One of the most enjoyable aspects of Extreme Bubbles, Inc. is all the wonderful letters, emails, phone calls and big bubble pictures I receive from happy customers.

Here is one very good example. This email is from John.

“For even more fun, use a hair dryer to make the bubbles and they will rise hundreds of feet and go a long ways before bursting. Has anyone except my son thought of doing this? It’s not in your instructions and is really spectacular.”

Then in another email with a more detailed explanation.

“Here is how this came about. I gave my twin grandkids an Extreme Bubble kit for XMAS.  They did not get around to trying it until last week (April 17, 2010) when they called me and wanted to come over (they live next door) and show me the huge bubbles they were making.  When they showed up my son (John) had a ordinary hair dryer with him.  After dipping the wand in the solution he turned on the hair dryer and held it in front of the loop and lo and behold these big, beautiful bubbles formed and instead of drifting across the lawn they rose like big, beautiful baloons into the sky for a really neat effect.  Using the hair dryer you do not have to move the wand, and quickly learn the best distance from the loop to hold the dryer.  I took some video and photos, but due to the transparncy of the bubbles they do not show up well agains the cloudy sky.”

“Try it!!!. I think you’ll like it and will want to pass this hint on to your users.”

“PS.  I may try to put one of the videos on my facsbook page.”

Whoa, John! Big bubbles rising hundreds of feet? Thank you! I think your son has an incredibly good imagination and a terrific idea! No, I have never heard of this before, and you are the first person to bring this to our attention. I think this idea is SO terrific, I foresee big bubble enthusiasts all over the world latching onto this and creating spectacular big bubble displays with hair dryers!

Plus, this may be the answer to the age old question: How can you keep the kids from popping all the big bubbles? See our blog: Happy Customer. This happens to be one of my favorite blogs. As Erik explains, one of the greatest challenges is keeping the kids at bay, and keeping them from popping all the big bubbles. Well, if you use a hair dryer like John has pointed out, and the big bubbles RISE, problem solved!

If you have a great idea for big bubbles, or if you would like to share your big bubble experiences, whether it be recipes, or pictures, or stories, whatever, go to our Contact Us page. Then simply use the dropdown menu and select “Products or Website” and send us your email. You could be the next one to see your story in a blog, or pictures on our Facebook Page!

Thanks again John for a great story. It’s happy big bubble customers like you and your son who make this wacky world of big bubbles go around. Well done!

For 30 years, I spent my life as an industrial water treatment chemist or consultant. Specialty chemicals are used in industry to treat boiler water, cooling water, wastewater and potable water. I’d make clean water from dirty water.

In a boiler you have to keep the water clean so it doesn’t leave scale deposits, cut the heat transfer and therefore blow up the boiler. You don’t want to do that, because some of these boilers are as big as a building and have pressure over 1,000 pounds per square inch. That would create a really loud bang. At the same time of controlling deposits, you have to prevent the boiler water from corroding the pipes. You have to accomplish two things at once.

Treating cooling water is much the same. Prevent scale buildup and at the same time prevent corrosion. This is oftentimes quite a bit more challenging because industry takes in the nastiest water, usually untreated or raw water, and uses it for cooling. In boilers they treat the incoming water to ultrapure standards. In cooling water they don’t. Then of course, after the water does it’s job of cooling, it must be cleaned up to standards that exceed the quality of the incoming water. Yes, the clean air and clean water acts of the 1970’s worked.

My time was spent in new business development including application engineering, consulting, design, installation, management, construction, start-up, operations, training, optimization, maintenance and trouble shooting a variety of water treatment application systems. Industries served: Petroleum, chemical, mining and mineral processing, power generation both fossil fuel and nuclear, pulp and paper, food processing, plastic, rubber, glass, pharmaceutical, steel, metal processing including electro-plating, military, hospital and universities. There are probably more, I just can’t remember.

