I hear a lot of moaning about our hobby dying in various threads…Got me to thinking while sitting in my cold Command Bunker…what hobbies are you aware of that have gone extinct, or seriosuly declined to the point that maybe one or two people are the only ones still engaged in it…?
Hand wringing and phrases like, “We need more young people in our hobby.” are not allowed in your reply…
Underwater basket weaving.
Lawn darts.
Sport, not hobby…
Speaking to people without the aid of a computer or cel phone… says the guy who is typing on his computer on a website forum!
My step father used to build fireworks as a hobby when i was growing up. His hobby died not because no one was interested in it but because the supplies needed went off the shelfs when pipe-bombs started making major headlines. Our shed out back was full of explosive powders fuses and who knows what else. That stash would guarantee you a bunk at GITMO now a days.
He was very good at his hobby; fourth of July was always a fun time for us.
Taxidermy has taken a huge hit.
Reloading ammo…costs are too high in comparison to purchasing ready made.
…never a recognized hobby…
Heathkit computers, along with all of the other electronic kits of the past are passe. You can still get hold of crystal radio kits, but my kids just looked at it and went “what’s AM radio?” Ham Radio is still around, but much less license holders as in past years.
Most hobbies have a ebb and flow. Rug hooking seems to be at the bottom. Sewing isn’t as popular as it once was (mind you it used to be a necessity, not a hobby). Macrame is thankfully still on hold. Scrap booking, which had died back in the 70s is back again. Needlepoint, knitting and embroidery are still relatively popular, but young people aren’t picking up those habits as well. I know quite a few women who are into those hobbies, and they all tell me how difficult it is to get their kids interested. The average age of that group also seems to be 40+.
Kids don’t have time for hobbies today, they have to post about each bowel movement and random thought pattern on MyFacebook and Twitter, and then text their friends about it.
Wow, componets must have hit the moon. I could load for a fraction of the cost of store bought as recently as six years ago.
Making Un-PC jokes died a while ago, maybe not a hobby but a great past time none the less. Meccano, dead as in Australia at least. Car tinkering (to a serious degree and no car stereos dont count) is having issues but is that because cars are becomming more complicated?
Andrew
do I see a Dead Hobby badge in the future???..[whstl]
my 2cents… wood carving… I did some as a kid, birds, etc… even sold some to people, I used oil paints,. my Grandma was an exceptional oil painter… she taught me alot…
the lost art of dressing bears in dresses to take photos of them for greeting cards while there still in the wild.
Car tinkering, yep it’s dying. not all that long ago a guy with a decent toolbox and some basic skills could do a fair amount of work. Now you need tools, data sensors & decoders, someone to translate the readouts, an engineer and a therapist. I’m driving a 4-year old Cobalt, and 3/4 of the engine bay is inaccessible because of some crazy plastic shroud. I can check fluids & change headlights on my own, but that’s about it.
Not sure it would qualify as a ‘hobby’ per se, but here in the northeast there has been a big decline in the number of hunters in recent years.
que… Dr Pepper snorting out of nostrils…
…streaking…
Kite making and fly kite! 
I’m hoping for a comeback… or a resurgance[whstl]
Ever since the “Fairness Hunting Law” went into effect and armed the local White Tail population, it should have been expected. Who could have guessed that the four pointers would practice shooting so diligently?