The Chia Pet was marketed and popularized by Joseph Pedott. Pedott first learned about "something called the Chia Pet" being imported from Oaxaca, Mexico when he attended a housewares show in Chicago in 1977. Negotiating the rights from importer Walter Houston, Pedott began marketing Chia Pets in the US.

When you think about it, a chia pet is a figurine made out of terra cotta clay (the same as most flower pots) and is covered with chia seeds that you sprout into hair or fur.

CHIA PET SEEDS ARE EDIBLE (BUT YOU STILL SHOULDN'T EAT THEM). Chia seeds aren't just for growing - they're also for eating. In recent years, health buffs have anointed the small, crunchy seeds as a new “super food,” as they're packed with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, protein, and fiber.

The first Chia Pets were Chia Bull and Chia Ram, though there was technically a Chia Guy, too. And while the Chia animals were - and still are - popular, in 1982, Hirsch says the company began licensing figures beginning with three iconic Looney Tunes characters: Tweety, Taz (Tasmanian Devil) and Elmer Fudd.

It was sacred and used as a sacrifice in religious ceremonies. The ancient civilizations believed that the chia seed provided supernatural powers. In Mayan, “chia” means “strength.” This probably has to do with the large amounts of energy provided by chia seeds.

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family. Salvia hispanica seed often is sold under its common name "chia" as well as several trademarked names. Its origin is believed to be in Central America where the seed was a staple in the ancient Aztec diet.

Joseph Pedott, entrepreneur who made Chia Pets and the Clapper household names, dead at 91. CHICAGO (CBS) -- You may not recognize the Chicago native's name, but chances are you know the work of Joseph Pedott.

However, the species grown on the chia Pet is Salvia hispanica . The Chia was a major food for the aztecs and Indians. They roasted the seeds, mixed them with water and eaten them as gruel or ground into baking. The Aztecs also used Chia for Oil face painting and as ointment and emoilent.

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family. Salvia hispanica seed often is sold under its common name "chia" as well as several trademarked names. Its origin is believed to be in Central America where the seed was a staple in the ancient Aztec diet.

The plant is native to Mexico and Guatemala, where it was an important crop for pre-Columbian Aztecs and other Mesoamerican Indian cultures.

Salvia hispanica L., also known as chia, is an annual herbaceous plant, originally from Southern Mexico and Northern Guatemala. It belongs to the order Lamiales, mint family Labiate, subfamily Nepetoideae, and genus Salvia.

The word “chia” means “strength” in the Mayan language. Aztec warriors ate chia seeds to give them energy and endurance. Chia grew wild and was a prized harvest used as currency to pay taxes and religious alms and to settle debts with conquering tribes.

Its origin is believed to be in Central America where the seed was a staple in the ancient Aztec diet. The seeds of a related plant, Salvia columbariae (golden chia), were used primarily by Native Americans in the southwestern United States.

Here are some of the lesser known facts about chia that you may be surprised to discover:

• Chia was used as an endurance food by ancient tribes.
• Chia seeds were once used as currency.
• Chia crops were destroyed by Spanish invaders 500 years ago.
• Chia was rediscovered in the 1990s by Dr.