| In 1959 John Scurlock designed the first inflatable when he was experimenting with inflatable covers for tennis courts. He noticed his employees enjoyed jumping on the cover the idea began to evolve. John was also a pioneer of Inflatable Domes, Inflatable Tents, Inflatable Signs and his greatest achievement was the Invention of the Safety Air Cushion that is used by Rescue departments to catch people jumping from buildings or high heights. John’s wife started the first inflatable rentals business in 1968 out of New Orleans. Later in 1976, they began to market the “Space Walks” as they were first called, for children’s events such as birthday parties, school fairs and company picnics. John’s son Frank was the one to take the rental concepts to the rest of the U.S. under brand name “Space Walk” and inflatable Zoo. Frank also founded the first all inflatable indoor play place in 1986. |
| The inflatable’s have come a long way from its first design that looked like a mattress with no sides. This original design was named the space Pillow. Then in 1967, the pressurized inflatable top was added. This design required two fans causing it to get too hot in the summer. The windows were composed of clear, solid plastic and were enclosed like a bubble with one fan inflating the bubble and circulating air and the other inflating the base. This design was then named the “Space Walk” which also became the company name. It wasn’t until 1974, that the design was modified to solve the heat problem by adding inflated columns that supported netting walls. This design allow the air to pass through, they called this line “Jupiter Jump”. The company decided to further the enhancement of this style. They created a line of Castles and Animals which they named it “Inflatable Zoo”. Although it was not until the 1990 ‘s that the first line of water slides came about, this first slide was called the Aqua Tunnel. |
| Today from John Scurlock’s original idea we have gotten uses that include roofs and covers, mock castles and games, sails, airships, furniture, aerospace structures, boats, escape slides, security mattresses, swimming pools, coverings, buildings and pavilions, and air bags. |
| Names given to each structures varies. In
the U.S., people in the East Coast refer to them as a " Moon Bounce
" while those in the West Coast stick to the generic name of "inflatable
playground". They have been marketed with such names as Moon Bounce,
Astrojump, Moonwalk, Jolly jump, Bounce house, SpaceWalk, some
in rural areas use the term Jolly Jumps. Yet in other places
like Ireland, the UK and parts of Australia use the terms Bouncy
castle or inflatable castle. While we see that
Arizona, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa prefer the term
Jumping Castles. The term Moonwalk has
evolved as the generic term for enclosed inflatable trampolines in the US. |
| The growth in popularity of moonwalks has led to an inflatable rental industry which includes inflatable slides, obstacle courses, games, and more. Inflatables are ideal for portable enjoyment because they are easy to transport and store.
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