by Shelly Barclay

Created on: July 19, 2009

Bubbles as a means of amusement have been around for hundreds of years. Nearly everyone has played with them as a child. They are great fun, but for the past few hundred years not much has changed about them. More to the point, they have always been shimmery and clear, no color. That has changed. In June of 2009, a man named Tim Kehoe has come out with his new invention, Zubbles. Zubbles are vibrantly colored bubbles that do not leave stains on contact.

It may seem a little strange to you that it has taken so long for these bubbles to be invented. It sounds so simple, just add color. However, it is not that simple. Regular dyes either run right off of the bubble or stain everything they touch. Tim even thought of using a dye that would wash off easily. Thankfully, he realized that nobody wants to wash their child, clothing, furniture, etc., every time they use bubbles. After ten years of research, he finally came up with a dye that does not stain.

Zubbles maintain their color while in the bottle and in the air. When they land on something or pop near something, it will leave a mark. The remarkable thing about Zubbles is that once the color has been exposed for fifteen minutes it simply vanishes. According to Kehoe, they will not leave a stain on anything, including silk.

The debut of this product has been anticipated for four years. In 2005 there was an article about Zubbles in Popular Science magazine. Since then people who read that article have been wondering where the Zubbles are. Not to worry folks they are now available for purchase.

At this time, Zubbles are available in only two colors, Presto Pink and Blazing Blue. Kehoe has said that he can make them in any color, so hopefully there will be more selection soon. The only downside to Zubbles is that they are more expensive then your average bubbles. You can buy 2-4oz. bottles on www.zubbles.com for 14.95.

It sure seems like a lot of money for some bubbles, but it may be worth it to at least try them once. There is a video of children playing with Zubbles on their website that is quite adorable. It is obvious that these kids like them a lot. We may be seeing an awful lot of these bubbles around.

Sources

Bland, Eric, Zubbles: World's First Colored Bubbles, retrieved 7/11/09, http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/10/colored-bub bles.html

What are Zubbles?, retrieved 7/11/09, http

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