The History Of Bouncy Balls

The Bouncy ball, otherwise known as super ball was invented by a California chemist named Norman Stingley.

In his spare time early 1965, Norman Stingley compressed scraps of synthetic rubber together under around 3500 pounds of pressure per square inch, resulting in a compressed rubber ball with an unexpected resilience.

Norman Stringley presented his invention to his employer at the Bettis Rubber Company, of Whittier, California.

Who rejected the item for certain "snitches" in the product, such as the ball falling apart quickly and easily, it was feared Norman Stringley's product would never hit the markets due to these problems with the toy.

This was not the end of the bouncy ball.

Not too long after being turned down by his employer, Norman Stringley was contacted by a company called Wham-O, who had made themselves a name for taking in brilliant ideas off the streets and working to make them "successful".

Turning ideas such as the
"Frisbee" and fixing the bugs in the idea and getting a name out there for the product once deemed "workable".

After Norman Stringley agreed to working with Wham-O, it took several months to come up with a more sturdy concentration that would hold up to normal use. Although, even after finding a stronger substance, the ball still lost large pieces if thrown hard enough at a rough surface.

With continuing work, the Bouncy Ball's imperfections just dissipated. They literally just bounced away.... :)

Soon after this, the Bouncy Ball took a step into glory and headed straight for the market in the fall months of 1965.

Wham-O gave the bouncing balls a big market promotion. By Christmas, only 6 months after being introduced to Wham-O, Seven Million Bouncy Balls had been sold at ninety-eight cents a piece. A proud achievement.

At first the bouncy balls attracted young children, small boys and girls. Before long adults where buying the small balls of rubber as well, the bouncy ball became everyone's favorite play toy, a form of entertainment used by people everywhere.

The bouncy ball attracted people of all ages and kinds. Even presidential aide, McGeorge Bundy, had five dozen Bouncy Balls shipped to the White House for the amusement of staff members.

The Bouncy Ball became quickly known, and became the next big thing... the new style, the new cool, or the new black!

Bouncy Balls were bounced over roof tops, dribbled by skate boarders, used as a tool to play Jacks, and bounced off the floor to bounce back and catch.

A real break through for the Bouncy Ball was when it started being used as a one-person-catch-game.

Throwing the compacted piece of rubber at a wall would allow it to come back at you and for you to catch it. This also gave the Bouncy Ball the chance that it would fly back and hit you. "Duck or get struck," became the new phrase.

This game became a mess when people started getting hurt from the bouncy balls. Black eyes across the nation start protesting the bouncy ball as unsafe for play and use. This of course was not enough to bring down the new break through of fun. In fact, it didn't even make a indent in sales for the bouncy ball; they just kept rising.

The appeal of bouncy balls has gone down over the years, everything does end, but bouncy balls did not disappear completely. Bouncy balls can still be found at almost any store, in any coin slot machines or on the shelf practically everywhere.

Though there is new technology and newer gadgets the appeal of bouncy balls has not died completely, people all over the world still look to the bouncy ball for a good time and fun entertainment... as they always will.