Resusci Anne

Puke Ariki has rescued a world famous life saver from a suburban New Plymouth cupboard! This battered Resusci Anne mannequin, which is an early model from 1962 or 1963, was originally designed for use in CPR training by Asmund Laerdal of Norway. Laerdal's company, which was a pioneer toy-maker of soft plastic dolls and other toys in the 1950s, first produced the mannequin with the lifelike face in 1960 with the intention of creating a life size training aid to motivate students to learn the newly developed technique of CPR.

The mannequins were designed to closely resemble an unconscious person and were fitted with airways that could be obstructed and cleared, a head that could be turned and a chest that that could move with inflation. It was also designed carefully to make people more comfortable while learning the necessary skills. A female face was used as men would not be seen giving mouth to mouth to a male and the mannequin was dressed in a sporty tracksuit. Rususci Anne proved to be a huge success and became a popular training tool for modern CPR. Laerdal Medical now operates internationally selling a range of medical training products and equipment.