Hoops have been used for play since 500 BCE. Originally made out of rattan, grapevines and stiff grasses, they were clearly present as a form of entertainment but in the late 1950’s when a newly minted American mother of four saw a bamboo hoop being used by friends in her native country of Australia, a fad was born.
Unfortunately, naiveté thwarted credit and monetary compensation and so what we know about the Hula Hoop, the true origin of its name and discovery was forever altered. Hula Girl is the true story of the “Aussie” “Australian friend” that brought the hoop and name to Wham-O in 1958. “”Friend” is hardly accurate and a 94-year old named Joan Anderson is finally able to set the record straight.