Jumping Castles - Where it all started

In recent years it has become a common trade, especially amongst Western societies, to make children’s’ parties more exiting by adding jumping castles into the party-equation. Often contributing to the theme of a party, jumping castles is the ideal way to keep toddlers busy for the duration of a party and, in so doing, keep parents sane during such times. But where does this ingenious invention come from?

Whilst busy was experimenting with inflatable solutions for tennis court covers and other enclosures in 1962, John Scurlock noticed that employees had fun walking on these inflatables. Losing and refilling the inflatables with air made them bouncy, a phenomenon which employees found very entertaining. In no time Scurlock brought this entertainment to kids, by creating a kid's amusement bouncer and opening the first inflatable moonwalk business, Space Walk.

Starting out with a large air mattress, Scurlock soon moved one step closer to what we know as the jumping castle today, by adding walls in 1967-1968. Windows of clear plastic were also made and inserted and the inflatable was enclosed like a bubble. In 1969 inflatable animal shapes was born and in 1976 the Jupiter Jump, which was the first unit to support netting, was introduced. The first bounce houses shaped like characters started appearing in the late 1970’s. Since then, this industry has grown to include various variations of Scurlock’s original bouncy invention. Today you can rent slides, obstacle courses, and climbing walls. Products like the "Jump-sticle" can even be bought, allowing you to enjoy a fun-inflation along with your kids on a more permanent basis.

But why bother going through the trouble? There are, after all, so many different ways of making your child’s party exiting. Obstacle inflatable toys are not only great fun for children, but also encourage them to flex their muscles and get involved with physical activities. Furthermore, it is something that the entire family or an entire group of kids can enjoy together.

So why raise your kid as a coach-potato, when (s)he can enjoy the physical benefits of playing King of the (Jumping) Castle? After all, isn’t parenthood about taking leaps of faith with your children? Why not take these leaps on a castle with them? At least when you fall, the landing is soft and you’ll have fun on your way down.

At the time, these devices were referred to as Moon Walks, although many different terms, like " Jumping Castles", have since come into use to describe them.