Some things have stranger beginnings than others. Over time I have delved into the strange stories behind everyday objects, but in doing my research, the origin of bubble wrap is definitely one of the weirder stories I have encountered. This all began in asking around for things whose origins people would like to uncover. Initially I didn’t believe the person who brought this to my attention. But through my research I have found one thing to be true: check your source. Maybe it’s just me, but whenever my parents got things shipped to them in the mail, they always gave me the bubble wrap if there was any. I liked the sound and texture (and frankly they probably needed something to keep me busy). But did you know that bubble wrap was initially a new-fangled idea for wallpaper?
In 1957, two inventors in New Jersey became bored of the wallpaper in their recently-built homes. In trying to appeal to a bored generation of post-war era citizens, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes wanted to find a way to make everyday objects fun. Fielding came up with the idea of slick, filmy wallpaper, and
Chavannes immediately took to it. The two first prototyped the wallpaper by attaching two shower curtains together with a heat sealing machine, only to be severely disappointed by the effects: bubbles forming between the two sheets. The two did not totally dismiss the mistake, and filed a patent for the idea in 1958. They started thinking of different uses. They came up with four hundred ways to use this idea, with only a few making it off the drawing board and into production. One of these was insulation for greenhouses, which sadly proved ineffective.
In 1960, Chavannes and Fielding created the company “Sealed Air Corp.” However, it wasn’t until the computer industry took off that Chavannes and Fielding saw a way to use their bubbled invention. In 1961, International Business and Machines Corporation (IBM) introduced the 1401 unit. This early computer was used to process data faster than unit record equipment, but was still relatively large for a delicate device. Sealed Air Corp jumped at this chance, and realized that packaging the 1401 unit in bubble wrap was a way to safely get the computer from point A to point B with less risk for damage. “It was the answer to IBM’s problems,” stated Chad Stephens, the Vice President of Development at Sealed Air.
As bubble wrap packaging picked up, new styles and sizes became available. However, the company still wasn’t turning a profit, due to the face that Chavannes and Fielding had no experience running a business. Then, in 1971, T.J. Dunphy was brought onto the team, and helped to bring annual sales from five million dollars to three billion by expanding to the pool industry in the form of pool covers.
Today, bubble wrap is used around the world as a packaging material and as a stress reliever. But who would have thought that this strange film started as a new-fangled wallpaper? It just goes to show that even if something doesn’t work how you wanted it to, it can still be useful in the long run.