, they didn’t need to be fed, walked, or given anything else. They were just rocks that sat there and did nothing, therefore easy to care for.

Struck with an idea, he decided to create a pet that would be easy for everyone to take care of: the Pet Rock. In 1975, he invented the pet rock. Using smooth stones gathered from Rosarito Beach in Mexico, he created a product that became popular—for about six months.

These rocks were placed in a cardboard box with breathing holes and came with a printed instruction manual. It was a humorous concept, but people grew tired of the fad quite quickly. However, Gary Dahl did manage to sell over a million pet rocks while the trend was in vogue, at $4 each.

We’re unsure who invented this holiday or their intent behind it. It might have been someone who felt a strong sense of nostalgia towards the pet rock, but we’re unsure if that’s the case. We’ll continue to try to find out the origins of this holiday, and if we discover new information, we’ll update this section accordingly.

Observing National Pet Rock Day

National Pet Rock Day can be observed simply by learning more about pet rocks or by bringing out a pet rock that you might have in storage to play with. It’s also a good day for people to share pet rock stories online using the hashtag #PetRockDay on social media.