If you are like me, packages seemingly arrived every day as the holidays approached. Excitedly, I opened the boxes and tried to remember which gift was wrapped in the rolls of air-filled plastic bubbles. If you still have this delightful, pop-worthy plastic, grab a handful to share with your children! Let’s celebrate the irresistible, pop-able, BUBBLE WRAP®!

In 1957, the inventors were eager to produce a new type of wallpaper and created this by accident. Envisioning a textured, easy-to-clean wallpaper, engineer Alfred W. Fielding and chemist, Marc Chavannes, designed a machine they hoped would make plastic wallpaper with a paper backing. If children are unfamiliar with the concept of texture, introduce different textures using common household items, like fuzzy blankets, playdough, or sandpaper. (Need more ideas? Modern Mom offers fun suggestions). Unfortunately, the machine did not work as planned. Instead of creating textured, plastic wallpaper, it made sheets of plastic with small air bubbles in the middle! The inventors tried to sell this new wallpaper, but no one was interested. Brainstorming, they decided to try and sell it as greenhouse insulation. Still, no one was interested. Ironically, today, BUBBLE WRAP is widely used as an inexpensive insulation for greenhouses! Interested in learning how to insulate with BUBBLE WRAP? Check out Grow Paradise’s quick tutorial.

For the next couple of years, they tried unsuccessfully to market their product. The story goes that in 1960, Swiss chemist, Marc Chavannes was on a bumpy flight to Newark, NJ. As the plane descended, he felt cushioned by the air and had an “AHA!” moment. What if they marketed the air-filled plastic sheets to protect items for storage or shipping? The inventors patented this idea and created a new company called Sealed Air® to produce and sell this unique packaging material. (Yes! BUBBLE WRAP® is a trademarked name!). The idea seemed risky. After World War II, families chose to move away from congested cities and suburban America was born. With an increased population now away from city centers, a family car for transportation became a necessity, and shopping centers or malls were built. Why did this matter? Families no longer relied as much on catalogs (with home deliveries) or door-to-door salesmen to purchase non-perishable items like clothes, toys, and vacuum cleaners! Families only needed to travel across town to the local shopping center to find what they needed. Learn more about the Building of Suburbia at EDSITEment!

With people shopping more at local stores, how were Mr. Fielding and Mr. Chavannes able to sell this new packing material? We have their first customer to thank for their success! IBM® was a leading computer manufacturer. The first to revolutionize business computers and create an affordable, general-use computer (the IBM 1401), IBM experienced fast growth by renting the unit for a mere $2500 per month in 1959 (the equivalent of $24,000 in 2021). The Computer History Museum’s 1401: The New Dawn of a New Era is a fascinating look at this historical moment. BUBBLE WRAP successfully protected these large computers, so other companies began embracing this new way to protect packages.

Before BUBBLE WRAP, shipments were protected with crinkled up newspaper, which didn’t offer much protection and was messy. The newspaper ink would rub off during transit and make items and hands dirty. As BUBBLE WRAP became more popular, the Sealed Air Company tried different shapes and sizes, as well as assorted strengths and thicknesses. This led to other companies finding practical uses for the protective, air-filled plastic, and more importantly, introduced more children (and adults) to the joy of popping air-filled pockets!

Before popping the rest of your BUBBLE WRAP®, take time to watch How BUBBLE WRAP is Made by Sealed Air. Save a few of those sheets of bubbles to check out Education.com’s BUBBLE WRAP test! Unleash your imagination. What would you like to make with BUBBLE WRAP? Create art projects, hopscotch, or make a runway; the ideas are endless! If you are curious to know what would happen to BUBBLE WRAP in the microwave, the Mad Russian Scientist has a video just for you!

Stay curious, my friends! ~ Deanne