The History of Inflatables, Bounce Houses Jump Houses and Moonwalks.

In 1959 a man by the name of John Scurlock was watching some of his
employees bounce on an inflatable tennis cover he recently designed.
The employees were having so much fun that Scurlock was struck with the idea of an inflatable floor for
recreational purposes. Soon Scurlock's idea progressed and he started a
company called "Space Walks." These Space Walks started out as
inflatable mattresses but soon progressed into bounce house type
structures with walls and circulating air.

Meanwhile in England some students used Scurlock's idea to build an
inflatable unit for a fund raiser. As the idea spread the word
"moonwalk" was commonly used to discribe these inflatable units. Safety
regulations were soon passed in the US and UK and the inflatable
industry was born.


                                        Other Interesting Moon Bounce, Jump House and Inflatable Info.
  Inflatable castles
The name given to such structures varies. They have been marketed with such names as Bounce house, Moon Bounce, Astrojump, Moonwalk, Jolly jump and Spacewalk. The term 'Jolly Jumps' is often used to describe the inflatable playground structure in rural areas and some areas in the Western US.
Historically, names for inflatable structures, particularly in the United States, are composed of two, one syllable words. Thus, the popularity of terms such as Bounce House, Moon Bounce, Astrojump, and Moonwalk can be seen. "Bouncy Castle or Inflatable Castle are used in Ireland, the UK, New Zealand and parts of Australia, and Jumping Castles in Arizona, Australia, Canada and South Africa. The term moonwalk has become a generic term for enclosed inflatable trampolines in the US.
Inflatable structures are rented for functions, school and church festivals and village fetes. Although they are aimed at children, adult castles can be hired in the UK. Because of liability concerns, moonwalks are rarely rented to adults 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 amusements because they are easy to transport and store.

History

The first inflatable structure was designed in 1959 by John Scurlock in Shreveport, Louisiana who was experimenting with inflatable covers for tennis courts when he noticed his employees enjoyed jumping on the covers. He was a mechanical engineer and liked physics. John was 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 fire and rescue departments to catch people jumping from buildings or heights.

The first space walk manufacturing company was in New Orleans in a leased warehouse that also sewed horse pads. His wife Frances started the first inflatable rental company in 1968 and in 1976 they built a custom facility for the production and rental of the products. They marketed the space walks to children's events such as birthday parties, school fairs and company picnics.

Their son Frank Scurlock expanded their rental concept throughout the United States under the brand name Space Walk and Inflatable Zoo. Frank also founded the first all inflatable indoor play park called Fun Factory on Thanksgiving Day 1986 in Metairie, Louisiana. A second unit was opened in Memphis Tennessee called Fun Plex in 1987. Both locations closed after the value of the property become to great for the operations. The first inflatable was an open top mattress with no sides, called a Space Pillow. In 1967 a pressurized inflatable top was added, it required two fans and got hot in the Summer like a green house. That version was called Space Walk and adopted as the company name.

In 1974, to solve the heat problem, a new product line called Jupiter Jump was created that has inflated columns that supported netting walls which allowed the air to pass through. Further enhancements of this style were developed such as a line of castles and animals which are referred to as the Inflatable Zoo. In the early 1990s Frank created the first commercial inflatable water slide called the Aqua Tunnel. Space Walk was the first company to bring an inflatable to the IAAPA convention, Showmen's Club and the American Rental Association.

Construction

The Discovery Channel television series Some Assemble Required documented the construction of an inflatable bounce house with US based manufacturer Magic Jump Inc. The surfaces are typically composed of thick, strong PVC or vinyl and nylon and the castle is inflated using an electric or petrol-powered blower. The principle is one of constant leakage, meaning small punctures are not a problem - a medium-size "bouncy castle" requires a fan with a mechanical output of about two horsepower (consuming around 2 kW electrical power, allowing for the efficiency of the motor).

UK and Australian bouncy castles have specifications calling for fully inflated walls on three sides with an open front and foam "crash mats" to catch children who may jump or fall out of the structure.

Modern moonwalks in the US are typically supported by inflatable columns and enclosed with netting. The netting allows for supervision as adults can see in from all sides.

Cheaper inflatable structures are usually made of polyester rather than nylon PVC and do not use a blower, instead they are inflated with a pump similar to an airbed. They do not last as long and it is illegal in the UK and USA to hire these out.

Another type of home-use inflatable has evolved, with a blower pumping in air continuously. Pores in the seams and material allow air to escape as kids play, while the blower continues to inflate the unit. This category has emerged as a response to parents who wish to buy an inflatable for home use.

