The “Round Tuit” predates both Tom Hopkins and Zig Ziglar. It’s an old American pun and novelty item built around the phrase:
“I’ll do it when I get around to it.”
Someone eventually turned “around to it” into a literal round tuit — usually a coin, wooden token, or medallion handed to procrastinators as a joke motivation tool.
Earliest Known Origins
The exact creator is unknown, but documented uses go back at least to the 1960s and likely earlier in folk humor and sales culture.
Some notable references:
- The phrase/object appeared publicly by the 1964 World’s Fair according to etymology references.
- Newspaper advertisements using “Round Tuit” appear in the early 1970s.
- It became popular in:
- sales training
- motivational speaking
- church groups
- office humor
- self-help seminars
Zig Ziglar’s Role
Zig Ziglar did not invent the Round Tuit, but he became one of the most famous promoters of it.
He frequently:
- carried wooden “Round Tuit” coins
- handed them out during seminars
- used them as a metaphor against procrastination
His 2003 book See You at the Top references it directly.
A common Ziglar line was essentially:
“Now that you’ve got a Round Tuit, you have no excuse.”
Tom Hopkins
Tom Hopkins also used the concept heavily in sales training culture during the 1970s–1990s, especially:
- follow-up discipline
- daily activity systems
- overcoming procrastination
But there’s no strong evidence he originated it either. He inherited it from broader motivational/sales folklore already circulating.
Most Likely Historical Path
The concept probably evolved like this:
- Common idiom:
“I’ll get around to it.” - Joke reinterpretation:
“round tuit” - Novelty coins/tokens created in office & sales culture
- Popularized nationally by:
- Zig Ziglar
- Tom Hopkins
- church speakers
- sales trainers
- corporate seminar companies
Why It Became So Popular
The Round Tuit worked because it combined:
- humor
- accountability
- a physical reminder
- inexpensive giveaway marketing
Which is exactly why it became common in:
- sales seminars
- fundraising
- motivational products
- corporate swag
- church/community campaigns
Ironically, your recycled plastic fundraising coin idea is spiritually very close to the original use case — tangible motivational tokens with meaning and humor attached.