Few car accessories are as instantly recognisable as a pair of oversized fuzzy dice swinging from the rear-view mirror. They say rock-and-roll, drive-ins and chrome-heavy coupes. They also say gambling, which is no accident.
Where they came from
The origin story most often told goes back to the Second World War. Fighter and bomber crews, the story says, hung a pair of dice in the cockpit for luck before a mission, a nod to the gamble every flight represented. After the war, young veterans brought the habit home to their cars, and in the hot-rod and custom-car culture of the 1950s fuzzy dice became a symbol of a slightly rebellious, live-for-the-day attitude. Like many good stories, it is hard to verify in detail, but it has been repeated for decades and fits the era well.
Dice have been the shorthand for luck for thousands of years, from ancient games to the craps tables of Las Vegas. Hanging a pair in the car was a way to carry a little of that luck on the road.
From cool to kitsch and back
By the 1970s and 80s fuzzy dice had become a novelty item sold at petrol stations and fairgrounds, a retro joke rather than a statement. Then the retro revival made them cool again for owners of classic cars and anyone who wanted their daily driver to look like it belonged in a 1950s film. Today you can find them in every colour, in team colours, and in sizes from tiny to absurd.
Are they legal?
This is where the fun meets the rulebook. Many US states have laws against objects that obstruct the driver's view through the windshield, and some explicitly mention items hanging from the rear-view mirror. California's vehicle code, for example, restricts objects that obstruct or reduce the driver's clear view. Enforcement varies, and some places treat it as a reason for a stop only if the object is clearly blocking the view. The safest approach:
- Keep anything hanging from the mirror small and above your line of sight.
- Take large dice down while driving and hang them when parked, or at car shows.
- Check the rules where you live and where you are travelling.
Cleaning fuzzy dice
If you have a pair that has hung in the sun for years, they are probably faded and dusty. Most can be hand-washed in lukewarm water with a little mild detergent, squeezed gently and air-dried; check the label first. Never put them back while damp, or the car will smell musty for weeks.
The rest of the lucky-charm family
Fuzzy dice share the mirror with a long list of charms: horseshoes, religious medallions, rosaries, little cards and tiny slot machines. Whatever you hang, the same advice applies. Keep the view clear, and do not rely on the dice for anything a good set of tires and brakes should be doing. If you are planning a drive to a casino town with a lucky charm on board, our Vegas road trip checklist covers the parts of the car that luck cannot.
