who invented blow up dolls

The invention of blow-up dolls is generally attributed to 19th-century France during the rubber boom era. The first blow-up dolls appeared as "rubber women" in French rubber goods catalogs and were likely made from rubber or latex materials. However, the exact individual inventor is unknown, as such a taboo item was not publicly claimed by its creator. The concept of sex dolls existed even earlier in history, with some accounts dating back to the 17th century where sailors made sex dolls from fabric stuffed with sawdust or straw. A widely spread but false claim is that Adolf Hitler invented blow-up dolls during World War II to prevent soldiers from contracting sexually transmitted diseases. While there was a Nazi project reportedly exploring the idea, there is no evidence that the dolls made it to production or use, and sex dolls were already commercially known long before this period. In summary, blow-up dolls originated in 19th-century France, with no single inventor credited, and the Nazi-Hitler invention story is a disproven myth.