The History of the Trampoline
Trampolines are a regular fixture at family festivals, local events, fairgrounds, funfairs and more! Everyone loves to have a fun bounce on a trampoline trailer or a bungee trampoline, and these amusements and toys have been entertaining and delighting people of all ages for decades.
The Earliest Trampolines
The first concept of a trampoline came all the way from Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal in the early 19th century. This circus featured amazing performances from trapeze artists and acrobats on a springboard type apparatus. It doesn't sound quite as comfortable as the modern trampolines that we use today!
These early examples of the trampoline helped performers push themselves even higher up in the sky, and they could perform mesmerising jumps and tumbles as part of their performances.
However, it wasn't until 1936 that the first modern trampoline model was finally created. This model was built by George Nissen and Larry Griswold, and they used "trampolin", the Spanish word for diving board, as their inspiration for the name. These men were avid tumblers and gymnasts, and they were both students at the University of Iowa at the time.
Nissen and Griswold experimented by stretching canvas to an angle iron frame, using coiled springs to make it as bouncy as possible. It looked very similar to the trampolines that we use at funfairs and fairgrounds today.
In 1942, these trampoline inventors created the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline and Tumbling Company. This original trampoline design was first used to train amateur tumblers, but trampolines soon became super popular as a form of fun entertainment for the whole family, and toy trampolines or amusement trampolines began to emerge for household purchases.
By the early 1960s, outdoor commercial "jump centres" or "trampoline parks" were becoming more and more common in America. These parks featured multiple trampolines for adults and kids to use at once, but unfortunately many of these jump centres had to close down due to poor safety regulations. It seems that they didn't have the same up-to-date health and safety codes and regulations as we use today!
These trampoline parks made a comeback in the 21st century, and these new, innovative trampoline centres included wall to wall trampolines to reduce falls and accidents, as well as innovations such as bungee trampoline trailers. Is there anything better than a room covered in trampolines?
The History of Funfair & Carnival Amusements and Toys
Here at We Are Tricycle, we love to celebrate the long history of the fairground rides we hire out every single day.
We have a wide range of trampolines for hire at your next fairground or funfair, and they are just as exciting and popular as they were when Griswold and Nissen first came up with their amazing design.
Choose our trampoline trailers for your next children's funfair, or entertain people of all ages with our bungee trampolines. Guests will feel like they're flying! Thrill-seekers can experience an even more intense bungee experience with our Reverse Bungee!
Contact us now to find out more about our wide range of reliable funfair, fairground and carnival products for hire across the UK, or get in touch to book our fun-filled trampolines for your next celebration.