The bounce home has long been such a pillar of birthday celebrations, fundraisers and carnivals that it probably rarely strikes the majority of people to question where they came from in the first place.
Whether created as dream castles, pet houses or the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, bounce homes are something you anticipate to see at celebrations where there will be kids.
Naturally, it wasn't always that way. Fittingly, considering just how much happiness they have actually brought children, bounce houses came into being through a happy accident.
John Scurlock, an engineer from Center, Texas, who graduated from Texas A&M University, resided in New Orleans, La. A World War II veteran, he worked developing items for the oil and gas market and NASA. It was his deal with the latter that resulted in the bounce house.
While dealing with plastic products, he became thinking about the numerous innovative possibilities. He began a project in 1959 to develop a cushioned cover for tennis courts, however while designing a model he took place to see his workers utilizing the covers to jump up and down on throughout a break.
These fun-loving employees were the first to understand the basic delight of bounce houses.
They weren't called bounce houses, then. They weren't even a "home" as the earliest variations had no walls.
Interestingly, Scurlock also developed the large air cushion used by rescue teams to securely capture people falling from structures. This same creation is likewise utilized by Hollywood stuntmen.
Inflatable Bounce Houses Take Off
John Scurlock's child, Frank, is credited with broadening his moms and dads' company nationwide, using the company's inflatables for lease. (In the late 1980s, he expanded into inflatable play parks, which likewise have actually ended up being extremely popular.).
The first inflatables were without walls, just the air cushion. Later, in the 1960s, walls were added, however that likewise caused the inflatable to become hot. In 1974, cushioned, inflatable columns were included. These columns supported side walls made of netting, making the houses much cooler.
By the 1970s, customers could order a "Moon Walk"-- basically an enclosed, inflatable, trampoline-- from Neiman Marcus.
Current Bounce Houses
Some innovations take time for the general public to want, some remove right away. Bounce houses definitely fall in the latter category. Just a years after Scurlock had his concept, you could purchase one from a brochure. By the 1990s, bounce homes were starting to appear at celebrations everywhere. With the heat issue solved and safety issues resolved, bounce homes were ending up being the go-to leasing for parties where kids are present.
Seeing a business opportunity, numerous business owners opened inflatable leasings business. It likewise is a service that brings in imaginative minds. Over the years, the style of the bounce homes has actually become a growing number of intricate. Some have actually painted styles that are thematic, including animal themes and superhero themes.
They've been coupled with other concepts also. Some now included slides, for example, or tunnels and tubes. And inflatables themselves have broadened to include barrier courses, big slides and climbing walls.
The next time you and your kids are enjoying this celebration staple, remember how it all began: by a brilliant engineer who liked inventing and a group of workers who found a way to take pleasure in a break from work.
With that type of history, no surprise bounce houses are so much enjoyable.
About Party Go Round
Party Go Round is proud to provide Greater Cincinnati's best selection of bounce house rentals, water slides, obstacle courses, interactive games, tents, tables and more. Let us take the click here to visit website stress and worry out of your next event. With our convenient online booking system, it's a breeze to book your next birthday party, school field day or corporate function. Inflatables & party rentals is what we do, and nobody does it better than Party Go Round.
For more information about Party Go Round, contact the company here:
Party Go Round
Ian Mathieu
3721 Homewood Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45227
(513) 391-4719