The world of toy history lost one of its most pivotal, yet unsung, figures with the passing of Joan Anderson at the age of 101. Anderson, who "coined the name for the hula hoop," died on "14 July at a nursing home in Carlsbad, California," leaving behind a legacy that shaped a global sensation, despite her role remaining largely uncredited for decades.
Born as "Joan Constance Manning in Sydney on 28 December 1923," Anderson initially worked as a "swimsuit model" before meeting and marrying "Wayne Anderson, a US Army pilot." It was during a visit to her native Australia from her home in the US that she stumbled upon a burgeoning craze. She was "visiting her native Australia" when she "spotted groups of people swivelling wooden hoops around their waists," a sight that left her "so mesmerised" that she arranged to have one of the "strange new toys shipped to the US."
Her pivotal moment came upon her return to America. The 2018 documentary Hula Girl retold Ms. Anderson's story, detailing how she "dubbing it the hula hoop after the hip-swivelling Hawaiian dance." With her husband, she presented the toy to the "boss of American toy conglomerate Wham-O" in the "early 1960s." Recounting the moment for documentary makers, Ms. Anderson said, "We told him, 'we've called it the hula hoop'." In a handshake deal that would echo for decades, the boss responded: "'looks like it has some merit, if it makes money for us, it's going to make money for you'."
The hula hoop "went on to sell millions and become a global sensation," but the promised recognition and prosperity never materialized. Ms. Anderson shared that the firm's boss "kept putting us' off," leading the couple to file a lawsuit. The legal battle resulted in a "modest financial settlement - but crucially, no formal recognition of their role in its rise." Her frustration was compounded by later accounts of the toy's invention that mentioned only an "Australian friend" bringing an early version to the US. In a poignant moment in the documentary, she confessed, "I think that bugged me more than anything. It was never reported correctly at all. I was not a 'friend'."
Joan Anderson's family said she lived "a wonderful life." She is survived by "two sons, a daughter and six grandchildren." Her legacy is a testament to the unheralded innovators whose ideas shape culture but whose contributions often go unnoticed.
