Joan Anderson, who brought the hula hoop from Australia to the world, dies aged 101
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Joan Anderson, holding the original bamboo hoop she shipped over from Australia. (Supplied: Chris Riess and Amy Hill)
The Australian woman uncredited for her role in making the hula hoop an international sensation has died aged 101.
Joan Anderson was born in Sydney in December 1923, where she lived until 1946 before moving to Hollywood in the United States.
On a trip back to Australia 11 years later to visit family she noticed a fad that caught her eye.
Ms Anderson said a friend pointed out the movement looked like Hawaiian hula dancing. (Supplied: Chris Riess and Amy Hill)
"Everywhere I would go, everybody was giggling and carrying on and I asked what was going on?" she recounted.
She told her husband, Wayne Anderson, about it and her mother in Australia sent one to the US.
Showing the bamboo ring off to a friend, they observed it looked like she was "doing the hula" — and the name was cemented.
Pitch with a 'gentleman's handshake'
Anderson was the subject of short documentary Hula Girl in 2018, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and screened at Sydney Film Festival.
Joan Anderson moved from Sydney to California in 1946. (Supplied)
She said her husband had met toy businessman Arthur 'Spud' Melin at work and thought he would be interested in the hula hoop.
"We never even went to his office, we were outside of his building," Anderson said.
"There were no witnesses, just Spud, my husband and myself.
"We told him we've called it the hula hoop and he thought that was a great name for it."
Anderson said Melin told them he thought the toy had merit and was sealed with a "gentleman's handshake".
But the couple's claim to fame was never reached.
Wham-O co-founders Arthur "Spud" Melin (left) and Richard Knerr, who introduced the plastic hula hoop to the US, in 1959. (Getty: Ben Martin)
Melin went on to patent the hula hoop in 1958 through his company Wham-O, also known for Frisbees and the Slip 'N Slide.
He was credited for inventing and manufacturing the instantly popular hoop, which became a craze around the country with millions sold in the first two months alone.
"They just ignored us and totally cut us off," Anderson said, then aged 93.
"When you don't know a lot about business, you kind of trust somebody that you're turning it over to.
Anderson died aged 101. (Supplied: Chris Riess and Amy Hill)
She said the company initially did not acknowledge who gave them the hula hoop.
Earlier news reports cited an "Australian friend" who "casually mentioned" the bamboo ring to Melin, who then saw its true potential.
"I think that bugged me more than anything," she said.
In 1961, Anderson and her husband settled their lawsuit with the Wham-O Corporation, but after paying attorney's fees, were only left with under $US6,000.
"The world isn't fair but life goes on. You win some, you lose some."
Anderson was a model in Australia and the United States. (Supplied)
After moving to America, Anderson joined the Blue Book Agency at the Ambassador Hotel as a model, according to her biography.
"This is where I met Marilyn Monroe, who then was Norma Dougherty," she wrote.
"She was married to a policeman and had dark hair. We went on a few modelling jobs together."
She met her husband, an American P38 pilot, on Bondi Beach in 1946 before sailing out of Brisbane to Los Angeles that same year.
"My first trip away from home — and it was a big one," she said.
They had four children, and moved to Carlsbad in California for their retirement.
"My husband passed away in 2007 after 62 years of marriage," Anderson said.
"He was the love of my life and my soul mate ... I think he would be very proud of me."
In a statement announcing Anderson's death, her family said: "She had a wonderful life and died peacefully on July 14, 2025 with her family around her.
"She will be greatly missed."
Written by: Millie Roberts, ABC News.
