Inflatables are also referred to as bounce houses, jumping castles, bouncy castles, inflatable bouncers, moonwalks, spacewalks, party jumpers, inflatable rides, etc. Over time, more and more inflatable amusement devices have been developed in the industry, such as inflatable slides, inflatable obstacle courses, inflatable climbing walls and so on. If you are curious about who invented the inflatable and when did bounce houses became popular, you may want to read on to learn about the history of inflatables.
1.Who Invented the Inflatable Moonwalk?
The first inflatable structure was designed and invented in 1959 by John Scurlock in Shreveport, Louisiana. This American man was working the US government to create inflatable covers for tennis courts, swimming pools, and other enclosures. Then he noticed his employees enjoyed jumping on the covers. The loss and refilling of air made them bouncy and the employees kept flopping and jumping on them and having a great time.
Not only were they having fun, but it proved to be a pretty sturdy design that was safe for kids to play on. So John Scurlock decided to create a kid’s amusement bouncer and started the first inflatable moonwalk business – Space Walk. At the time, the devices were referred to as Moon Walks, although many different terms to describe them have come into use.
The mature design of the bouncy castle you see now is not something that was originally built. John Scurlock first started out with a large air mattress – Space Pillow. In 1967-1968, he decided to add walls. At that time, there were two inflatable fans, one for the mattress and one for the walls. The windows were made of solid clear plastic and were enclosed like a bubble. This caused the inside to get very hot in the summer. Big improvements came in 1974 when the “Jupiter Jump” was introduced. This was the first inflatable unit to support use of netting for the walls. This solved the issue of hot temperatures inside the inflatable. Juniper Jump was round and shaped like a liberty bell. And the rest is history.
2.The First Inflatable Rental Company
Scurlock didn’t enter the inflatable rental business at the beginning, he stuck to designing inflatable tents, signs and air cushions for the US government until a few years later. When people started calling to ask to use the inflatables, John Scurlock’s wife (Frances Scurlock) started renting them, and inevitably started the world’s first inflatable rental company in 1966. In 1969, she charged $19.95 for 24 hours.
This lasted for about ten years until 1976 when the couple built their own warehouse where they could manufacture and rent out inflatable party products. When the inflatable moonwalks debuted in American in the 1970s, they made headlines and have since made their way into the lives of families all over the world. Back in the early days, people bought inflatable moonwalks only for fairs and carnivals – the price was prohibitive. Festivals are now a secondary market and the home and event rental of moonwalks is the dominant use.
3.What are Bounce Houses Made of?
This is a great question, and it certainly plays into the overall history of inflatables. Originally, the inflatable moonwalks were made of strong PVC and vinyl or nylon. The first commercial inflatable to go up in an American shopping mall was basically a soft inflatable mattress that had no sides on it. Then added inflatable walls and the top, and then the inflatable walls were replaced with netting walls that supported by inflatable columns. This the bounce house construction you will most commonly see today
4.Other Types of Inflatables
After the initial design of inflatable jumping castle hit the markets in the 1970s and 80s, party rental companies started to capitalize on the trend and began designing various other fun inflatable structure for parties and events, such as inflatable dry slides and water slides, bounce house with slide combos, crazy inflatable obstacle courses and mazes, interactive sport games and water games, etc. Various styles and designs for you to choose from when planning a child’s birthday party. This is what’s so unique and diverse about inflatable equipment in the present day.
What’s even better? The inflatable bouncers are not only for children now, there are more inflatable structures suitable for adults. The kids play toy has now transformed into a full range of inflatables for adults, ranging from adult commercial bouncers, inflatable pubs and tents to huge inflatable cartoons and advertising signs, and inflatable movie screens for nighttime events.
5.Where to Buy Commercial Bounce Houses and Inflatables?
Are you looking for affordable and high quality inflatable equipment for your party rental business or to add something special to your next party? U-Rides Inflatables is a professional manufacturing company that can provide you with a wide variety of top-notch inflatables of every kind. Browse out product center to choose your favorites. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, then feel free to get in touch with us to custom the unique inflatable structure you need. We’ll try to accommodate you as best as possible.
