The First Openly Gay Doll (for everyone) Was a Trailblazer Toy
Contents:
- WHAT ABOUT GAY BOB?
- THE STORY BEHD GAY BOB, THE WORLD’S FIRST OUT-AND-PROUD DOLL
- MEET GAY BOB, THE 1977 DOLL THAT URGED PEOPLE TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET
- HOW GAY BOB, THE WORLD’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DOLL, CAME TO BE
- OUT AND PROUD: GAY BOB DOLLS AND THEIR PLACE HISTORY
WHAT ABOUT GAY BOB?
* what's a 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:.
THE STORY BEHD GAY BOB, THE WORLD’S FIRST OUT-AND-PROUD DOLL
In 1977, the world's first gay doll was lnched. And to play wh him, you had to lerally take him out of his closet. * what's a gay bob *
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. Rosenberg put $10, 000 of his own money to gettg Gay Bob manufactured through his pany, Gizmo Development.
MEET GAY BOB, THE 1977 DOLL THAT URGED PEOPLE TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET
In 1977, Gay Bob, “The World’s First Openly Gay Doll”, h store shelv. The 13-ch plastic doll was cheekily signed to look like a batn of Robert Redford and Pl Newman and was as much a totem of gay pri as he was a lculated parry agast the strik of anti-gay activism * what's a gay bob *
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. While Rosenberg did not intify as gay, he stated that he had created the doll to liberate men om tradnal sexual rol. 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.
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.
HOW GAY BOB, THE WORLD’S FIRST OPENLY GAY DOLL, CAME TO BE
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.
OUT AND PROUD: GAY BOB DOLLS AND THEIR PLACE HISTORY
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. ” 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!
When Gay Bob was removed om the slidg se packagg, he was, effect, g out of the closet. 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 .