Hi! This is the author of this piece, and since a lot of you seem to be interested in rise and fall of the ball pit, I wanted to add that there are two exceptions where the ball pit seems to live on (at least in the US):
- Here and there, you'll find ball pits that seem to exist for the sole purpose of providing Instagram photo ops and seem to be more for adults than children (The Color Factory chain of museums is a notable example)
- There also seems to be a growing demand for private ball pit rentals in the same vein of the rental bouncy houses you'll find sometimes at children's parties
I couldn't find a ton of up-to-date information concerning ball pits outside of North America, so it's interesting to hear that they're still alive and well in Europe! I suspected they might be thriving elsewhere based on this sort of silly article about a woman getting stuck in a ball pit in Singapore
FYI, there is a big business of playplaces in Canada, and by and large, they appear to be independently run. Most of the ones I've been to have ball pits. The good ones have pneumatic "cannons" that kids can shoot the same balls out of.
Here and there, you'll find ball pits that seem to exist for the sole purpose of providing Instagram photo ops and seem to be more for adults than children
Come to think of it, the last time I saw a ball pit was at a party where Lipton was promoting sparkling iced tea (so there was a general bubble theme). You jumped into a ball pit and they took a video so you could post it to Instagram, or whatever.
The article describes the lack of sanitation as a baseless part of the negative mythology, but a dearth of scientific studies (and questions of generalizability of the existing studies) does not mean that their reputation is without merit. When your kid finds turds in the ball pit you don't need a study to know there's a sanitation problem.
Anecdotally, as a child I had a near 100% rate of coming down with an infection after visiting the local ball pit and witnessed the discovery of fecal matter by another child, which, combined with the repeated illness, led to a ban on further visits.
Based on the frequency of my kids getting infected at daycare, I assume any activity where toddlers or even a little older get together has a near certain chance of transmission. Although, I still would not take my chances with a ball pit that I doubt is ever thoroughly cleaned.
Exactly! And anecdotally speaking, almost every single one that I entered as a kid smelled like urine. Not that it ever stopped us from playing in it, but even as kids we knew that it wasn't a clean place.
And ignores all the people saying that cleaning them is the problem.
I'm yet another person who worked at a place with a ballpit as a teen. I loathed it. One Karen lets her brat with diarrhea in, and it's closed for 2+ hours as someone making minimum wage loads every single ball, some with shit on them, into a net bag and runs it through the commercial dishwasher. Then hand wipes every tube.
Meanwhile, a line of other Karens are taking out their rage at not having the ballpit available to them Right. This. Instant! on a bunch of minimum wage coworkers.
No, ball pits are ubiquitous at most indoor play parks here too, the author is extrapolating their disappearance from fast food restaurants, and correlating it to the 90s rumor mill. These rumors were definitely a thing, but more than just ball pits have been removed; most McDonald’s locations have had their entire PlayPlaces removed, due to the fact that people don’t sit down in fast food restaurants anymore, and also a general race to the bottom in terms of economics to remain competitive.
I'm glad you have a machine for cleaning them. One thing I noticed in the US, even as a child, was that ball pits were filthy and musty. I don't think they were ever cleaned.
I really hope the adventure playgrounds mentioned are still a thing.
The ones in Germany were a bit more organized than just a pile of junk, but you basically went there, maybe parents paid some (nominal) fee or deposit, and you got a toolbox with basic hand tools like a saw, hammer and nails and there was plenty of wood to build with.
Larger structures were clearly built with some guidance and probably a civil engineer because there were multi-story buildings.
Wow, as a Brit with an engineer/machinist father, this would have been amazing to go to as a kid. We have absolutely nothing like that here short of taking a woodworking class.
Yeah, I don't think we're giving kids saws and nails to play with.
Saying that where I grew up there were a lot of homes being built so there were piles of scrap wood, etc all over and we'd raid them and build forts using saws and nails from our dads' workshops. So maybe we are overprotective today.
My kids’ school has actually retained some elements of the junk playground. In the courtyard play area, there is a wealth of scrap wood that the kids use for building projects. When we did the tour before enrolling our kids, the older kids had just built a shed which I thought was appropriate because the school is based on John Dewey’s progressive education ideals, with his central example he returned to many times in his writings being, building a shed.
Amusingly, the director of the school, didn’t know this.
Heh, before the internet rumor mill existed, I had friends who worked at fast food joints with ball pits. They ALWAYS complained about kids pissing in the ball pits. That scared me off from ever messing with them as a young adult (and they didn't have them around my area when I was the right age/size to play in one).
Playgrounds in restaurants take staff time to clean. You have to do the windows since they get all fingerprinted. You have to sweep and mop the floors. Usually you send someone into the structure itself with a pack of sanitizer wipes and hope for the best. At a busy fast food place like chickfila, where they staff 15 people on a closing shift, they can afford to have an area like this. At a mcdonalds with a staff of 2, no chance.
