Chia Pets are American styled terracotta

figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...

s used to sprout chia, where the chia sprouts grow within a couple of weeks to resemble the animal's fur or hair. Moistened chia seeds (''

Salvia hispanica ''Salvia hispanica'', commonly known as chia (), is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is considered a pseudocereal, cultivated for its edible, hydrophilic chia s ...

'') are applied to a grooved terracotta figurine. The Chia Pet is marketed by Joe Pedott and produced by

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

-based company Joseph Enterprises, Inc. He originally developed the idea for Chia Pets after visiting Mexico and seeing

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

n artisans using sprouted chia seeds in their artwork. The first Chia Pet was created on September 8, 1977. A trademark registration was filed on Monday, October 17, 1977. Pedott first learned about "something called the Chia Pet" being imported from Mexico when he attended a housewares show in Chicago in 1977. Negotiating the rights, Pedott began marketing Chia Pets in the US. They achieved popularity in the 1980s following the 1982 release of a ram, the first widely distributed Chia Pet. The catchphrase sung in the TV commercial as the plant grows in time lapse is "Ch-ch-ch-chia!". This catchphrase originated at an agency brainstorming meeting, where one of the individuals present pretended to stutter the product name. As of 2019, approximately 15 million Chia Pets were sold annually with most sales during the holiday season. Originally made in Mexico, Chia Pets are now produced in China. A range of generic animals has been produced, including a turtle, pig, puppy, kitten, frog, and

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...

Cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

characters have also been licensed, including Garfield, Scooby-Doo,

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

, Shrek,

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

, and

SpongeBob ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American Animated series, animated Television comedy, comedy Television show, television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It ...

. Additionally, there are Chia Pets depicting real people, including

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

and Bob Ross. Joseph Enterprises sells replacement seeds for Chia products and also sells chia seeds in bulk as a nutritional supplement.

References

External links

{{commons category
Official Chia Pet website

A look at a Chia Pet growing in pictures
1980s fads and trends Garden features Products introduced in 1977 Terracotta