Fuzzy dice, known in the British Isles as furry dice or fluffy dice, are an automotive decoration consisting of two over-sized (usually six-sided) plush dice which hang from the rear-view mirror.[1]
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The practice of fuzzy dice originated in the U.S. in the 1950s and is considered one of the first items sold specifically to be hung from a rear-view mirror. The exact meaning and origin of fuzzy dice is unclear, but one theory[2] holds that U.S. pilots in World War II used dice in their cockpits for good luck, and they continued the practice when they came home from the war.
While fuzzy dice were at the height of their popularity in the 1970s and the 1980s, they have since become increasingly rare. The practice of hanging any object from the rear-view mirror is prohibited in at least one state (Minnesota).[3] A 1993 study showed there to be no correlation between the use of fuzzy dice and the degree of a driver's reckless driving behavior. [4]
In 2011 animated movie Cars 2, an automobile character playing a gambling dice game in a casino says "C'mon, fuzzy dice!"; the voice is from film director John Lasseter as a cameo.[5]