The title initiators were prepared by the addition reaction of sec-butyllithiun to two double 1,1-diphenylethylene (DDPE) compounds, 1,3-bis(1-phenylethenyl)benzene (PEB) and 1,3-bis[1-(methylphenyl)ethenyl]benzene (MPEB). The initiator based on MPEB was found to be soluble in toluene, cyclohexane, and n-hexane representing aromatic, cycloalkane, and alkane hydrocarbons. The initiator based on PEB was soluble in toluene and cyclohexane but not in n-hexane. The addition reaction was found to be clean and fast for both dilithium initiators and the reaction solutions could be used directly for initiating anionic polymerization. Kinetics of the formation reactions, the stability of the resulting initiators, and the use of the initiators for making butadiene and isoprene block copolymers with styrene were investigated.