Chia Pet

This article is about the terracotta figurines. For the molecular biological technique, see ChIA-PET.
Chia Pet

A Chia Pet alligator.
Launch year 1982
Company Joseph Enterprises
Website http://www.chia.com

Chia Pets are American styled terracotta figurines[1] used to sprout chia,[2] where the chia sprouts grow within a couple of weeks[3] to resemble the animal's fur or hair.[4] Moistened seeds of chia (Salvia hispanica)[2] are applied to the grooved terra cotta figurine body.

Marketed by Joe Pedott[3] and produced by San Francisco, California-based company Joseph Enterprises Inc.,[5] the first Chia Pet, Chia Guy was created on September 8, 1977.[1] A trademark registration was filed on Monday, October 17, 1977.[6] Pedott first learned about Chia Pets when he attended a housewares show in Chicago in 1977.[3] Chia Pets achieved popularity in the 1980s following the 1982 release of a ram, the first widely marketed Chia Pet.[1] 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.[3] As of 2007, approximately 500,000 Chia Pets were sold annually,[3] and they are sold only during the holiday season.[2] Originally made in Mexico, Chia Pets are now produced in China.[3]

A range of generic animals has been produced, including a turtle,[7] pig, puppy, kitten,[5] frog, and hippopotamus.[8] Cartoon characters have also been licensed, including Garfield, Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Shrek, The Simpsons, and SpongeBob.[5] Additionally, there are Chia Pets depicting real people, including Barack Obama.[5]

Joseph Enterprises also sells replacement seeds for Chia products and also sells chia seeds in bulk as a nutritional supplement.[9]

Release timeline

Types

Chia Pets

All include seeds for three plantings and drip tray. All include "Watch-Me-Grow Chia Card" as of wave 7, excluding Ram and Bull, which were discontinued with wave 4, Chia Crocodile, which was introduced in wave 10, and Chia Bear, which was introduced with wave 11. Watch-Me-Grow Chia Cards discontinued with wave 8. All include a Chia Alarm Clock during wave 11 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Chia Pet in 2006, in 2007 could include either the Chia Alarm Clock, Chia Watch, or Mini Chia Cuddly, and in 2008 could include either the Mini Chia Cuddly or a deck of Chia Playing Cards.

Chia Pet Cuddlies

A trademark registration was filed for Chia Pet Cuddlies on Thursday, June 29, 2006.[11] Chia Pet Cuddlies are plush toys with soft fabric "Chia" fur bodies. They play the Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia jingle when a paw is pressed. The Chia Pet Cuddlies were only available during the anniversary period.

Chia Heads

The Chia Head trademark registration was filed on Wednesday, June 7, 1995.[12] All include seeds for three plantings and drip tray. Include Watch-Me-Grow Chia Card as of wave 7. Watch-Me-Grow Chia Cards discontinued as of wave 8. Chia Guy and Chia Professor include a Chia Alarm Clock during wave 11 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Chia Pet in 2006, in 2007 could include either the Chia Alarm Clock, Chia Watch, or Mini Chia Cuddly, and in 2008 could include either the Mini Chia Cuddly or a deck of Chia Playing Cards.

Licensed/Famous Chia

All include seeds for three plantings and drip tray. Looney Tunes planters included Watch-Me-Grow Chia Card until cards were discontinued with wave 8. Called Licensed Chia originally, then Famous Chia as of wave 10 until 2011. Retitled Licensed Chia Pet as of wave 14. Most Licensed Chia Pets are sculpted as a Chia Head type of planter, with exceptions noted below.

The A-Team
Looney Tunes
Scooby-Doo!
The Simpsons
Shrek
Garfield
Madagascar
Chia Kung Fu Panda
Nickelodeon SpongeBob SquarePants
Oakland A's Athletics and Extra Mile
Hello Kitty
Duck Dynasty
Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Disney Mickey Mouse

Chia Zombie

Chia Zombies were released prior to Wave 16 (2014) and are intended as Halloween decor.

Chia: Proud to be American/Freedom of Choice

All include seeds for three plantings and drip tray. The presidents and 2012 candidates are sculpted as heads, atop a base that is thicker than normal for a Chia Head planter. The Statue of Liberty is sculpted as a bust, and depicts the uplifted right arm holding the torch. The bases of each are printed with black lettering. The line began as Chia: Proud to be American in 2009, and was rebranded Chia: Freedom of Choice in 2012. Chia Obama "Determined" was the only piece to be carried over, repackaged only as Chia Obama.

Shortly after the release of the Chia Obama, Walgreens pulled the product saying it does not fit their image.[14]

Chia Trees

Chia Gnome

Herb Gardens

All include various things, so each is given a complete listing.

