We've all seen kids playing with soap bubble blowers over the years. These inexpensive, fun toys can keep children entertained for hours which is why they're popular party favours and event gifts. But have you ever wondered who invented these toys and how they became synonymous with marketing merchandise? Today we're checking out the history of bubble blowers, one of our most popular promotional toys!

How Long Have Soap Bubbles Been Around?

Bubble-blowing has been found ancient art and stories, including on vases and paintings in the Louvre. This indicates that the entertaining art of blowing bubbles has been a hobby for a large portion of human history. However, it wasn't until the 1700's that bubbles were reborn as a modern trend with popular illustrations featuring young people blowing soap bubbles as a way to amuse themselves starting to pop up across Europe. In these early days, people used to use either a crafted clap pipe or bend a piece of wire into a circle to create their wands for blowing the thin soap liquid.

The Invention of Modern Bubble Blowing

The still-famous soap brand Pears created a very memorable marketing campaign in 1886 featuring the artwork of a child playing with their soap bubbles. It became the closest thing to a viral hit possible at the time, and the advertising campaign was looked on favourably for its innovation and youthfulness. It wasn't until the early 1900s, however, that proper bubble pipes and blowers began being patented for mainstream release.

Once these pipes and wands began mass production, bubble blowing sets hit mainstream Western culture. Through the 1950s and 60s, the available blowing wands became increasingly high tech, including some that were battery operated. The marketing potential of customised bubble blowers soon came to the forefront with the creation of Howdy Doody Show tie-in promotional bubble blowers making waves in US stores.

Bubble Blowers as Bulk Promotional Products

After the creation of the Howdy Doody Show bubble blowers and other unique promotional tie-in bubble products (including ones featuring Disney and Barbie characters) the true potential of bubble blowing as a marketing item became obvious. Not only were bubble blower sets cost-effective to produce, but it was also easy to customise them with brightly printed labels or stylishly shaped character wands. Now, in the early 21st-century bubble blowing is not only a hobby for kids; it is a great way to draw attention to marketing events or campaigns using family-friendly merchandise. Weddings have now started to ditch the tradition of throwing rice (which can be harmful to birds) in favour of the blowing of bubbles from specially decorated containers.

So what are you waiting for? Bubble blowers have been used as affordable promotional gifts for kids of all ages for many years, making them ideal for any parties or expos you may be planning in the future. Pop a bubble blowing set in your next showbag or hand one out at your next outdoor event -- the branding of your design on each label will be sure to garner you attention.

Details first spotted here: http://www.bubbleblowers.com/history.html