I really liked my career because I had a chance to learn about so many different kinds of industry and so many different kinds of applications: Mine land reclamation, transient and residual dust control, freeze conditioning, macro fouling (Asian clams; Corbicula fluminea, and Zebra mussels; Dreissena polymorpha), microbiologically-induced corrosion (MIC), legionella control (Yes the gram negative bacterium that cause legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease), fireside additives to control slag problems in rotary kilns, solid liquid separation applications of many varieties, are just a few in addition to the standard boiler, cooling, wastewater and potable water applications.

So when I recently got a call from a large industrial customer, asking if we could make a better leak detection formula, of course I said: “Yes!” The standard leak detection formulae currently available on the market today are all good products. Our challenge was to make one even better.

Our new product is called EBI – LDF, which stands for Extreme Bubbles, Inc. – Leak Detection Fluid. Our ready to use leak detection fluid is better in two ways. First, when using a liquid for detecting leaks, you apply the product evenly over the suspect area, joint, or flange. If there is a leak, obviously a bubble, or bubbles will form. The EBI – LDF bubbles last longer! This makes the job of detecting the leaks easier and more reliable.

Second, the EBI – LDF is a thicker, or more viscous solution. Therefore when you use our product where there are large gaps, say near a large flange, the liquid slides smoothly and evenly over the entire area. It clings to the surfaces much better and once again provides a more reliable and accurate read for detecting leaks, even in the most difficult places.

If you or your company are interested in learning more about Extreme Bubbles, Inc. Leak Detection Fluid, go to our “Contact Us” page, and from the dropdown menu choose “Business Relations”.

Soap Bubble Consulting

Being a water chemist by education and vocation (Technical Service Engineer with 30 years experience in the industrial water treatment market: Boiler water, cooling water, wastewater and potable water) it was a natural progression for me to enter the wacky world of bubbles. After all bubble are comprised of mostly water! See the blog: beeboo® – How it all started.

Surfactants, soaps and detergents absolutely fascinate me, because of course; they are primarily made up of water, or used in water. Water, one simple molecule of hydrogen connected to two molecules of oxygen, covering 70% of the earth with only 2.5% of that being fresh water, and comprising 78% of a human body in the form of a baby and 60% of our adult body, may in fact be what makes the world go around. My 30 years experience as an industrial water treatment engineer, plainly stated; making clean water from dirty water.

My soap bubble consulting started years ago, when I received a call from a soap bubble artist, entertainer and consultant looking for a specific bubble mix, or blend of products, to be used in a Las Vegas show. I don’t feel comfortable mentioning names of individuals, corporations, production studios, ad agencies, competitor bubble manufacturers, toy companies or the like, as all the work I do for them is confidential in nature. Oftentimes a Non Disclosure Agreement is not required. Our word and handshake is as good as any legal document. Suffice it to say, we gained a new customer from that inquiry, developed a new friendship and established our reputation as being one of high quality products, terrific customer service and above all, the integrity of our corporation.

Since that time we have worked with a variety of customers, with a variety of soap bubble needs, and met or exceeded their expectations with our products and services. Here is just a short list of soap bubble consulting projects and applications we have been a part of:

• Las Vegas production.
• National television commercials for the automotive industry and many others.
• Super Bowl television commercial. Produced but never aired.
• Multiple major toy companies looking for better bubble solutions, both ready to use small bubble solutions as well as new and better big bubble concentrates.
• We have even helped competitors improve the Quality Assurance program of their manufacturing facilities in Asia. Yes, we helped our competitors, it’s just good Karma.
• Bubble artists and bubble entertainers from around the world. Each had specific requests for technical information; everything from setting a Guinness World Record to engineering specific bubble formulae for their unique applications.
• Developing better soap bubble formulations for industrial applications, such as leak detection and many others.
• Developing laboratory procedures and test methods to evaluate effectiveness of surfactants, additives and blends of surfactants and additives, in a quantitative rather than subjective manner.

Part of being a technical consultant is realizing when you don’t know the answer. One of my best friends had a great saying about this: “When you know, you don’t know. And when you know you don’t know that’s when you know.” If I don’t know the answer to your request, I have an army of friends and associates, in a variety of disciplines, to help in meeting and exceeding your expectations.

If you or your company has a specific request for a soap bubble consulting project, go to our “Contact Us” page and from the drop down menu choose “Business Relations”.

