SOLANA BEACH (KGTV) — Joan Anderson, the woman who coined the name "Hula Hoop" and helped bring the iconic ring to America, has died at the age of 101 in her San Diego senior home.
"It was an end to an era," said Loralyn Willis, Anderson's daughter, who wants the world to remember her mother as the woman who put a spin on the joys of childhood.
Anderson lived a vibrant life that matched the energy of the hoop she helped name. She grew up as a model in Australia, and after meeting her husband, she moved to the United States. Even in her later years, Willis said she remained adventurous.
"She was willing to try everything. I took her on a parachute behind a boat when she was 92," Willis said.
Anderson helped launch one of the most recognizable toys in American history, though she never received proper recognition or compensation for her contribution.
However, in 2018, Anderson's story finally came full circle in the documentary by Chris Riess and Amy Hill called "Hula Girl."
The short documentary set the record straight on how Anderson was responsible for introducing the United States to the hoop.
In the film, Anderson explains how she discovered the hoop during a visit home to Australia. She saw how happy it made everyone, and when she returned stateside, she asked her mother to mail her a hoop.
There's another moment in the documentary where Anderson explains how she came up with the name, 'Hula Hoop', when a man saw her hooping and said she looked like a hula girl dancing.
"And I said, there's the name Hula Hoop, and it was born," Anderson explained in the film.
Then, according to Anderson in the documentary, she and her husband scheduled a meeting one day to introduce the hula hoop to toy giant Wham-O .
The Anderson's met with co-founder Arthur 'Spud' Melin in a parking lot one day in the 1950s for a preliminary conversation, and in what she described as a 'handshake' deal, Anderson said Melin verbally promised to pay them out if the hula hoop took off, which it did.
However, the credit and compensation never came.
"We were very naive as far as doing business," Anderson said in the documentary.
The documentary went on to win nominations and awards at multiple film festivals, and Anderson finally got her spotlight when she toured for the documentary.
Willis reflected on the injustice her mother faced decades ago: "What always bothered me was she never got the recognition for being the one to bring so much happiness to the world."
Despite the missed fortune and fame, Willis said her mother never let bitterness take hold.
"She didn't let it ruin her life," Willis said. She went on to live a long, full life."
Anderson spent her final years in a San Diego senior home. Willis said her mother died peacefully, with all her children around her holding her hand.
Willis said her mother's friends and staff knew her in her final days as the 'Hula Girl'. However, Willis said she will remember her mother through a different symbol: an orange butterfly.
"I had always told her, 'When you pass, I want you to send me a sign that you made it to the other side.' The next day I called her up and said, 'I know what you can send me and she said what? I said, an orange butterfly, just send me orange butterflies," Willis said.
Loralyn said on the day her mother passed, which was July 14, 2025, she saw the sign she asked for.
"When I came into the entrance of the driveway, an orange butterfly flew right across my windshield, and I knew it was her," Willis said.
