The Story Behd Gay Bob, the World's First Out-And-Proud Doll - Atlas Obscura

Contents:

• WHAT ABOUT GAY BOB?
• GAY BOB
• MEET GAY BOB, THE 1977 DOLL THAT URGED PEOPLE TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET
• 1977 ORIGAL GAY BOB DOLL - RARE - ANATOMILLY RRECT
• THE STORY BEHD GAY BOB, THE WORLD’S FIRST OUT-AND-PROUD DOLL
• GAYBOB
• BEG GAY WAS THE GRAVT S WASHGTON
• THE PROFSNAL ATHLETE WHO CAME OUT AS A GAY MAN— 1989

WHAT ABOUT GAY BOB?

Thirteen ch tall and plastic, Gay Bob was marketed as the first openly gay doll and ma his retail but mail-orr talogs. Gay Bob's packagg proudly (and wordily) explaed what “g out of the closet” meant:. At face value, Gay Bob’s msage about the mers of g out seems earnt, pog the valu of urage, honty, and livg thentilly; however, the brandg and sign of the Gay Bob doll are brash.

GAY BOB

Rosenberg put $10, 000 of his own money to gettg Gay Bob manufactured through his pany, Gizmo Development. We had somethg to learn om the gay movement, jt like we did om the black civil rights movement, and the women’s movement and that is havg the urage to stand up and say, ‘I have a right to be what I am.

MEET GAY BOB, THE 1977 DOLL THAT URGED PEOPLE TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET

While Rosenberg did not intify as gay, he stated that he had created the doll to liberate men om tradnal sexual rol.

1977 ORIGAL GAY BOB DOLL - RARE - ANATOMILLY RRECT

Acrdg to Rosenberg, regardls of a person’s sexualy, Gay Bob uld serve as an example for havg the urage to “e out of the closet” and be your te, thentic self.

THE STORY BEHD GAY BOB, THE WORLD’S FIRST OUT-AND-PROUD DOLL

Durg a prs blz for the doll’s release, Rosenberg also dited that Gay Bob was a spoof of other “amorpho, sexls dolls, ” which was undoubtedly a reference to Mattel’s KenTM and BarbieTM. He had plans to release addnal dolls that would have ma up the rt of Gay Bob’s fay (a mother, father, and two brothers); however, the other dolls were never produced. Gay Bob dolls were sold via mail-orr advertisements gay magaz and a few boutique shops New York Cy and San Francis.

Consequently, ten thoand more dolls were produced, and Gay Bob was btowed wh Esquire magaze's "Dub Achievement Award" 1978. A handsome and mascule doll, Gay Bob had a short feathery blon crew cut and was signed to look like a cross between Pl Newman and Robert Redford.

He had a preprogrammed voice rerdg that played the earnt msage, “Gay people are no different than straight people… if everyone me ‘out of their closets, ’ there wouldn’t be so many angry, trated, ightened people.

GAYBOB

” This reerated msagg om his fashn talog that fed “g out of the closet” as what uld be scribed as Gay Bob’s manifto—be urageo by g out of your closet and livg hontly, like Gay Bob!

BEG GAY WAS THE GRAVT S WASHGTON

Perhaps most notably the sign of Gay Bob is that he has anatomilly rrect genals. When Gay Bob was removed om the slidg se packagg, he was, effect, g out of the closet.

THE PROFSNAL ATHLETE WHO CAME OUT AS A GAY MAN— 1989

Gay Bob was, acrdg to Rosenberg himself, a “cheaply” ma doll, packaged cleverly.

But Gay Bob was more than jt clever packagg; he also promoted the ia that g out of the closet, beg open and hont wh the people your life, was a powerful and urageo act.

“It’s a real giggle and kd of fun, ” said Bce Voeller, executive director of the Natnal Gay Task Force said at the time, “I thk we should al wh lightly and enjoy . Gay Bob entered the world 1977 after the Stonewall Rt took place New York Cy 1969. Many nsir Stonewall, a New York Cy uprisg to prottg police harassment at the Stonewall Inn, as the start of the Gay Rights movement the Uned Stat.