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Hope Isn’t Lost: ‘No Pop’ Bubble Wrap Is Poppable, It’s Just Really, Really Difficult

By Shelley Hazen
Published on: 02:47 PST, Jul 3, 2015

Reports that Bubble Wrap will soon be of the “no pop” variety have been greatly exaggerated.

The company that makes the beloved product, with its little pockets of air that explode with a squeeze, quashed rumors and settled nerves as it confirmed to CNBC that the new version is actually poppable.

The new creation, by Sealed Air, is called iBubble, and its pockets are connected. So instead of bursting when squeezed, the air in each pocket simply passes into its neighbor, according to the Telegraph.

But not only are they still making the same old Bubble Wrap, iBubble will actually burst the same way — it just takes a lot of effort, said spokesman Ken Aurichio.

“To say it’s not poppable is untrue. If you block off the air column you can still pop them, it’s more difficult but not impossible. If you apply enough pressure it can be done.”

Thank God for that news. When the Wall Street Journal first told the world that the original was morphing into a less-fun version, people panicked and grieved en masse.

https://twitter.com/Jacob_Brogan/status/616638486486122496

https://twitter.com/ohgasm/status/616966722268991488

People addicted to that the satisfying burst likely don’t care about the financial and environmental reasons behind the company’s decision, but they are legit.

Rolled up Bubble Wrap is huge and takes up a lot of space in delivery trucks and warehouses, and the new kind takes up a 50th of the space. It’s also less expensive and is easier on the environment.

“It’s cheaper for storage space and cheaper to ship in and ship out,” Aurichio explained. “And it cuts down on environmental factors, shipping at about a tenth the size means putting less trucks on the road to move it around.”

Sales have also gone down quite a bit over the years in a crowded, profitable packaging materials business; “no pop” iBubble is the answer to these financial troubles.

So instead of getting giant pre-inflated rolls, shippers like Amazon will receive flat sheets, which they will have to pump up themselves with a machine that costs about $5,500.

But have no fear, they haven’t abandoned their beloved product, so fans don’t have to worry about living in a no pop world. That simple pleasure of life is here to stay, Aurichio assured.

“We will continue to produce the traditional Bubble Wrap people know and love for many years to come. There will always be a market for (it).”

[Photo Courtesy Twitter]

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