Two hockey enthusiasts, brothers Scott and Brennan Olson, found an old pair of in-line skates in a sporting goods store in Minneapolis. Inspired by the idea of an inline skate, they replaced the blades of a hockey skate with polyurethane rollers and added a rubber heel brake.

This simple design created a viable alternative to skating on ice (which is not always available) by allowing the wearer to effectively “skate” on any hard surface. The pair saw the opportunity in selling these and set up their business, “Rollerblade Inc” from their parents’ basement.

The Olsons' Rollerblades® were immediately popular with ice skaters and skiers, but didn’t really catch the public imagination until the company was bought out in 1984, and a strategic marketing campaign was launched in Southern California.

And so started the craze of rollerblading. The company created a fad, in the same region that had given rise to the skateboard . Besides being trendy, in-line skating was fun, challenging though basically easy to learn, and healthy.

The first Rollerblades® were soon imitated by other companies, but Rollerblade, Inc. has stayed on top of the industry it created through both advertising and design innovations earning about 200 issued or pending patents to date.

Perhaps the best evidence of their success is that "rollerblading," like "frisbee," has become the common term for a pastime enjoyed by countless persons worldwide.