Bubble Wrap Turns 50 – Welcome To The Remember When Club
Posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010
Here we are with another occasion for folks like me to say “I remember when there was no such thing as…” Bubble Wrap is celebrating its 50th birthday.
First Barbie went through menopause, then the microwave oven turned 60, and now, Bubble Wrap.
What did we do before Bubble Wrap? And why am I using capitalization as if it were a proper person? Because, I guess, it deserves some place of honor.
According to the manufacturer, Sealed Air, this “pop icon” rose to acclaim not only because it was a fantastic cushioning material but because of our compulsive popping, stomping, and twisting Bubble Wrap into our hearts. Check out The Bubble Wrap Book to see just how nuts we can get about how to use our beloved Bubble Wrap.
You know how addictive popping those air bubbles is, which is why it should be no surprise to find out that there are websites dedicated to just Bubble Wrap. Virtual-BubbleWrap.com dedicates itself exclusively to all things Bubble Wrap, including sending virtual Bubble Wrap to all your friends via email so they can pop their frustrations away. Fun and environmentally friendly, too.
The folks at Virtual-BubbleWrap.com even have a few issues of Bubble Wrap etiquette that I would like to share with you:
- Don’t pop someone else’s bubble wrap without permission.
- Don’t pop bubble wrap in quiet public places, like libraries, unless you want it confiscated. (My note: Librarians are famous for keeping copious supplies of confiscated Bubble Wrap.)
- Don’t pop bubble wrap in a store if you haven’t paid for it. They get cranky when their rolls of bubble wrap are all limp.
- It is always good form to offer to share your bubble wrap.
- Giving your bubble wrap to children is good for Karma points.
If you wanted to take the time, you could find everything from furniture to wedding dresses made from Bubble Wrap. You’ll find Bubble Wrap plays a main character in movies and television programs on occasion. I’ll bet you rarely get through a week without at least one encounter with Bubble Wrap.
So, how did we live without Bubble Wrap? In even the basic sense, consider the last time you unwrapped some very old boxes still in storage at your parents’ or grandparents’ house. Everything was wrapped in newspapers. I sat for hours and poured over old newspapers when unpacking a box of dishes stored for decades. I wonder what our future generations will think when they run across the Bubble Wrap surrounding our old china and crystal? There won’t be anything to read to connect the person who packed the dishes to the happenings in the world. There will, however, be some fantastic stress relief! I hope they will understand what a gift Bubble Wrap is.
Pop a few today and celebrate!
Subscribe to RemarkableWrinklies.com by Email
