Joan Constance Manning Anderson

her story was largely unknown until the 2018 documentary “Hula Girl,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival

worked as a model after emigrating to the US with her American husband in 1946

discovered the hula hoop while visiting Australia in the 1956 & noticing it was very popular there

had her mother send her 1 of the hoops & she & her husband played with it for months before showing it to friends

at an informal meeting with Wham-O president Arthur “Spud” Melin they struck a deal with just a handshake

wham-O made millions from Hula Hoop & Anderson sued them & in 1961 settled for $6,000 after legal fees using the money to start a successful woodwork machine manufacturing business

continued to keep the original wooden hoop her mother sent her from Australia in her living room & when interviewed at age 94 claimed she still occasionally used it

her family remembers her as a remember her as a woman who didn’t let disappointment define her & who believed that happiness is the best revenge

the film "Hula Girl" is available on platforms like Amazon Prime

as a model worked with Marilyn Monroe

as a swimsuit model known as the “Pocket Venus” because she was 5 feet 2 inches tall

in 2016 Anderson’s daughter was recounting the story of her parents' involvement with the Hula Hoop to co-workers while dining at a restaurant in La Mesa, near San Diego when a woman at another table was eavesdropping; the woman the mother of Amy Hill, a filmmaker who subsequently the documentary Hula Girl with her husband Chris Riess

at her retirement home she became a formidable bridge player, swam weekly & took ballroom dancing lessons to stay fit