Baby Shower Party Supplies

Themed party supplies for Baby Showers have been around since the 1950s and nowadays you can find all sorts of themed Baby Shower supplies in Vintage, Retro or Modern styles. But did you know that the pretty paper cups, plates, napkins and colourful balloons actually owe their existence to the Ancient Chinese and the inventor of the electric motor?

During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) tea was served from baskets made of rushes which held tea cups with paper napkins folded into squares. Sets of paper cups in different sizes and colours with delicate designs were also used. Paper was actually invented by the Chinese about 500 years earlier. The paper cups that we use today were invented in 1908 by Moore and Luellen in New York. They were originally sold in vending machines.

Martin Keyes of the Keyes Fibre Company in New Hampshire first invented the paper plate in 1904. These first plates were made out of pulped surplus wood chips and were intended for pie making. Martin came up with idea after watching workers at a wood factory eating their lunches on strips of maple veneer!

Michael Faraday

The inventor of the rubber balloon was none other than Michael Faraday in 1824. Faraday was best known for his discoveries of electromagnetic induction and of the laws of electrolysis. His inventions included the Faraday cage and an early version of the bunsen burner but his biggest breakthrough in electricity was his invention of the electric motor.

As early as 1889, balloons were being bought as toys and were being used for festivities. 1912 saw a new development . . . the manufacture of the first balloon that wasn’t round! In 1933 transparent balloons 5 feet in diameter were used by the famous burlesque dancer Sally Rand at the Chicago World’s Fair but they kept on bursting at an embarrassing moment. A representative of the manufacturing company went to Chicago to see if he could find the trouble’s cause. He found it. It was a certain audience member who shot paper clips with a rubber band slingshot!

If you are thinking of having some Baby Shower games at your party. You could hold a Quiz and surprise your guests with some of these facts on party supplies!