Ohhhh snap. Here's a 1968 advertisement for a special offer from L&M cigarettes — blow-up pillows for only $1. And here you thought you were being so futuristic in 1997.
The concept of inflatable furniture has actually been around for quite some time. Here's a woman in 1956 showing off a chair of her own invention.
But it was in the late '60s that inflatable furniture really became big thanks to a designer named Quasar Khanh. This photo is from 1968.
And by 1970, Quasar furniture was apparently on display at the MoMA in NYC and the Louvre in Paris.
A groovy girl looks predictably uncomfortable on an inflatable ball chair in 1969.
In 1969, an Italian designer named Gaetano Pesce produced a line of furniture that was constructed mostly from vacuum-packed foam. When released from the box, the chair would let in air, expanding on its own.
Here's a 1969 record cover with a groovy blow-up chair.
Here, some swingin' '60s style, too.
Of course, just because inflatable furniture may have been invented 30 years before you used it doesn't make it any less special. Never forget.
