Hacky Sack is the trademarked name of a type of footbag

Footbag

A footbag is both a small, round bag, and the term for the various sports played with one – characterized by controlling the bag by using one's feet. Although often referred to generically as a Hacky Sack, that is the trademarked name of one specific brand.Footbag-like activities have existed...

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History

The name "hacky sack" came from the 1972 inventors of the Footbag

Footbag

A footbag is both a small, round bag, and the term for the various sports played with one – characterized by controlling the bag by using one's feet. Although often referred to generically as a Hacky Sack, that is the trademarked name of one specific brand.Footbag-like activities have existed...

, John Stalberger and Mike Marshall

Mike Marshall (inventor)

Mike Marshall is known for his co-invention of the sport footbag and the Hacky Sack with John Stalberger in 1972. Mike was living in Oregon when he accidentally met John. John was trying to rehab his knee, so he played along with Mike who was kicking around a homemade beanbag. Mike died in 1975 at...

. Although Marshall suffered a fatal heart attack in 1975, Stalberger continued the business. At a later date, Stalberger sold the title to Wham-O

Wham-O

Wham-O Inc. is a toy company currently located in California, USA. They are known for marketing many popular toys in the past 50 years, including the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly String, Hacky Sack and the Boogie board....

. The name Hacky Sack has become a genericized trademark

Genericized trademark

A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...

, and can refer to either the footbag or a footbag game. The classic hacky sack circle consists of two or more players that keep the footbag off the ground without using their hands. Some common tricks include stalls, bag daggers, lifts, loops, ham spalts, and milk tosses.

The idea of the game is similar to traditional Asian games of kicking the shuttlecock

Shuttlecock

A shuttlecock, sometimes called a bird or birdie, is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen or so overlapping feathers, usually goose or duck and from the left wing only, embedded into a rounded cork base...

, known as Jianzi

Jianzi

Jiànzi , ti jian zi , ti jian or jiànqiú is a traditional Asian game in which players aim to keep a heavily weighted shuttlecock in the air using their feet and other parts of the body...

 and Chapteh. In Korea it is called Jegi chagi (제기차기). The game is also similar to some South East Asian games, such as Sepak Takraw

Sepak Takraw

Sepak takraw , or kick volleyball, is a sport native to the Malay-Thai Peninsula...

 and Sipa

Sipa

Sipa is the Philippines' traditional native sport which predates Spanish rule. The game is related to Sepak Takraw. Similar games include Footbag net, Footvolley, Bossaball and Jianzi....

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The same principle is applied in football-playing countries with footballs.