Extreme Bubbles, Inc. mission statement is to make the world a better place through the simple joy of bubbles. Whether the bubbles are big or small, short or tall, it really doesn’t matter. What does matter to us, is that families, friends and neighbors; “Enjoy The Day, Get Outside & Play!” This has become one of our tag lines.

It is therefore a real joy when we receive emails, letters, videos, pictures and phone calls from happy customers. As a matter of fact, letters from happy customers really make my day. We encourage all of you to write us, and share your bubble stories. Go to our Contact Us page and share your bubble experience with us today. It may end up on our blog!

This letter is from Erik:

Well, I ordered a starter kit for large bubbles (and some Beeboo mix) from your site and broke out the bubbles this 4th of July.  My wife and I own a bed-and-breakfast and so we hosted a bunch of my old college friends — around 30 people all together including around 15 kids.

What a hit!

However, you did not warn that my throat would get hoarse from repeating the following phrase:  “STAY BACK!”

All the kids wanted to do was be the first to pop the bubbles.  So from verbal warnings to physical boundaries (you kids HAVE TO STAY BEHIND THE MARKS ON THE GROUND!), to outright yelling — nothing could stop their enthusiasm to pop them.  I even tried the “Line the kids up” game you suggested in your blog but with every set of bubbles, the children kept creeping a little bit closer and closer until they were popping them before they could even come off the sticks.  And of course the 7 year olds were popping them before the 3 and 4 year olds had a chance at them….. What a delightful mess!

Everyone was amazed and enthralled.  We went through a full gallon of the mix and enjoyed every drop of it.  Thanks for the excitement and the fun way to entertain everyone at our get-together.

Thank you Erik. Your letter makes me laugh out loud every time I read it. From direct personal experience, you have in fact, discovered the three basic types of bubble lovers:

1. Those who love to create bubbles
2. Those who love to watch bubbles, and of course
3. Those who love to pop bubbles

“Enjoy The Day, Get Outside & Play!”

Dip Stix™ is our new Grab & Go Giant Bubble Kit.

You need three things to make giant bubbles:

1. A big bubble wand.
2. A big bubble formula.
3. A container to hold the mix.

Our Dip Stix™ Grab & Go Kit has all three inside a small 11”x4”x2” package!

The 4 ounces of Dip Stix™ Giant Bubble Mix (Our best big bubble mix yet!) is inside a Ziploc, heat sealed, pleated bottom container. Just zip the top open, add 1 quart of tap water and viola! You have a portable bubble bucket that re-seals after use!

Dip Stix™ Giant Bubble Mix works great right after mixing. You will have spectacular results when you let the solution “Age” overnight. (For best results, remove foam with a spoon. Big bubbles do not like foam).

The secret is in the formula.

Dip Stix™ bubbles are big, have extremely beautiful colors, and the big bubbles last an incredibly long time.

I really like how the new Dip Stix™ Mix performs. To give you an idea of the robust nature of this formula, take a look at this picture. Dip Stix bubble on ground with blades of grass sticking through it, yet it doesn’t pop! A Dip Stix™ bubble settles on the grass. Upon close inspection (Just click the picture for an enlarged view) you can observe blades of grass sticking through the bubble, yet the bubble hasn’t “Popped”. How cool is that?

Dip Stix™ Giant Bubble Mix is so incredible we made a video of all the tricks you can perform. With a little practice anyone can do these tricks and more. View video and purchase Dip Stix online.

Learn even more about Dip Stix™ and big bubbles by reading our blog:

1. Dip Stix Giant Bubble Mix
2. Top 11 secrets for creating record breaking big bubbles
3. 4 Fun Summertime Bubble Games
4. Bubble Troubles

The Pro Wand is the largest bubble wand we make, which means it creates the biggest bubbles. The Pro Wand was also the first big bubble wand we made. The smaller “Starter Wand” came second.

