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Compressing one of Bubble Wrap’s air-filled bubbles until it ruptures produces its distinctive pop, turning a packaging feature into a source of amusement. In 2019, Smithsonian quoted Sealed Air executive Chad Stephens describing himself as a stress-relief popper, linking that physical rupture to the material’s stress-relief appeal.
Bubble wrap is made by bonding shaped polyethylene film to flat film, trapping air in regularly spaced bubbles. Those pockets cushion fragile objects during shipping, while additional layers provide greater isolation from shocks and vibrations. The trapped air also slows heat transfer because air is a good thermal insulator, and dividing it among separate pockets impedes convective heat flow.
In 1957, Alfred Fielding and Swiss chemist Marc Chavannes heat-sealed two plastic shower curtains while trying to create textured wallpaper, producing a plastic sheet filled with trapped air bubbles. They founded Sealed Air Corp. in 1960 and found commercial success after deciding in 1961 to use Bubble Wrap as packaging. One early widespread application protected IBM 1401 computers during shipment.
A 2017 hot-water-in-a-fridge activity predicted that jars wrapped in bubble wrap or fabric would retain the highest water temperatures. In both materials, trapped air pockets reduce heat loss through conduction and convection.
By 2019, Bubble Wrap had evolved into different bubble sizes, sheet and roll dimensions, strengths, and thicknesses. Sealed Air had also offered an inflatable version that traveled as tightly wrapped film and was filled with air by a mechanical unit when needed.
On July 28, 1964, Fielding and Chavannes were granted six Bubble Wrap patents, most covering the processes and equipment used to emboss and laminate the plastic.