Buzz
When we think of inflatables, most of us likely picture balloons, toys, and bounce houses. While these are indeed popular, they aren't the only types of inflatables—some serve purposes far beyond fun and games. Various inflated objects are used in fields like the military, the arts, and even as unique wedding venues.
Subways in New York City might incorporate inflatables, and even river channels in Los Angeles could make use of them. There's also an inflatable in space, orbiting miles above Earth. Each of the ten incredible inflatables on this list will challenge your ideas about what they are and the innovative purposes they serve.
10. Inflatable Rubber Duck
In June 2013, the world's largest rubber duck made its way to Hong Kong as part of a goodwill tour. Created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, the 16-meter-tall (54 ft) duck also amazed residents at a lake in Tianjin, where it towered over most boats. Since 2007, this giant yellow duck has visited ten countries and twelve cities, with its next stop after China being Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In Pittsburgh, the duck was reduced to a height of 12 meters (40 ft). Its size varies with each location, as each city constructs its own version of the duck based on Hofman’s plans. Creating and operating the inflatable waterfowl requires a large team, along with heavy-duty pontoons and workers. The US Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard had to be informed in Pittsburgh, since the duck’s presence would affect shipping on the Ohio River, one of the busiest commercial waterways in the country, often frequented by large barges.
A year later, a six-story-tall version of the duck appeared at the Port of Los Angeles, where it led over a dozen vessels in the Tall Ships Festival LA aquatic parade on August 23. The giant duck had already visited several places worldwide, including Australia, Taiwan, China, Belgium, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil, Pittsburgh, and more.
9. Inflatable Obstacle Course
The world’s longest inflatable obstacle course stretches 272 meters (892 ft) and features 32 challenges, including mountains, forests, and enormous balls. Known as The Beast, this tough course was set up at Alexandra Palace in London during August 2017.
Only adults are allowed on the course, where they can navigate through a field of footballs, push past giant Xs, crawl through porthole-like openings in walls, climb ladders, weave through an alpine forest of conifers, jump through donuts, crawl through tunnels, and zoom down slides.
8. Inflatable Play Park
The largest inflatable play park in the United Kingdom invites kids between the ages of five and thirteen to take on challenges like dodging a sweeping mechanical arm, diving into a pool to collect orange plastic balls, riding a mechanical sheep, getting drenched in lavender slime, and receiving a pie in the face. The park focuses on physical exercise, where children jump, duck, slide, squeeze, and bounce as they navigate through obstacles like the “Total Wipe-out machines [and] giant inflatable slides” or take part in “gladiator jousts [and] bungee runs.”
Each two-hour session ends with a half-hour magic and game show. Adults looking for some fun can join in during the “adults-only evening sessions.”
7. Inflatable Hangar
It’s hard to imagine a larger inflatable than a Goodyear blimp, yet the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has one. On December 13, 2017, an inflatable Goodyear hangar in Carson, California, became the permanent home for Wingfoot Two, one of the company’s semirigid airships. Much like Goodyear's blimps, Wingfoot Two is a dirigible that flies over football stadiums during games.
The hangar stands nine stories high and stretches 103 meters (337 ft) in length. Manufactured by the UK-based Lindstrand Technologies, it was constructed using a high-tech and ultra-light material. Inflating and maintaining the hangar’s air cells requires 20 fans.
6. Inflatable Water Park
On September 1, 2016, Dubai unveiled the largest water park in the region. Made up of blue and pink inflatable letters that connect to each other, the park measures 77 meters (253 ft) long and 33 meters (108 ft) wide. These floating letters spell out “DUBAI” and are situated in the waters off the coast of the Jumeirah Beach Residence waterfront.
Designed by Ben Chaibah, the founder of Aqua Fun LLC, the innovative park is an obstacle course with slides, towers, cliffs, ramps, “wiggle bridges,” and more. It can accommodate up to 500 visitors.
