Fuzzy dice

[2][3] The use of fuzzy dice is believed to be traced back to American fighter pilots during World War II.

It is also speculated that the dice represented a high degree of risk associated with the fighter sorties; hundreds of pilots were shot down each week.

The Encyclopedia of American Social History notes that during the 1950s, young adults were drawn to cars that were "customized for speed, painted with vivid colors, stripes, and flames, tuck-and-roll interiors, fuzzy dice suspended from the mirror, rock-and-roll on the radio...".

[6] Another explanation for hanging these in a car has been proposed that "displaying the dice meant the driver was ready and willing to be 'dicing with death' in the dangerous and unregulated world of street racing".

[7] In some segments, such as the lowrider community, research indicated that even the most dedicated individuals "did not attach any significance to the dice" that were hung from their car's rearview mirror.