The first Ski-Doo snowmobile was introduced to the public in 1959.
Joseph-Armand Bombardier developed the lightweight personal snowmobile in Quebec after earlier work on larger tracked vehicles. The compact machine was designed to give individuals a practical way to travel across snowy rural areas, especially where roads were unreliable or nonexistent.
The name itself has an unusual origin. Bombardier initially intended to call the vehicle “Ski-Dog,” reflecting its purpose as a replacement for dog sleds used by hunters and trappers. A lettering error changed the name to “Ski-Doo,” and Bombardier decided the accidental version was distinctive and easier to trademark.
The date is sometimes confused with earlier Bombardier models. The company had already built large enclosed snow vehicles, including the B-7 and B-12, but those were multipassenger work vehicles rather than the small recreational snowmobile associated with Ski-Doo. The 1959 launch helped establish the modern recreational snowmobile market.