This blog is actually a sequel to beeboo® – How it all started. You see, beeboo® Big Bubble Mix was actually created first, and then we began manufacturing the wands. So here’s how this story goes:

The very first big bubble device I used was back in the early 1990’s or so. The device was referred to as The Bubble Thing and was invented by David Stein. The big bubble wand had a ribbon like loop attached to a long rod and a mechanism to open and close the bubble loop. I did some additional research on bubble wands and discovered Arthur Fulton and Kalvin Klundt, both of which had their own designs and patents on big bubble wands.

I was absolutely fascinated with the two handle design invented by Kalvin. I fashioned my own homemade version of his wand to further my experiments with our newly created beeboo® Big Bubble Mix. The patent was still valid, so of course we couldn’t manufacture and sell that particular wand design along with beeboo to make the big bubble kit we had always dreamed of, and suggested by Betty James, the “Slinky” lady!

In the late 1980’s the Galoob Toy Company had manufactured Kalvin’s two handle big bubble toy and marketed the product under the trade name of Dip Stix. They sold millions! Years passed, patents expired and Galoob was no longer in existence. I decided to call Kalvin Klundt, to discuss the possibility of manufacturing his wand design again, and co-market with beeboo. Even though the patent had expired, the toy was no longer being sold, and the original toy company was out of business, I thought it best as a gesture of good faith and personal respect to call Kalvin directly and discuss this potential. Kalvin is one of the most polite and gracious toy inventors I have ever known. His response to my request was: “No problem Dave that was 20 toys ago!”

Now we had our second product, a big bubble wand to go along with our big bubble concentrate. Up to this point, we had been selling just the big bubble mix. Once we began offering the wand and the mix as a package, sales began to increase. This proved that Betty James was correct; consumers want a quality experience that is easy, convenient and fun.

There are many attributes I enjoy about the two handle big bubble wand design. It’s definitely the most popular design among big bubble enthusiasts, as every world record bubble, since the first one was established, has been created using the two handle design. Two really big handles of course!

The main reason I like the two handle wand is how easy it is to create big bubbles. It’s really easy with either the beeboo® Pro Wand or the beeboo® Starter Wand.

The first step of course is to wet the super absorbent wicking material in your big bubble solution. Then, holding the tips together, lift them high into the air and with the breeze at your back.

The two simple steps for creating big bubbles are as follows:

OPEN

CLOSE

It’s that easy to use the two handle wand design! Of course the same technique is used with our smaller beeboo® Starter Wand, designed for beginners and youngsters.

This is a picture of one of our customers from Spain. Although our product age range is suggested to be six years old, this little girl is only four. She is using our beeboo® Big Bubble Starter Wand with marvelous results, at her very first attempt!

You may order your beeboo® Big Bubble Starter wand here, and your beeboo® Big Bubble Pro Wand here.

All beeboo® products are made in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA! Every product you purchase helps create and maintain jobs in America!

The most common questions I get regarding Extreme Bubbles, Inc, big bubbles or beeboo® Big Bubble Mix is: “How did you think of this?” This is a really good question and I hope to provide an informative explanation here.

Around or about 1990 I purchased my first big bubble wand. The device was in fact invented by David Stein. The big bubble wand was called The Bubble Thing. You can read more about David, his invention and the history of big bubbles here.

If I remember correctly, I paid about $15 dollars for this contraption, which included instructions on how to make your own homemade big bubble solution. Being a chemist, it was easy to follow the instructions verbatim. Once completed, my three children and I ventured outside with wild anticipation to discover a whole new world of excitement, giant bubbles!

Unfortunately, Proctor & Gamble had changed the formulas for JOY and Dawn dishwashing liquids about that time and the homemade big bubble solution didn’t work very well. As a matter of fact, it didn’t work at all. Being a water treatment chemist by education and vocation, I was determined to formulate a better big bubble mix. I am also considered to be a bit on the frugal side of life, and certainly didn’t want to waste the money I had invested in this new big bubble thing. Therefore I set out to make a better formula.

My test methods were quite crude at the time and consisted primarily of trial and error. I called it “Kitchen Chemistry”. I tried everything from dishwashing detergents, laundry detergents, bath soaps, Karo syrup, salt, cooking oils, you name it! Finally with diligence and a little luck I discovered a few additional additives that increased the performance of the big bubbles dramatically. The bubbles were not only huge, they had unbelievably beautiful colors and the big bubbles lasted an incredibly long time. The results were absolutely amazing!

