Bouncy Castle

A bouncy castle is an inflatable amusement ride that features an inflatable floor (termed the bed) for riders to jump on. To differentiate them from Bounce Pads and Jumping Pillows, bouncy castles have walls (and optionally a roof) held up by inflated vertical pillars to create an enclosed space. The walls can either be inflated or made of mesh netting.

Nomenclature


	Country	English Translation
Bouncy Castle	United Kingdom Australia
Jumping Castle	Australia
Bounce House	USA
Moon Bounce
Moon Walk
Hüpfburg(en)	German-speaking	Jump castle
Springkussen	Dutch-speaking	Bounce pillow
Springkasteel		Bounce castle
Luchtkussen		Air cushion
Château Gonflable	French-speaking	Inflatable castle

Construction

Commercial bouncy castles are made from vinyl tarpaulin fabric – a heavy-duty, durable, waterproof, UV-resistant, and tear-resistant material made by coating a strong woven polyester scrim with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Large sheets of this material are stitched together with strong polyester thread to form the shape of the castle.

The vinyl can be manufactured in many different colours, which can be used to great effect to give bouncy castles their fun, bright, attractive appearance. Artwork can additionally be painted or screen-printed on to the vinyl.

The vinyl material itself is air-tight, however the stitching seams and components such as the deflation tube (even while sealed) and deflation assist zippers are not, and air will continuously escape from the castle through these areas. Air must be continuously blown into the castle to keep it inflated and firm enough to jump on.

Styles & Designs

Deep bed vs shallow
"Classic" vs "modern"
A-frame
Box
Bumper
American (mesh walls)
Popups & biff-bash
Tunnels and squeeze-through beams
Middle ride-on

Experience

Riders are first required to take off their shoes, and remove any accessories such as glasses and jewellery. These items may cause injury to other riders and even have the potential to damage the vinyl material of the castle itself. Shoes can be dirty, and most operators want to keep the castle free of dirt and grime.

One or more gymnastics mats (foam wrapped in vinyl tarpaulin) will often be placed near the entrance to the castle as a place for riders to remove their shoes without getting their socks/feet dirty. This is especially important for castles setup outside, but is also common for those setup as a one-off at an indoors event.

Some operators will require socks to be worn at all times, while others permit riders to take off their socks and jump barefoot.


Socks On		Socks Off/Barefoot
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
The vinyl material, especially darker colours, can get very hot when exposed to the sun, which may cause discomfort or even burns to barefoot riders. Some castle designs have roofs or shade covers to keep the bed of the castle cool to help alleviate this.	Socks are slippery against the vinyl surface, which can make it harder for riders to maintain balance. Though some will argue this is part of the fun!	Improved grip and balance for riders. Skin is grippy against the vinyl surface. Better sensory experience. Going barefoot lets you feel the softness, texture and temperature of the vinyl. For castles setup indoors or in the shade, the surface will be cool.	Potentially unsanitary

Riders then enter the castle.

Wall Running

Wall & Pillar Riding

Blower

The blower (also referred to as the fan, pump or motor) is a centrifugal fan driven by an electric motor or petrol/diesel engine. The blower runs continuously, delivering constant, high-pressure (how much?) air to the bouncy castle to keep it inflated. Without the blower running the bouncy castle will begin to deflate almost immediately.

Typically the blower inlet tube is located at the rear of a bouncy castle (or other inflatable). The rear of the castle is typically inaccessible to riders, which makes it an ideal location for the blower, as the blower can be a trip hazard and is quite loud (especially for petrol/diesel blowers or an electric blower run off a generator) which can be bothersome and even scare younger riders. The blower (and possibly other equipment) may also be considered unsightly and jarring; hard, mechanical and technical compared to the soft, playful and fun experience offered by the castle itself.

Whooshing & "Clicking" Sounds

As riders jump on the bouncy castle the air pressure inside the structure temporarily increases as they land on the bed. As the inflatable is moderately air tight, air can only escape through the seams or back-flow into the blower. This escaping air and back-flow causes an audible "whooshing" sound.

In addition, some (all?) blower designs have vanes/flaps on the outlet pipe that act as a one-way check valve. As air tries to back-flow into the blower, these flaps snap shut, producing an audible "click" sound.

Heavier and/or an increased number riders on the castle can increase the loudness of these sounds.