Joan Anderson, the woman who introduced the hula hoop to the United States and gave it its iconic name, died last month at age 101.
Anderson’s daughter, Loralyn Willis, confirmed her death to NBC News on Friday and said her mother passed away on July 14 at a nursing home in Carlsbad, California.
Anderson’s story was largely unknown until the 2018 documentary “Hula Girl,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Filmmakers Chris Riess and Amy Hill brought her story to light after Hill’s mother overheard it in a restaurant.
Born Joan Constance Manning on Dec. 28, 1923, in Sydney, Australia, she met her husband, U.S. pilot Wayne Anderson, at Bondi Beach in 1946. They married four months later, moved to the U.S. and eventually settled in Hollywood, where Joan worked as a model, according to a biography on a website for “Hula Girl.”
While visiting family in Australia in the 1950s, Anderson noticed a toy hoop craze sweeping the country. Curious, she asked her mother to send her one. When it arrived, even the deliveryman questioned why it had come so far. According to the documentary, Joan and Wayne played with it for months before showing it to friends. At a dinner party, someone commented that it looked like doing the hula, to which Joan replied, “There’s the name — hula hoop.”
The couple introduced the hoop to Arthur “Spud” Melin, the co-founder of Wham-O. The meeting was informal — no paperwork, just a handshake, according to Anderson.
“We were very naive,” Anderson said in “Hula Girl.” Wham-O went on to make millions. The Andersons sued and settled in 1961 for under $6,000 after legal fees.
“They never acknowledged who gave them the hula hoop,” Anderson said in the film. “I think that bugged me more than anything.”
Despite the outcome, Anderson and her husband used the settlement money to start a successful manufacturing business.
“We let it go and just went on with our lives.” Anderson said in “Hula Girl.” “Why be angry with something you can’t change.”
Hill, the filmmaker who co-directed “Hula Girl,” said Anderson’s story resonated far beyond the toy’s origin.
“We use the word ‘revenge’ because she says that in the film,” Hill said, referring to a moment in the film when Anderson said happiness is the best revenge. “But it’s more than that. It’s just a life well lived. It’s living your best life in spite of a setback.”
Anderson is survived by her daughter, two sons and six grandchildren.