I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in ball pits. Are they even swimmable or do you just sink straight down? What if there was a very deep ball pit, think 12 feet or so. Could it be escaped by swimming back up?
I don't know for sure, but I don't think so. The balls are very light, so there's almost no buoyancy. The only way to support yourself is if the balls are locked in place from the force of your foot stepping on it, which might work for a stack 2~3 balls in height at the most before it becomes unstable and slips out from underneath you.
> the boy found peace in his formative years crawling among the debris and refuse on the outskirts of post-blitzkrieg Manchester.
As far as I know, Hitler never tried to take England in a blitzkrieg. It seems like the author just wanted to use a hip word, but they completely lost my interest with that mistake
I just enumerated the playgrounds our exurb and ALL except 1 have at least one of the things you mentioned. Most have both monkey bars and swings.
The exception is a splash pad playground, so not really indicative of any sort of trend (except perhaps that our summers got a lot hotter over the last 20 years).
There are parks that do not have any playground, but those are mostly either dedicated sports fields, "adult-oriented parks" (eg the city commons), or nature-oriented parks (with trails, trees, and water). So not the sort of parks that ever had playgrounds in the first place.
Additionally, we now have some parks with natural climbing walls that you need to bring ropes to use, which is quite a bit less safe than marry-go-rounds and what-not. (I've never seen them used without adult involvement, but TBF a fall from the top would probably actually kill/seriously harm a kid).
Yeah, as a parent of a young child, all those things are still extremely common (at least at all the playgrounds I've see constructed in the past 5 years). Many even have 10ft+ rope structures and 15ft tall slides.
Sure there are more "thought games" and the merry-go-rounds won't pin and drag a child across the ground.
I mostly take my child to metroparks in my area. I wouldn't be surprised if school playgrounds have been made safer due to less individual supervision and liability for the school.
This is anecdotal "in my day" knee-jerk stuff... I've seen new playgrounds go up in my city and they've got monkey bars, swings, and merry-go-rounds with nets that kids can climb on.
AFAIK Kompan is the most popular playground equipment company around, and you can see all sorts of the stuff you list in their catalog: https://www.kompan.us
Certainly not my experience, I can’t think of a single playground I’ve been to recently that didn’t have at least 3 of swing, monkey bar, see saw and slide
The playground my city just opened (new suburb: was a corn field 2 years ago) has several merry-go-round things. They are speed limited unlike the ones of the past, but they exist. I've seen park catalogs with them - the tic-tac-toe game is a cheap option for a playground, the good stuff is expensive. (several companies have their prices online if you google - don't confuse park with home playgrounds though when you search)
The playground nearest my home is brand new and has a merry go round, swings, and metal monkey bars.
And I live in Canada, which modern political discourse has decried as a communist dictatorship.
If anything, there has been a shift away from the overly-kiddy playgrounds of the late '90s/early-'00s into playgrounds that allow kids to embrace their desire for mayhem. Heights may still be disappointingly low, but otherwise there's plenty of tools for kids to spin themselves sick. One of the larger playgrounds in my city has a gigantic teeter totter that support a dozen kids crammed onto the platforms on each side, which is AFAIK a new invention. It also sports a pump track for adventurous kids on bikes.
peggmeg|3 years ago
- Here and there, you'll find ball pits that seem to exist for the sole purpose of providing Instagram photo ops and seem to be more for adults than children (The Color Factory chain of museums is a notable example)
- There also seems to be a growing demand for private ball pit rentals in the same vein of the rental bouncy houses you'll find sometimes at children's parties
I couldn't find a ton of up-to-date information concerning ball pits outside of North America, so it's interesting to hear that they're still alive and well in Europe! I suspected they might be thriving elsewhere based on this sort of silly article about a woman getting stuck in a ball pit in Singapore
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/desperate-mum-drown...
Anyway, thanks for reading!
philliphaydon|3 years ago
https://honeykidsasia.com/indoor-play-centres-in-singapore-f...
Few of these have photos.
Here's a couple of local articles about the mum drowning in the ball pit and the response from AirZone.
https://mothership.sg/2018/02/airzone-suspended-playground-s...
https://mothership.sg/2018/02/suspended-playground-net/
Handytinge|3 years ago
klyrs|3 years ago
dfxm12|3 years ago
Come to think of it, the last time I saw a ball pit was at a party where Lipton was promoting sparkling iced tea (so there was a general bubble theme). You jumped into a ball pit and they took a video so you could post it to Instagram, or whatever.
yxwvut|3 years ago
lotsofpulp|3 years ago
romwell|3 years ago
My own ball pit? Hell yeah!
A public ball pit for adults? Depends on the crowd.
A ball pit for children? Haha no, there's no way someone didn't pee their pants in there, or dropped some food or snot.
