We all know and love it. Your kids scream at you when they can’t find it. Your best friend has been ignoring you since his came in the mail. And you don’t even want to get in your beautiful Austin swimming pool unless there’s at least three waiting for you. That’s right - we’re talking about the famous and beloved pool noodle swimming toy!

The Inventor

Using this watercrunch blog entry from last year as a resource, we thought we uncovered the inventor of the pool noodle. But there are lots of people claiming others or themselves as inventors in many different countries. One source even claims it was invented in 1999, which is outrageous but further highlights the confusion of the noodle’s inventor.

At this time, we are unprepared to declare a pool noodle inventor. The pool noodle may be similar to a popular quote that everybody knows but can’t quite point to historic proof as to who created it.

With that being said, according to a few sources, the commonly used term “noodle” came from Jakks Pacific’s use of “FunNoodle” for branding the pool noodles in the late 80s. Though with the poor amount of evidence, it could just as easily be argued that it was the other way around.

Uses

Pools noodles are a great exercise tool! You can do several exercises and play several games with your pool noodle.

I’m not kidding when I say ehow.com has a really impressive guide on all the exercises you can do with your pool noodle. Nothing beats a pool workout! But remember, as much fun as they are, pool noodles are very buoyant and, if you’re not careful exercising, you can accidentally harm some of your buddies that are excercising with you. It’s fortunate that they are so well padded!

Design Choices

The design choices behind the pool noodle are what makes it stand out so much. The colors are fun and bright, the simple design is brilliant in the inventive way it unlocks the imagination of people of all ages, and the material typically makes it an almost harmless pool toy.

What else? The air holes inside them allow some water to be playfully blown out towards other swimmers. Their affordability allows them to be purchased in bundles so you can construct almost anything, including a makeshift raft with some rope. Before finishing your pool noodle raft, save a small end of one of the noodles for a bizarre pool noodle hat and you’ll be the king of your pristine pool!

Using A Pool Noodle

As with any pool device, always be cautious and aware that It’s possible young children may use the pool noodles to rough house or smack other people. Just make sure you are supervising young children’s specific use of the toy so the fun doesn’t accidentally get out of hand.

Someone actually wrote a book on using your pool noodles. It’s called “50 Ways To Use Your Noodle.” It was followed up by “50 More Ways To Use Your Noodle.” Check them out!

What’s Your Take On The Noodles?

Are you going to get a pool noodle (or five) for the swim season? If not, why? Let us know on the Pristine Pools Facebook page. If you are a pool owner in need of pool advice or help, please contact Pristine Pools - the Austin pool experts. You can reach us at 512.773.0668.