The bounce house has actually long been such an essential of birthday parties, fundraisers and carnivals that it most likely rarely strikes most people to question where they originated from in the first place.
Whether developed as fantasy castles, dog homes or the undersea kingdom of Atlantis, bounce houses are something you expect to see at celebrations where there will be kids.
Obviously, it wasn't always that way. Fittingly, considering just how much happiness they have actually brought kids, bounce houses entered into being through a happy accident.
John Scurlock, an engineer from Center, Texas, who finished from Texas A&M University, lived in New Orleans, La. A World War II veteran, he worked establishing products for the oil and gas industry and NASA. It was his deal with the latter that led to the bounce home.
While working with plastic products, he became interested in the numerous creative possibilities. He started a job in 1959 to establish a cushioned cover for tennis courts, but while designing a model he happened to see his staff members using the covers to jump up and down on throughout a break.
These fun-loving employees were the very first to understand the easy pleasure of bounce homes.
They weren't called bounce houses, then. They weren't even a "home" as the earliest versions had no walls. Scurlock and his spouse, Frances, established a company called Space Walk to produce his brand-new creation. Scurlock passed away in 2008 and, according to his obituary from the Lake Lawn Metairie funeral home near New Orleans, his innovation offered "remarkable pleasure to individuals throughout the world."
Interestingly, Scurlock also developed the large air cushion used by rescue teams to securely catch people falling from structures. This same development is likewise used by Hollywood stuntmen.
Inflatable Bounce Houses Take Off
John Scurlock's son, Frank, is credited with broadening his moms and dads' service nationwide, providing the company's inflatables for lease. (In the late 1980s, he expanded into inflatable play parks, which also have become extremely popular.).
The first inflatables were without walls, simply the air cushion. Later, in the 1960s, walls were added, but that likewise caused the inflatable to end up being hot. In 1974, cushioned, inflatable columns were included. These columns supported side walls made from netting, making your houses much cooler.
By the 1970s, consumers might purchase a "Moon Walk"-- essentially an enclosed, inflatable, trampoline-- from Neiman Marcus.
Existing Bounce Houses
Some developments require time for the general public to want, some take off immediately. Bounce homes absolutely fall in the latter classification. Simply a decade after Scurlock had his concept, you might purchase one from a catalog. By the 1990s, bounce houses were beginning to appear at celebrations everywhere. With the heat problem fixed and safety concerns resolved, bounce homes were ending up being the go-to rental for parties where kids exist.
Seeing an organisation chance, lots of entrepreneurs opened inflatable leasings companies. It likewise is a company that attracts innovative minds. For many years, the style of the bounce houses has actually ended up being increasingly more visit website elaborate. Some have painted designs that are thematic, consisting of animal themes and superhero themes.
They've been paired with other ideas also. Some now featured slides, for example, or tunnels and tubes. And inflatables themselves have broadened to include challenge courses, big slides and climbing up walls.
So the next time you and your kids are enjoying this party staple, remember how everything started: by a dazzling engineer who loved inventing and a group of workers who found a way to take pleasure in a break from work.
With that type of history, not surprising that bounce houses are so much fun.
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 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