Here is a little known fact:

In the mid '80s one of the magazines published a silver gray '32 coupe Bonneville racer , with "trufire" flames. I tried to get people interested, but at that time the hobby was locked into bright colors and no graphics, or very simple graphics.

I also had this idea then for what I called "zeed flames". No takers, but about 15 years later, they surfaced, and exploded into popularity as "tribal flames".

Many things happen on a small scale, far before they become broadly popular. Usually a well done design, in publication, at a time that enthusiasts are open to change, is what triggers a fad.