Gay Bob: The Man, the Myth, the Legendary Gay Doll

The ’70s were a wild time. Disco thumped in the clubs, androgynous rock stars challenged gender norms, and voguers threw shade on the ballroom floor. 

And toward the end of the decade, a queer star was born: a 13-inch plastic doll named Gay Bob.

If you’re picturing a scaled-down version of a bare-chested Ryan Gosling in a fabulous mink, think again: Gosling’s straight but queer-coded Ken was leagues campier than Gay Bob.

So what did the Gay Bob doll look like — and where does he fit in the Gay Icon Hall of Fame? Let’s find out.

How the Gay Bob doll came to bless the world

First things first: Gay Bob wasn’t the first gay Barbie doll. That was Earring Magic Ken, who came out (literally and maybe figuratively) in 1993. 

Earring Magic Ken wasn’t marketed as an openly gay Barbie. However, his mesh tank, pierced ear (it was the early ’90s, don’t forget), and suspiciously cock-ring-esque pendant necklace were enough to make even the most sheltered small-town grandmother’s gaydar blare like an air raid siren right before the glitter bomb drops. 

So if Gay Bob hit the shelves in 1977, why wouldn’t we call him the first gay Barbie? Because Gay Bob wasn’t part of the Barbie product line. In fact, the world’s first openly gay doll was made by someone with absolutely zero ties to Mattel. 

Who made Gay Bob, and why?

Gay Bob was the brainchild of Harvey Rosenberg, an ad exec-cum-entrepreneur with a knack for pushing the envelope (and conservative people’s buttons). Rosenberg wasn’t gay (or so he said). But he used $10,000 of his own money to fund the first production run of Gay Bob dolls to challenge the mainstream’s fixation on conformity and gender norms. 

The doll was created for gay people and straight people alike, according to Rosenberg. Instead of existing to serve as a queer icon, Gay Bob was designed to celebrate anyone with the courage to “come out of the closet” and be their authentic self — judgment be damned.

What did Gay Bob look like?

We know what you’re really wondering: Was the Gay Bob doll anatomically correct? But we think edging is pretty hot, so we’re going to drag this out a bit.

Harvey Rosenberg’s vision for Gay Bob was a cross between Robert Redford and Paul Newman (one’s almost 90 and the other’s dead, but trust us — those two could get it in their prime). And honestly? Rosenberg kinda nailed it. With sandy-blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and the sun-baked skin of a man who works outside with his calloused hands, Gay Bob was the leading man all the ’70s guys wanted to be (and take to bed).

Before we undress him with our words, we have to tell you what clothes this hunky little doll was wearing: a plaid flannel shirt, cuffed blue jeans, cowboy boots, and two pieces of jewelry — a gold chain necklace and a single blue earring.

Hot, right? Now it’s finally time to talk about his package.

Oh, sorry. Not that package. But it’s worth the wait because the box our little cowboy came in was made to look like a closet. Like, an actual closet. Which means that unless you’re one of those monsters who buys toys and refuses to unbox them, playtime required Gay Bob to come out of the closet over and over and over again.

Was Gay Bob’s body anatomically correct?

Alright, we’ve tortured you long enough. Another key difference between Earring Magic Ken and his cowboy counterpart is that the former had the classic Mattel anti-genitalia, whereas the latter’s crotch was utterly, beautifully, anatomically correct.

What we’re saying is the Gay Bob doll was hung like a horse. His wood would undoubtedly make you say, “Would.”

How the world responded to Gay Bob

By the 1970s, the Gay Rights Movement was in full swing. But anti-gay sentiments were still going strong, and Gay Bob’s emergence from the closet sparked reactions running the gamut from applause to outrage.

Some praised Rosenberg’s audacity, seeing Gay Bob as a groundbreaking step toward LGBTQ visibility. Others clutched their pearls, even though the doll was only sold in gay magazines and a handful of specialty stores.

Still, the toy made a splash, and Gay Bob quickly became a quirky underground icon, challenging people to question their beliefs on gender, sexuality, and identity. For many, Rosenberg’s creation represented a rare spark of queerness in a culture that seemed to get off on shunning homosexuality.

Gay Bob’s place in modern LGBTQ culture 

Some critics question whether Gay Bob was an authentic attempt at representation or just a savvy cash grab from a man who wasn’t even part of the LGBTQ community. Was Rosenberg truly an ally, or was he just another money-hungry businessman capitalizing on the early days of the gay market?

It’s possible Rosenberg was just doing the 1970s version of the rainbow-colored Target collection that always pops up around Pride. But whatever his motives, there’s something special about a gay doll unapologetically launched at a time when gay people were thirsty for queer-inclusive media and merchandise. More than anything, Gay Bob stands as both a campy relic and a groundbreaking milestone in LGBTQ history. 

You’ll find plenty of gay dolls on the market today, but no queer-oriented toy will ever be as novel and revolutionary as Gay Bob. We’ll never lose our fondness for that well-endowed little cowboy who dared to kick open the closet door long before his time.