Every time the kids and I would go outside to try a new formula, with results getting better and better with each attempt, the neighborhood residents, casual passersby and people even driving in their cars would always stop and say: Wow. Those are the biggest bubbles I’ve ever seen! Where can I buy that stuff?

You see, the secret is in the formula.

I had finally got my monies worth! My new mix (yet unnamed) worked extremely well in just about any type of weather conditions!

My first plan was to market our new big bubble mix, then called Xtreme Bubbles®, as a standalone product. It just so happened, that I knew Betty James. Her husband was the person who invented one of the world’s most popular toys “Slinky”. Her husband had passed away by this time and Betty was now running the company. Betty and I met for lunch to discuss various methods of marketing Xtreme Bubbles®. Trusting her experience and her judgment explicitly, I really wanted to know her thoughts.

Betty strongly suggested we needed to offer consumers the convenience of a “Kit”; one that contained both a big bubble mix as well as a big bubble wand, thereby making the process of creating big bubbles easy, convenient and fun. She was right. But now we had to come up with an idea for a big bubble wand. That will be another blog, relating to our beeboo® Big Bubble Pro Wand!

Suffice it to say, beeboo® Big Bubble Mix is an extremely robust formula, used by bubble artists, bubble entertainers, including Cirque du Soleil, and consumers on every continent in the world, except of course Antarctica.

beeboo® works very well as a refill for many bubble toys and big bubble toys, including bubble machines. beeboo® works great as a refill for the

Unbelievabubble big bubble sword

Big bubble swords sold at Target and Walmart

Mega Bubbles, and big bubble plastic hoops, of all sizes and shapes

including fish wands

Star wands and flower wands

Spin Master Big Bubbler and similar big bubble wand swords

Little Kids Bubble Twister, and many more types of bubble toys.

Bubble artists and bubble entertainers even mix beeboo® with other commercially available bubble solutions like Imperial Toys Miracle Bubbles, Super Miracle Bubbles, Mr. Bubbles sold by the old Tootsie Toy, Strombecker and Chemtoy companies (Which has now been sold and no longer made in the USA), Pustefix bubbles, Gazillion Bubbles, Fan Yang bubbles, Amazing Bubbles by Placo and Bubbelz distributed by Greenbrier International, Inc. By mixing beeboo® Big Bubble Mix and other commercially available, ready to use, small bubble solutions, you can create some very interesting effects with both large and small bubbles. It’s fun to experiment!

beeboo® is in fact, our very first product. The name has become synonymous with quality and performance around the world. Shop for beeboo® now:

· One bottle of beeboo®

· beeboo® big bubble Refill Pack, 4 bottles of beeboo® Big Bubble Mix

Each bottle of beeboo® Big Bubble Mix makes one gallon of solution. Simply add 14 cups of ordinary tap water and mix. Do not use bottled water or purified water.

Dip Stix™ is our new, compact and portable “Grab & Go” big bubble kit. Just add water!

We encourage all of our Dip Stix™ Grab & Go Kit customers to write a review and post it right here! Everyone who writes a product review will receive a free store coupon, via email, to be used at your convenience any time in the future.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Shop for Dip Stix™ Giant Bubble Maker Grab & Go Kit here.

Shop for Dip Stix™ Refill Packs here.

Free Dipstix Giveaway here!

Learn more about Dip Stix Giant Bubble Mix

Top 11 secrets for creating record breaking big bubbles

4 Fun Summertime Bubble Games

We’re excited to announce that we’ve redesigned our homepage at www.worldslargestbubble.com.  We found that new visitors to the site were a little confused when they landed on our page because the products we create & sell weren’t immediately apparent.

What do you think about the new & improved homepage?

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we’re doing a FREE giveaway this week in collaboration with www.freefunguides.com.

Head on over to their site to enter to win a FREE Dipstix Grab & Go kit.  Good luck!