History of Footbag

Similar games had been played for centuries in Asia (Kemari) and North America. However, modern footbag was conceived by John Stalberger and Mike Marshall in Oregon City, Oregon in 1972.

They coined two terms: "hacky sack" (sometimes spelled hackey sack) which referred specifically to their product, and "footbag" which is the generic name for the game and the product. "Hacky sack" is now trademarked by Wham-O and should technically not be used to refer to the game or the bean bag. In reality, the term "hacky sack" is almost always used, and many people have no idea what a "footbag" is.