What is a Bounce House?

A bounce house is an inflatable structure that is often seen at children’s birthday parties, county fairs and various festivals. The bounce house can range in shape from a simple enclosed bouncy area, to large “houses” of several styles. For instance, a bounce house might be a castle, might have more than one story or level and could feature a bounce slide. These structures are very popular with children (and with some adults too), and were first developed in the late 1950s.

The original inflatable was a stripped down version of today’s incarnations. Initially, the first bouncy surfaces of this type weren’t even enclosed. This was not a good idea, since children could easily bounce themselves off the structure to their annoyance at least, and injury in worse case scenarios. The early inflatable was meant to reproduce the sense that the person using it was walking in space or on the moon. In fact, the first manufacturer, John Scurlock, called his bounce houses Space Walks.

Space Walks were popular from the get go, especially with the focus on the Space Race. The initial bouncing structure was little better than a large, high inflatable mattress. Of course if you’ve ever inflated a mattress and have children, you already know that this alone is enough to provide entertainment for hours. Walls for the Space Walk weren’t added until the latter half of the 60s, and by then, you’d see the bounce house in the US mostly called the Moonwalk, especially after 1969.

Usually this inflatable has a much tougher exterior than your average inflatable mattress for camping. It’s made of thick layers of rubber, vinyl or nylon. Since bouncing can quickly deflate the attraction, you’ll find most are constantly refilled with electric fans. These may be plugged in or may be powered by portable generators depending on the location.

Most often, only children of a certain age and size use the bounce house. Adults, especially in very small inflatables can quite easily bounce themselves into an accident. So can children; collisions are common. It’s wise to restrict the number of bouncing children to the recommended amount by the manufacturer, and remove any children seized with a Tigger-like impulse to improperly bounce into others. An overfull house can mean kids bumping into each other, which can make for unhappy times. If you’re using a bounce house at a fair or festival, a well-supervised one is the best choice to avoid collisions and improper use.

If you’re considering renting an inflatable for a child’s party, prices will range on rentals. The more elaborate the house, and the longer the rental, the more likely you’ll pay upwards of 200-500 US dollars (USD). A simpler house can be a less expensive choice, and some can be rented for less than 100 USD. You can buy small “consumer” bounce houses, but these are not manufactured with the same standards as are the commercial ones. They will not exhibit the same durability as a the rented options.