Bubble Wrap was originally invented in the 1950s as a kind of modern, textured wallpaper —not as packaging at all.

The Original Idea: “Textured Wallpaper”

In 1957, engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes experimented with sealing two plastic shower curtains together, trapping pockets of air between them.

Their goal was to create a stylish, three-dimensional wall covering that fit the futuristic, “space age” interior design trend of the late 1950s, not a packing material.

They marketed this bubbly plastic as textured wallpaper , hoping homeowners and designers would embrace it as a cool, modern alternative to flat paper.

The concept flopped: people didn’t really want their living-room walls covered in plastic bubbles.

The Second Attempt: Greenhouse Insulation

Instead of abandoning the idea, Fielding and Chavannes tried a new angle: using the material as greenhouse insulation.

The trapped air bubbles seemed promising for keeping heat in, so they repositioned the product as a way to insulate greenhouses and other structures.

This, too, was only marginally successful and never became a blockbuster use.

Still, it kept the product alive long enough for them to keep searching for a better application.

From Odd Plastic Sheet to Bubble Wrap

In 1960, Fielding and Chavannes founded the Sealed Air Corporation to commercialize their bubble-filled plastic.

A few years after the wallpaper and insulation attempts, a marketer at the company realized that the lightweight, cushioned sheet would be perfect for protecting delicate electronics during shipping.

IBM became one of the first big customers, using the material to ship its IBM 1401 computers safely.

That shift—from failed décor and so-so insulation to protective packaging—turned the quirky invention into the Bubble Wrap we know today.

Mini Timeline

  1. 1957 – Two shower curtains sealed together → bubbly plastic “wallpaper” concept.
  1. Late 1950s – Repurposed and tested as greenhouse insulation.
  1. 1960 – Sealed Air Corporation founded to develop and sell the material.
  1. 1961 era – Idea emerges to use it as protective packaging; IBM adopts it to ship computers.

Quick Scoop (SEO-style summary)

Bubble Wrap didn’t start as a shipping material at all; it began as a failed attempt at trendy, textured plastic wallpaper and then had a brief life as experimental greenhouse insulation before finally finding its true calling as protective packaging, notably when IBM used it to ship early computers safely.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.