Super Soaker water gun invention: What began as an engineering experiment in a bathroom unexpectedly led to the invention of the Super Soaker, which would later become the best-selling water toy of all time. In 1982, engineer and inventor Lonnie Johnson was working on a new heat pump when an accidental spray of water inspired an idea that would eventually become the Super Soaker, as per a report.
A bathroom experiment sparked an unexpected idea
At the time, Johnson was working as a nuclear engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on the Galileo mission to Jupiter.
While developing a heat pump that used pressurized water vapor instead of environmentally hazardous freon, he connected a nozzle to his bathroom sink. The device sprang a leak and shot a powerful stream of water across the room.
Johnson realized the design could make a powerful water gun.
A homemade prototype proved the idea worked
While continuing his work on the Air Force's B-52 stealth bomber, Johnson spent his free time refining the concept.
He built a prototype using plexiglass, PVC pipes and a two-liter soda bottle as the water reservoir, as per a History.com report. When his 7-year-old daughter, Aneka, tested it, she ended up soaking every other child on the Air Force base.
From "Power Drencher" to the Super Soaker
Johnson found a manufacturing partner in 1989 when Philadelphia-based Larami agreed to produce the toy under the name "Power Drencher."
The toy quickly became a success, selling two million units in 1991. Hasbro later acquired Larami and the rights to the toy, renaming it the "Super Soaker."
On May 27, 1986, the US Patent Office granted Johnson a patent for his toy design, simply titled "Squirt Gun," as per the report. After additional patents and several name changes, the invention became the Super Soaker.
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A toy that became a summer classic
The Super Soaker went on to sell more than 250 million units and generated well over $1 billion in sales. In 2015, it was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Johnson continued inventing long after the Super Soaker's success. He has patented ideas in engineering, energy technology and consumer products, including a wet diaper detector and Nerf blasters. Today, he holds more than 130 US patents and has published several works on spacecraft power systems, as per the History.com report.
