The Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes and the US engineer Alfred Fielding wanted to simplify household cleaning. So they created a plastic wallpaper with a low-maintenance, washable surface. But the idea didn’t really take off.
Even though their initial plan failed, the inventor duo saw potential in the product as a packaging material. It’s a good example of an invention that developed from the original idea more or less by chance. Chavannes and Fielding then founded a company to manufacture the plastic sheet with the distinctive air bubbles.
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From wallpaper to packaging – bubble wrap turns 70
Since its invention 70 years ago, bubble wrap has prevented many a breakage. The inventors, however, had a different use in mind for the product.
Patent drawing of bubble wrap, which even made it into a museum (patent: US3142599).
Bursting the bubbles apparently reduces stress
Who hasn’t burst one of the bubbles and heard the popping sound? This is supposed to have a calming effect and reduce stress. The invention, which is still used to this day, has even reached the Mount Olympus of the art world: bubble wrap is part of the collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art.