Banishing Bad Hair Days since 1997!™

When Did Bobby Pins First Arrive On The Hair Scene?

[caption id="attachment_626" align="alignleft" width="195" caption="Smoothie Blonde Bobby Pins In Blonde In HairBoutique.com Marketplace"]Smoothie Blonde Bobby Pins In Blonde In HairBoutique.com Marketplace

Question

Hi Karen,

I am curious.  When did the bobby pin first arrive on the hair scene? Specially I would like to know when the pin first appeared as a hair accessory.  Was it in the 1920s? Or did it come later?

Cheers Carole

Answer

Dear Carole,

Although bobby pins were very popular in the 20s, a form of bobby pins have been in existence since the beginning of human life.  Cave people created their own versions of a hair pin when they used branches fashioned as crude pins to hold hair in place.

Throughout history versions of the bobby pin have been documented although not necessarily called a “bobby” pin they were called hair pins or hair sticks or even hair grips (which they still use loosely in Europe).

The "bobby pin" came into wide use in the 1920s when the hairstyle known as the "bob cut" or "bobbed hair" took hold. The bobbed hair trend gained popularity in the 1920s, and the bobby pins kept the hot new hairstyle in place.

[caption id="attachment_627" align="alignright" width="139" caption="Conair Bobby Pins In Black In HairBoutique.com Marketplace"]Conair Bobby Pins In Black In HairBoutique.com Marketplace

Bob Lépine Corporation of Buffalo, New York

A trademark on the term "bobby pin" was held for some decades by Bob Lépine Corporation of Buffalo, New York.

A trademark infringement claim made by Bob Lépine against Procter & Gamble regarding their naming their home permanent product Bobbi was settled in the 1950s by a payment to Bob Lépine by P&G.

The term bobby pin is now in common usage and therefore is no longer a valid trademark. Similarly, the British "kirby grip" was derived from the trademark Kirbigrip, used by a Birmingham manufacturer of such pins, Kirby, Beard & Co. Ltd.

Best wishes,

Karen Marie  Shelton

AskKaren

By submitting your question, you grant full permission to HairBoutique.com to publish it. Due to the volume of mail we receive, Karen regrets that she cannot respond to every question personally.

To AskKaren a question, send an e-mail to: [email protected]

Social Media Network Information

Please follow us on Twitter at: https://Twitter.com/HairBoutique. I look forward to meeting new people from all walks of Twitter and learning from their Tweets.

loading
 
New On HairBoutique.com
Active HairTalk Threads
Wanna talk?
HairTalk® is the place for you!
Recent Topics:
Quick Poll
When styling your hair for the holidays, how do you prefer to flaunt your locks?
Up
Down
Half up, Half down
Curls & Waves
Straight
I never do holiday hair!
Daily Hair Tip
Give short hair tousled looks by scrunching or running fingers through wet hair as it air dries. Use blowdryer on low setting for faster results.
Top Gallery Images