Chia Chef's Garden

The Chia Chef's Garden is another step in the direction of the Chia Herb Gardens, in this case designed to grow veggetables indoors. The set includes three terra cotta pots, three terra cotta saucers, three Chia Wonder Soil inserts, and six packets of seeds (in sweet basil, tomatoes, and peppers) and recipe/tip book.

Chia Cat Grass Planters

All include Chia Growing Mix, Cat Grass seeds (a mix of sweet oat and wheat grass) for three plantings, and a plastic saucer. The purpose of the Chia Cat Grass Planter is to give something tasty and nutritious for cats to eat, rather than one's Chia Pets.


Chia Flower Garden

Promotional items

At various times, promotional items were available, packaged with some Chia Collectibles, rather than being available individually.

Watch-Me-Grow Chia Cards

Available from 2000 to 2001,[15] with most Chia products (except for the Terra Cotta Herb Garden). A Watch-Me-Grow Chia Card displays a changing image of the Chia item it was packaged with in various stages of growth, from the bare Terra Cotta statue, to the fully grown image normally displayed on the packaging. During the time they were available, the cards were rubber-pasted to the front of the packaging, where the usual product image was normally located, though still sealed under the outer layer of shrink-wrap. Watch-Me-Grow Chia Cards were available depicting the following items: Chia Puppy, Chia Kitten, Chia Bunny, Chia Turtle, Chia Pig, Chia Frog, Chia Hippo, Chia Elephant, Chia Cow, Chia Dinosaur, Chia Guy, Chia Kid, Chia Professor, Chia Clown, Chia Lion Cub, Chia Elmer Fudd, Chia Taz, Chia Tweety, and Chia Tree.

Chia Alarm Clock

Available packaged with all Chia Pets, the two remaining Chia Heads, and the Chia Tree during wave 11 in 2006 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Chia Pet.[15] The Chia Alarm Clock is a small plastic LCD alarm clock resembling Chia Puppy at full growth, and plays the Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia jingle as its alarm sound.[18]

Mini Chia Cuddly and Chia Watch

In 2007, pack-ins were available with the same items as the previous year, but were expanded. The Chia Alarm Clock continued to be available, but packages could also contain a Mini Chia Cuddly in the shape of the bear cub, or a Chia Watch, which was a simple digital watch with a clear gel watchband having tiny colored images of various Chia Pets stamped on it. Each packaged Chia Pet, Chia Head, or Chia Tree displayed a decal indicating which of the three pack-ins would be found inside. The Mini Chia Cuddly was available with the regular Chia Pets in 2007 and 2008.[19]

Chia Playing Cards

In 2008, the pack-ins included only the previously available Mini Chia Cuddly and a new deck of Chia Playing Cards. The cards were of the standard four-suit playing card variety, and had pictures of various Chia Pets in the center of each card.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 Green Space: It’s beginning to look a lot like Chia, everywhere you go – Framingham, MA. The MetroWest Daily News. December 11, 2010. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Chia Pet FAQS. Chia.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chia Pet | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-26.
  4. ↑ Chia Pet seeks Web name ch-ch-change – CNET News. News.cnet.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Chia Products. Chia.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  6. ↑ CHIA PET – Reviews & Brand Information – Encap Products Company Mt. Prospect, IL – Serial Number: 73144986. Socialmedia.trademarkia.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  7. ↑ Buy CHIA Pet, Turtle Online at. Drugstore.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  8. ↑ The History of Chia Pets. Inventors.about.com (1977-09-08). Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  9. ↑ http://chia.com/chia-seeds/
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Pet: The Holiday Gift From Your Weird Uncle — Ad Savvy. Adsavvy.org. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  11. ↑ CHIA PET CUDDLIES – Reviews & Brand Information – JOSEPH ENTERPRISES, INC. San Francisco, CA – Serial Number: 78920339. Socialmedia.trademarkia.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  12. ↑ CHIA HEAD – Reviews & Brand Information – JOSEPH ENTERPRISES, INC. San Francisco, CA – Serial Number: 74685515. Socialmedia.trademarkia.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  13. 1 2 Chia Pet Creator 'Shocked' After Walgreens Pulls Obama Model From Shelves. Fox News (2010-04-07). Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  14. ↑ Chia Pet Creator 'Shocked' After Walgreens Pulls Obama Model From Shelves. Fox News (2010-04-07). Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  15. 1 2 3 4 All about the Chia Tree. Nothing but Chia. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  16. ↑ Chia Cat Grass Planter (Sylvester & Tweety). Nothing but Chia. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  17. ↑ Chia Cat Grass Planter (Snoozy Kitty). Nothing but Chia. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  18. ↑ Chia Alarm Clock. Nothing but Chia. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.
  19. ↑ Mini Chia Cuddly. Nothing but Chia. Retrieved on 2012-01-10.

External links

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