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Bubble Wrap

Materials Engineering

Bubble wrap is a pliable transparent plastic sheet filled with regularly spaced air bubbles, used chiefly to cushion fragile items during shipping. It was created in 1957 by Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes, who were originally trying to develop a three dimensional plastic wallpaper, a product that did not sell. Fielding went on to co-found Sealed Air Corporation in 1960 to market the material once its packaging use became clear, and one of its earliest large scale commercial uses came that same year when IBM shipped its new 1401 computers cushioned in the material. Beyond its practical use in shipping, bubble wrap has become known for the satisfying sound of popping its bubbles and is now also marketed as a simple stress relieving novelty. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Year
1960 1
Connections

Associated With

Source Bubble Wrap (brand) (Wikipedia)

Invented By

Source Bubble Wrap (brand) (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Bubble Wrap (brand) (Wikipedia)
  • Wikipedia 'Bubble Wrap (brand)': Bubble Wrap brand and product introduced in 1960 with the launch of Sealed Air, checked 2026-09-27
  • Associated With: Marc A. Chavannes, History section
    Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
  • Invented By: Marc A. Chavannes, History section
    Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
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Bubble wrap (Wikipedia)
Lead section
Quote, Lead section
Bubble Wrap (originally Air Cap) is a trademarked brand of Sealed Air Corporation that includes numerous cushioning products made from bubble wrap.
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