It's surprising just how much mess a single chocolate bar can create.
I'd say actual junk playgrounds sound more sanitary.
thecans7|3 years ago
x0x0|3 years ago
I'm yet another person who worked at a place with a ballpit as a teen. I loathed it. One Karen lets her brat with diarrhea in, and it's closed for 2+ hours as someone making minimum wage loads every single ball, some with shit on them, into a net bag and runs it through the commercial dishwasher. Then hand wipes every tube.
Meanwhile, a line of other Karens are taking out their rage at not having the ballpit available to them Right. This. Instant! on a bunch of minimum wage coworkers.
At least three times a month during summer, btw.
spacemanmatt|3 years ago
post_break|3 years ago
ta988|3 years ago
dgaaaaaaaaaa|3 years ago
sn0w_crash|3 years ago
namdnay|3 years ago
There's a special machine for cleaning them, it looks a bit like the robot from teletubbies
chomp|3 years ago
micromacrofoot|3 years ago
tgsovlerkhgsel|3 years ago
The ones in Germany were a bit more organized than just a pile of junk, but you basically went there, maybe parents paid some (nominal) fee or deposit, and you got a toolbox with basic hand tools like a saw, hammer and nails and there was plenty of wood to build with.
Larger structures were clearly built with some guidance and probably a civil engineer because there were multi-story buildings.
hammyhavoc|3 years ago
nemo44x|3 years ago
Saying that where I grew up there were a lot of homes being built so there were piles of scrap wood, etc all over and we'd raid them and build forts using saws and nails from our dads' workshops. So maybe we are overprotective today.
cbanek|3 years ago
pupppet|3 years ago
dhosek|3 years ago
Amusingly, the director of the school, didn’t know this.
SamBam|3 years ago
darkstar999|3 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uahX7iEl_fI
dosman33|3 years ago
asdff|3 years ago
secondcoming|3 years ago
rootsudo|3 years ago
xwdv|3 years ago
9991|3 years ago
kettleballroll|3 years ago
As far as I know, Hitler never tried to take England in a blitzkrieg. It seems like the author just wanted to use a hip word, but they completely lost my interest with that mistake
noasaservice|3 years ago
[deleted]
InefficientRed|3 years ago
The exception is a splash pad playground, so not really indicative of any sort of trend (except perhaps that our summers got a lot hotter over the last 20 years).
There are parks that do not have any playground, but those are mostly either dedicated sports fields, "adult-oriented parks" (eg the city commons), or nature-oriented parks (with trails, trees, and water). So not the sort of parks that ever had playgrounds in the first place.
Additionally, we now have some parks with natural climbing walls that you need to bring ropes to use, which is quite a bit less safe than marry-go-rounds and what-not. (I've never seen them used without adult involvement, but TBF a fall from the top would probably actually kill/seriously harm a kid).
seabea|3 years ago
Sure there are more "thought games" and the merry-go-rounds won't pin and drag a child across the ground.
I mostly take my child to metroparks in my area. I wouldn't be surprised if school playgrounds have been made safer due to less individual supervision and liability for the school.
clintonb|3 years ago
My favorite park in Sacramento, McKinley Park [0], has a merry-go-round with spinning cages, swings, and multiple places to climb.
Jean Sweeney [1], in Alameda, has one of the coolest slides, and a zip line!
Emeryville [2] I’ll has a vertical playground!
I’m jealous of the fun my kid has at these parks, and try to join in on the fun as often as I can.
[0] http://www.raebear.net/2016/07/mckinley-park-in-east-sacrame...
[1] https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Recreation-Parks/Jean-...
[2] https://www.510families.com/eccls-vertical-playground/
Traubenfuchs|3 years ago
Go through the pics here:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Spielplatz+mit+Kletterspin...
micromacrofoot|3 years ago
AFAIK Kompan is the most popular playground equipment company around, and you can see all sorts of the stuff you list in their catalog: https://www.kompan.us
midasuni|3 years ago
bluGill|3 years ago
ehutch79|3 years ago
But... Just what are you doing at those playgrounds?
youngNed|3 years ago
Pxtl|3 years ago
And I live in Canada, which modern political discourse has decried as a communist dictatorship.
If anything, there has been a shift away from the overly-kiddy playgrounds of the late '90s/early-'00s into playgrounds that allow kids to embrace their desire for mayhem. Heights may still be disappointingly low, but otherwise there's plenty of tools for kids to spin themselves sick. One of the larger playgrounds in my city has a gigantic teeter totter that support a dozen kids crammed onto the platforms on each side, which is AFAIK a new invention. It also sports a pump track for adventurous kids on bikes.
scohesc|3 years ago
I guess it's easier for schools/cities to eliminate any possible risk of getting sued at the expense of childhood development.
wnevets|3 years ago