The Iconic "Hula Girl"

The average American spends roughly 600 hours in their car in a year. Over the average lifespan that equals out to be roughly 5 years of their life spent in a car. Yes, we love our cars in America. We also value individualism. From the first model T, it didn't take long for people to start personalizing their automobiles. Placing a stationary object on the dashboard on one's car has been a popular way to do just that; set their car apart from all other cars on the road. Dashboard decorations have been a popular trend for generations; while, perhaps not as common today as in the past. Some decorations have become more popular than others; flags, bobblehead cats & dogs, cartoon figures; but none quite as famous as the "hula girl"

The iconic "hula girl" is probably the most popular and beloved car decoration of all time. The dancing "hula girl" has entertained vehicle passengers with her wiggling hips for decades, but where did her story begin?

Onstar article, July 30, 2012

According to retroplanet.com(http://www.retroplanet.com/), an online purveyor of anything retro, the Hula Girl Dashboard Doll was created in the 1950s. The influx of American soldiers into Hawaii during World War II as well as visiting tourists after the war helped make this spring-loaded beauty one of the most popular souvenirs of all time. In fact, the dancing dashboard doll was in such demand that factories in Japan capitalized on the craze and began producing them in bulk.

The Hula girl had been a symbol for Hawaii ever since the islands became a popular tourist destination in the early 1900s, and visitors brought the dolls home for souvenirs and gifts. During the 1920s and ‘30s, the earliest hula dolls were made of bisque or redware, a clay material. They were hand-painted and decorated with grass skirts and flower-patterned halters or leis made of cloth flowers.

California surfers and beach-goers were the first to adopt the dashboard Hula Girl fad en masse, helping to make the dancing doll officially a part of American pop culture.

The original dashboard Hula Girl had a hole in the bottom where a magnet could be inserted so she could be attached to the then-metal car dashboards. The doll was made of plastic and had springs in her legs so she could wiggle her hips as the car moved. She was made in different sizes and versions, with the ukulele pose and hands-in-her-hair the most common.

Source: Onstar

Customize your next vehicle. At Ferguson Buick GMC we have a huge selection of new GMC and used GMCs,  new Buicks and  used Buicks,  Pre-owned Certified GM Vehicles, and much more; all with nothing sitting on their dash, just waiting for a decoration of their own!