5. Inflatable Church
Nowadays, couples don’t have to visit a traditional church to tie the knot. An inflatable church, complete with a steeple, organ, and stained glass “windows,” can come to them with just two hours’ notice. The structure looks so realistic that Michael Gill from Xtreme Inflatables commented, “People can’t believe how large it is and how lifelike it appears—up close, it looks like it’s made of stone.”
While the inflatable church is more similar to the size of a chapel, standing just 3.7 meters (12 ft) tall and wide, it can host up to 60 guests for a wedding. Although it takes two hours to set up, it can be disassembled in only 30 minutes. However, the cost is steep: The inflatable church is priced at £25,000.
4. Inflatable ‘Bladder’ Plugs
In order to protect the New York City subway system from flooding in the aftermath of another major storm like Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is exploring the use of a massive inflatable plug. Designed to expand and seal subway tunnels, this plug was created by a team of researchers from West Virginia University as part of the Resilient Plug Program.
These enormous “bladder” plugs work by slowing or stopping the flow of floodwater, allowing crews to pump out water swiftly from the affected areas. Made from tough synthetic fibers, each plug costs around $400,000. While pricey, they are a small fraction of the $5 billion worth of damages caused by Sandy.
3. Inflatable Space Station Room
On May 19, 2016, NASA attempted to inflate the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), an inflatable room designed for the International Space Station. However, the operation didn’t go as planned. When astronaut Jeffrey Williams tried to inflate the module, it failed to expand. The reason for the malfunction remained unclear.
The BEAM was created to provide extra living and working space for astronauts on extended space missions, and it is mounted on the exterior of the space station. Williams' goal was to inflate the module as part of a two-year test to assess its performance in space. When he opened the valve to release air into the BEAM, the internal pressure increased, but the module did not inflate at the expected pace. Even after two hours—double the time usually required for inflation—the module had not fully expanded.
Three days later, on another attempt, the inflation process went smoothly, and the module expanded as intended, reaching its expected dimensions without any issues.
2. Military Vehicles, Weapons Systems, and Equipment
Prior to the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944, US General George S. Patton was appointed to lead the First US Army Group, a deceptive force known as the ‘phantom force,’ which consisted of empty tents. The 'ghost' unit was transported using vehicles constructed from lightweight materials such as rubber, fabric, or wood. In strong winds, inflatable tanks would sometimes lose their turrets, causing them to roll across the ground, or inflatable trucks would flip over as soldiers struggled to control the rogue vehicles.
Despite these challenges, the 'Ghost Army' successfully misled the German high command, including Adolf Hitler. Over 20 times, the deceptive tactics of the unit caused confusion and concealed the true movements of Allied forces across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.
Now, the Russian Ministry of Defense has adopted similar tactics, deploying inflatable tanks, jets, and missile systems. These inflatable military assets are provided by RusBal, a hot-air balloon company, and are part of a broader deception campaign known as maskirovka, which dates back to the Cold War. Initially, Russian military leaders were unsure about using inflatable military equipment, but they have since embraced the strategy.
1. Dam
Los Angeles officials had bold ambitions for a $10 million project that included a dam capable of powering a 70-foot water wheel, which would lift 80 gallons per minute. The water buckets would spill into a stream designed with cottonwood trees, located near the Los Angeles State Historic Park just north of downtown. This setup would reduce the amount of water drawn from the Los Angeles River and limit the wastewater flowing into the ocean. The inflatable rubber dam was just the first of nine planned for installation along the river.
Not everyone supported the project. Some critics feared that a series of dams might lead to increased development along the channel, an area with a history of significant flooding every century or so. They also argued that true ecological restoration of the area should take priority over large construction projects that only offer moderate benefits for groundwater recharge. Furthermore, Travis Longcore, a spatial scientist at the University of Southern California, warned that the rubber dams could inadvertently create new breeding grounds for the local bullfrog population.
The project's supporters are currently waiting for the necessary permits to proceed with the installation of the inflatable dam. Hydrologist Mark Hanna, who assisted in the design of the project, shared that they are anticipating the final permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