Standards

In 2005 the most severe standards in the construction of an inflatable amusement were adopted nationally in Australia, forming Federal Standard AS3533.4. This was a landmark safety standard bringing the toughest design/construction/operation standards to the inflatable industry of Australia. In 2006 the European Union (EU) followed and introduced similar Federal standards throughout Europe called EN14960:2006

In the US, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, require inflatables to pass engineering and safety standards before allowing the equipment to be rented out.

  Inflatable Obstacle Course

There are also inflatable obstacle courses that allow for participants to have races and compete against one another.

  Games

Some inflatables are designed to allow games such as boxing rings, water football, penalty shootouts, basketball, tug of war, and gladiator duels. These interactive inflatable games are made out of the same material that a continuous airflow bounce house is made of. Quad tracks are also popular and provide the perimeter for quad bike racing.

  Inflatable associations

To maintain the quality of inflatables, voluntary organizations exist for manufacturers, resellers and renters.

United States

In the US, the Association of Inflatable Rental Company Operators (AIRCO) is the largest trade group for companies who rent inflatable amusements. Established in 2005, it evolved from a commercial forum. A trade group was needed to bring the industry together, promoting safety and monitoring standards.

The Safe Inflatables Operators Training Organization (SIOTO)was developed to train operators of inflatable games. With other operators from the Moonwalk Forum , Matthew Mark created SIOTO in 2005.

United Kingdom

In the UK, in 1978, plastics manufacturer Richard Hopkirk created the first bouncy castle where three out of four walls were inflatable, with the front left open for entry, exit and supervision. These Hop Castles, as the company was known, became the standard in the UK and are what is usually seen to this date (although Hopkirk failed to patent his castle and the design is used by many companies).

In the UK, the BIHA (British Inflatable Hirers Alliance) is a hirers organisation. Members agree a code of conduct for hirers, and anyone wanting to hire out a castle can check on their website if a hirer is a member. Manufacturers can become Associate Members. (In late 2008 the BIHA started BouncyCastleOwner.com, which has a discussion forum for the inflatable industry.

PIPA  is a voluntary manufacturer and reseller's organization, which has been endorsed by the government Health and Safety organisation. Despite government backing it is not compulsory for inflatables sold for hire purposes to be PIPA tested. Hirers buying inflatables can ask for them to be "PIPA Tagged". This means the inflatable structure has been made to PIPA safety guidelines and has passed a PIPA test. If it passes a tag is put onto the inflatable specifying PIPA compliance. Hirers can also have their existing inflatables PIPA tested. Once an inflatable has passed a test it can be verified on the PIPA website to prevent fraud. All bouncy castles must conform to BS EN 14960:2006 standards and should be tested every year.

Other organizations are the Performance Textiles Association, AIMODS (Association of Inflatables Manufacturers, Operators, Designers and Suppliers) and the Federation of Major Inflatable Manufacturers.

Australia

In Australia, the Australian Amusement Association (AAA) was formed in 1997 to bring a cohesion to the small amusement ride operators, with the majority of members being backyard inflatable hirers.

Events

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

A theatrical group named"The Strolling Theatricals"  has started performing Shakespearean tragedies on bouncy castles at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe  (Hamlet in 2006, Macbeth in 2007). The group went on to compete in the popular television show Britain's Got Talent.

 Rollerwars

A giant inflatable set was made for a pending TV rollerskating show Rollerwars. This was used for the international world championships at the Birmingham  NIA, England. The inflatable set is approximately 200 ft (61 m) by 120 ft long (37 m).

Methods of decoration The artwork on most inflatable structures is hand-painted. It is cheaper for an artist to paint inflatables than to buy a printing machine or pay for a professional printer to print the artwork for a small quantity of inflatables.

For those wishing to have inflatables professionally printed, rather than painted, two technologies exist. One is to use Screenprinting  and the other uses digital printing machines which can print onto nylon. Usually, if the printing method is used then white PVC must be used and a pattern or artwork printed onto this.

Digital printing allows photographic quality pictures, something which is either difficult or impossible with hand-painting. Hand-painting is more durable as the paints tend to last longer in water, rain, and handling than printouts. It is also better for "cartoon" style images, which is the norm on children's inflatables.

Records  Duration The record for "Longest marathon on a bouncy castle (team)" is 25 hr 25 min, set by Will Scogin, Patrick Taylor, Miller Wright, David Wilson, Forrest Haynes and Jimbo Wilhite (all from USA) at Northridge High School, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, on 10–11 October 2008.