The Surprising Original Purpose of Bubble Wrap

"Bubble wrap" is the term for the protective plastic coating that uses sealed air pockets to softly cushion objects and prevent damage. It's frequently used for sending items by post and for transporting them in vehicles. It has also been used for a multitude of other purposes over the years, including to relieve the exam-induced stress of university and college students, as well as being deployed as an art medium.

But the reason why this plastic cushioning was invented in the first place might surprise you, and it shows how far items can develop from their original intended purpose.

A 1950s Interior Design Flop

What would ultimately become known as bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by Marc Chavannes and Alfred W. Fielding in a machine shop in New Jersey, and was actually the product of a failed attempt to create a kind of wallpaper that would appeal to the consumers of the day: it was intended to be textured because it was thought this would appeal to Beat Generation tastes. One of the reasons for using plastic to make the wallpaper was to make it easier to clean. The substance was initially created by putting together two plastic shower curtains and sealing them with a heated machine.

Chavannes and Fielding were initially disheartened when the result was full of air bubbles, but soon began to consider the possibilities this might create.

From Wallpaper to Protective Packaging

They discarded the idea that this bubble-studded item should be lining the walls, and began to think about what it could be suitable for instead. According to a report by Fielding's alma mater, the Stevens Institute of Technology, the idea to use the bubbly plastic as a form of packaging occurred to Chavannes while observing clouds on a plane journey. The two men subsequently applied for a patent and began the journey to the product we know today.  

In addition to being created with a different purpose in mind, the item's name has also evolved from its beginnings. It was not originally named "bubble wrap": when the inventors filed an application for a patent, they included an illustration of the product, which was then named "laminated cushioning material." However, the product "Bubble Wrap" did eventually become a trademark under that name: the company Sealed Air filed for one in August 1981, and the trademark was officially registered two years later.​

The Power of the Pop

The product has become so closely associated with the poppable bubbles that when its manufacturer produced an alternative version in 2015— designed to make the bubbles harder to pop—it caused a backlash among the public. The manufacturer had to put out a statement to reassure people that they would continue to make the plastic wrap in its classic bubble form too.

And so, while the bubble wrap of today may have evolved far beyond what its inventors had originally intended it to be used for, the importance of the bubbles themselves continues to play a key role in its appeal to the public.

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