The first inflatable building was created by John Scurlock in Shreveport, Louisiana United States in the late 1950's. He noticed that his staff members were actually enjoying jumping on the inflatable. He was a mechanical engineer by profession and was very interested in physics. The safety air cushion, which is used by fire and rescue departments all over the world to catch people who are jumping from buildings or heights, was invented by Mr. Scurlock. Although he was a pioneer in the development of inflatable structures such as inflatable domes, inflatable tents, and inflatable signs, his greatest achievement was the invention of the safety air cushion.
The first space walk manufacturing facility in the world was located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and stitched horse pads on the side. In 1968, his wife Frances established the first inflatable rental company, and in 1976, they built a factory specifically for the purpose of producing and renting inflatables. Birthday parties, school fairs, and company picnics were all suitable locations for the space walks among children's events. Early inflatables lacked the protective cage found on more current inflatables, which could have been dangerous.
Frank Scurlock (Jnr), their son, adopted their rental idea and popularised it across the country as Space Walk and Inflatable Zoo, respectively. Frank opened Fun Factory, the world's first indoor play park made entirely of inflatables, on Thanksgiving Day 1986 in Metairie, Louisiana. Fun Plex, a second site in Memphis, Tennessee, started doing business in 1987. Once the property's worth increased to a point where it could no longer support the operations, both locations had to close. The Space Pillow was an open-top, side-less inflatable mattress that was the first of its kind. A pressurised inflatable top that resembled a greenhouse in temperature and required the use of two fans was installed in 1967. The name of the company was drawn from that version, which was called Space Walk.
In order to solve the heat issue, a new product line called Jupiter Jump was created in 1974. The walls of Jupiter Jump are made of netting, which allows air to pass through. This concept has undergone additional revisions, including the creation of a collection of inflatable zoo animals and castles known as the Inflatable Zoo. The first inflatable water slide to be sold commercially was the Aqua Tunnel, which Frank created in the early 1990s. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) convention, Showmen's Club, and the American Rental Association all first saw inflatables during Space Walk.
A kid's birthday celebration would not be complete without a bouncy castle or other play inflatable in the 1980s and 1990s when bouncy castle popularity really took off. The word "bouncy castle" also gained widespread recognition, and its popularity has been consistent and doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon. This is due to the universal enjoyment of bouncing among children.
<< Return to news