Bubble Wrap's First Job Was a Complete Flop

Power Connectors

Aug 5

2 min read

If you've ever found yourself absentmindedly popping a sheet of Bubble Wrap while waiting on hold or opening a package, you have two inventors to thank... and one spectacularly unsuccessful decorating idea.

In 1957, engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were trying to create a fashionable new kind of textured wallpaper. Their idea was to heat-seal two plastic shower curtains together, trapping pockets of air between them to create a three-dimensional wall covering.

It certainly was different.

It was also a commercial failure. Homeowners apparently weren't eager to cover their walls with giant sheets of plastic bubbles. Humans can be surprisingly picky about these things.

Not ready to give up, the inventors tried marketing their creation as greenhouse insulation. Once again, the idea failed to gain much traction.

Then an entirely different opportunity came along.

IBM needed a better way to protect its increasingly delicate computers during shipping, and someone realized those little air pockets were remarkably good at absorbing impacts. Bubble Wrap had finally found the job it was born to do, even if it wasn't the one anyone had imagined.

Today, millions of packages arrive safely because of an invention that failed at its original purpose. It has become so recognizable that Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day is celebrated on the last Monday in January every year. People have long claimed that popping Bubble Wrap feels oddly satisfying, and even a handful of small studies have suggested it may temporarily reduce stress for some people. Whether it's science or simply an excuse to make popping noises at your desk is still up for debate.

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