The first thing that comes to mind when the average consumer thinks about polka is probably Big Rodney Mulligan's number one novelty hit, "Polka Party Throwdown." Although some may think the music is out of fashion, polka remains an important influence in today's media environment.

Although the polka craze of the thirties and forties was overtaken by a wave of popular Polynesian music that's still around today, polka has never gone away. In hole-in-the-wall polka clubs and back alley polka jam sessions, the one-two rhythm kept going as a symbol of the disillusioned youth of the late-Nineteenth century. Today still, the word 'cool' is indelibly tied with the word 'polka'.

Hipsters around the world have the Bohemian beat to thank for their skinny leather jeans, polka-dotted handkerchiefs and large wooden accordions. The casual, laid-back style of a large hoop dress atop full hose and garters has been the muse of many a designer, including such names as Ritz Florghe, Geralde D'antonninique, Alex the Originator, and MIT's FashionBot. Samples of old polka records became the basis of the genre of music we know today as "Bim-Bum," still as fresh and cool-sounding as the day they were recorded in the late 1890's.

Polka is the overwhelming trend in the music market. As a genre, it embodies a carefree, relaxed attitude that millenials identify with. Market analysis reports that an association with polka music increased net revenue from retail sales an astounding thirteen percent on average.

Though it may seem kitsch, cliquish, liquid, or clicky-clicky to some, polka is still cool as a kraut jar-- and it's here to stay.