The Fascinating History and Fun World Records of Giant Bubbles
Bubbles have fascinated kids and adults for centuries—who doesn't love watching those shiny, floating orbs? Way back in the 17th century, artists were painting kids playing with bubbles, and by the 19th century, London soap maker Pears' Soap used a bubble painting in a famous ad. Fast forward to 1940, and bubbles went mainstream thanks to Chemtoy, a Chicago company that bottled bubble solution. This bubbly invention made it to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest toys of all time.
Cool Bubble Toy Inventions
Over the years, people have come up with some seriously awesome bubble toys:
In 1960, Arthur Fulton created "Bubbleloon," a flexible loop bubble toy. Imagine a ribbon loop on a stick that you dip in bubble solution to make giant bubbles—Arthur’s invention was pure bubble magic!
In 1987, David Stein took Fulton's idea and made it even better with "The Bubble Thing." It had a ribbon loop on a stick that could open and close better, plus a weight to help. This toy started a worldwide craze for giant bubbles. In 1988, Stein set a record for the longest bubble tube, measuring an incredible 50 feet long.
Amazing Giant Bubbles
Giant bubbles are where things get really exciting. On October 9, 2005, the first world record for the largest free-floating soap bubble was set. This bubble was a whopping 105.4 cubic feet in size—if it were filled with water, it would weigh 3.2 tons! That’s one giant bubble.
Fun Bubble World Records
Bubbles aren’t just fun—they can break records too! Check out these bubble-tastic world records in chronological order:
Most People in a Bubble (50 people): Samsam at the London Science Museum, November 2007. A whopping 50 people all fit inside one gigantic bubble!
Longest Bubble Chain (26 bubbles): Samsam at Guinness World Records offices, London. At the offices of Guinness World Records, London, Samsam broke the previous record of 18 to create this monster chain of 26 bubbles! Video footage to be shown on the Guinness World Records website/Guinness 'app' from late 2010.
Most Bounces with a Single Bubble (38 bounces): New World Record set at the offices of GWR, by bouncing a single bubble 38 times.
Most bubbles blown with a single dip of a single wand: Along with 3 other world records set/broken at the offices of Guinness World Records in April 2010, the most bubbles blown with a single dip of a single wand. Bubbles still being counted at time of going to press.
Largest Frozen Soap Bubble (4315.7 cubic cm): Samsam created a frozen soap bubble with a volume of 4315.7 cubic cm at the Absolut Vodka Bar, London, UK, on 28 June 2010. The bubble had a diameter of 20.2cm.
Largest Free Floating Soap Bubble (834 cubic feet): Gary Pearlman, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, April 27, 2014. This bubble was so big, it could have its own zip code!
Most Bubbles in a Bubble (452 bubbles): Stefano Righi, Empoli, Italy, March 10, 2016. Imagine 452 bubbles inside one big bubble—bubble-ception!
Most Soap Bubbles Blown Using a Hand in One Minute (730 bubbles): Stefano Righi, Empoli, Italy, March 7, 2016. 730 bubbles in just one minute—talk about speedy!
Fastest Square Bubble (13.94 seconds): Gary Pearlman, Cleveland, Ohio, January 1, 2015. A perfectly square bubble in just under 14 seconds!
Bubbles are not just a fun pastime—they are a gateway to creativity, invention, and record-breaking fun!