2013
Wientalradweg
Vienna, Austria
Anecdote
The Sumerians, who inhabited the region between the Tigris and Euphradis rivers and possessed a highly developed culture with their own language and writing, had already produced soap in 2500B.C. They used soap for the washing of woolen clothing. The Sumerians also used their soap for medical purposes.
Seventeenth century Flemish painters show children blowing bubbles with clay pipes. Generations of 18th and 19th century mothers gave their children their leftover washing soap to blow bubbles. At the beginning of the 20th century, street peddlers and pitchmen were among the first to sell bubbles as a toy.
In 1918, J. L Gilchrist filed a patent for a style of bubble pipes that can be produced quickly and easily. Bubble pipes were one of the first and original mass productions of bubble blowers that became popular so that kids could imitate an adult smoker.
During the early 1940’s, a chemical company, Chemtoy, which sold cleaning supplies, revolutionized the toy world by systematically bottling bubble solution. Tootsietoy Company later acquired the small chemical company and put bubble solution into full retail distribution by the late 1940s.
During the 1960s, bubbles became a symbol of peace and harmony to hippies and flower children and further popularized the sport of bubble blowing.
Sources
ANCP Studio 