Susan Olivia Poole (1889–1975) was an

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Canadian

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

. She invented the Jolly Jumper, a

baby jumper A baby jumper is a device that can be used by infants to exercise and play in. The original baby jumper consists of a hoop suspended by an elastic strap. More elaborate baby jumpers have a base made of hard plastic sitting in a frame and a suspended ...

, in 1910, but it was not until 1948 that they were produced for the retail market. They are manufactured in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. By 1957, the Jolly Jumper was

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

ed.

Early life

Born in 1889 in Devil's Lake,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, Poole grew up in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

at the

White Earth Indian Reservation The White Earth Indian Reservation ( oj, Gaa-waabaabiganikaag, "Where there is an abundance of white clay") is the home to the White Earth Band, located in northwestern Minnesota. It is the largest Indian reservation in the state by land area. T ...

. She was part

Ojibway The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

or Chippewa. At a young age, she observed how women would strap babies to

cradle boards Cradleboards (, se, gietkka, sms, ǩiõtkâm, smn, kietkâm, sje, gietkam) are traditional protective baby-carriers used by many indigenous cultures in North America and throughout northern Scandinavia amongst the Sámi. There are a variety o ...

, a practice called "papoose". While working in the fields, she also observed how mothers would hang their papooses on tree branches, using leather straps, as a medium for a soft bouncing motion.

Education

Poole was a very talented

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. She studied music at

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada's Brandon College.

Personal life

Poole married and had seven children, the first a boy named Joseph. After his birth, she began putting a swing together that resembled the practice she remembered as a young girl. After her invention, she moved to

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

with her husband in 1942.

Invention

Poole used a broom handle and cloth diaper in her first attempts at creating the swing that is now known as "The Jolly Jumper". The broom handle was used as a suspension bar and the diaper for a harness. By the early 1950s, her family convinced her to take the swing commercially. She was awarded a patent in 1957, with the help of her son Joseph. She was one of the first Indigenous Canadian women to be awarded a patent. She later established Poole Manufacturing Co., Ltd, which she sold in the 1960s.

Later years

Poole died at the age of 86 on October 10, 1975, in

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

, Capital Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. She is buried at Royal Oak Burial Park Cemetery in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Capital Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. Her invention is still being sold today. There are over 200 items manufactured under the Jolly Jumper name, including potty trainers, baby accessories, car seats, etc.

References

External links

* Dubé, D. (June 29, 2017). How one Canadian woman changed the parenting game with this baby invention. Retrieved April 2, 2019, from * MIT Program. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2019, from https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/olivia-poole * Passport 2017. (October 19, 2017). Retrieved April 2, 2019, from https://passport2017.ca/articles/shout-susan-olivia-poole {{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Olivia 1889 births 1975 deaths People from Minnesota Canadian inventors 20th-century American inventors American emigrants to Canada