An Aggie Invented the First Bounce House
Bounce houses have played a huge part in parties and events over the years. Almost every birthday party, carnival, fundraiser, or party event you go to there will be a bouncy house of some kind putting big smiles on peoples faces. Over the years, bounce houses have expanded to more than just four walls inflated with air. They can range from princess castles to animal theme, they can include regular slides or water slides, and obstacle courses. There are bounce houses for weddings, Halloween parties, even inflatable water parks you can join.
It’s amazing to think that something that brings happiness to thousands of children and adults all started from an accidental invention in the late 1950s. What started out as a tennis court cover prototype turned into so much more.
What a Great Idea
In 1959 John Scurlock was working on a project to develop a cover for tennis courts. He happened to see a few of his employees jump up and down his prototype and having a great time. With that, Scurlock came up with the idea to create the first inflatable moonwalk business in New Orleans called Space Walks. They came out with an inflatable mattress called ‘Space Pillow’ and eventually evolved into bounce house structures with walls. There were two fans added one for the mattress part and the other for the walls, but this caused the inside to get hot very fast, especially in the summertime. There were no net ‘windows’ to help with airflow like today's bouncy's, just solid clear plastic enclosures making it a bouncy greenhouse. In 1974 big improvements were made when the ‘Jupiter Jump’ unit was first introduced having net walls and was a total game-changer.
Beginning of a Business
John’s wife, Frances, saw a great business opportunity when people started to call asking to use the inflatables. She started the first inflatable company in New Orleans called Space Walks between 1966 and 1976 and even built a custom facility for production and rental products. Over the years their son, Frank, expanded the business nationwide offering them for rent. They were under the brand names Space Walk and Inflatable Zoo. Later, Frank founded the first indoor inflatable park called Fun Factory in 1986 on Thanksgiving Day in Louisiana and a second unit in Tennessee called "Fun Plex" the following year. Consumers could order an enclosed, inflatable trampoline called the ‘Moon Walk’ from the 1975 Neiman Marcus catalog.
The Man with the Idea
Scurlock was an engineer from Center, TX who graduated from Texas A&M. When World War II interrupted he was drafted into the US Army. He returned to his studies after the war and completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering. At the time he was developing products for both J. Ray McDermott Oil Company and NASA. John Scurlock brought joy to thousands throughout the world. He also developed other products using plastic and air, including a safety air cushion designed to rescue people forced to jump from high-rise buildings during fires and an air cushion which became popular among Hollywood stuntmen. Scurlock passed away September 2008, but will always be remembered as the man who brought joy to children and adults all over the world.
Inflatable Rentals in Abilene
There is no doubt that John Scurlock was a genius who made parties and events a blast. Inflatable jumping houses are loved by both children and adults and are available to rent for any occasion. Big Country Inflatables is your go-to for affordable rentals. We offer a variety of inflatable for rent with no hidden fees. Get your party started by calling 325-572-4696 or visiting
www.bigcounrtyinflatables.com to book for your next party.
Comments
Post a Comment