Joe Colombo was an Italian industrial designer (1930–1971) with a prolific though short professional career. Originally a painter, Colombo had an obligation to take over the family company in 1959, which produced electrical appliances. It was then that Colombo began to experiment with new ways of construction and new technologies in production. Colombo would go on to design products for brands like Kartell, Alessi and Flexform.

In 1999, B—Line's founder, Giorgio Bordin sought to remanufacture a number of classic iconic pieces including numerous designs from Job Colombo such as the Boby trolley. Thanks to B—Line's restoration efforts, the Boby trolley continues to live on today.