Thu
Dec
03
2009
We've been noticed...
Here are a few of the places that this site has been mentioned…
Glamour Magazine, (March 2004) listed us as a “good way to relieve stress” on page 131.
Good Morning, America discussed our site in February of 2006.
Internet Tonight on the now-defunct cable channel ZDTV chose us as its “Stupid Net Trick” of the day.
USA Today rated us a “Hot Site” on August 12, 1998, saying “Work off that cyber-tension with some virtual bubble wrap. Not only is there a suitable sound effect, but you don’t have to worry about running out of bubbles — just start over.”
CNN Headline News profiled this site on March 21, 1999.
Metro.co.uk mentioned us in their article of March 20, 2007: “Exactly how you attack those bubbles has always been the subject of debate, says virtual-bubblewrap.com, where you can pop bubbles online. Do you go for the classic, single pop or the multi-pop by crushing handfuls in a fist? Or how about wrapping yourself in the stuff and rolling over and over? “
The Associated Press published the following on March 18, 2007, in an article titled “Online diversions to prevent real work:” _“NEW YORK —
My adventures in goofing off began with Virtual Bubble Wrap, at www.virtual-bubblewrap.com. It’s just like popping the bubbles on the wrap used for packaging, just on your computer. Use your mouse to pop all 196 bubbles. It’s you against the timer. Unfortunately, four attempts failed to land me in the top 50. My hands are simply too slow. So I opted to pop bubbles in patterns instead — namely, a smiley face. Fifteen minutes wasted. Woo-hoo! “_
also, on October 9, 1999, the Betty comic strip mentioned Virtual Bubble Wrap:
(click it for full size)
For longer bits, see these articles:
New York Times News Service
The Delphos Herald
The New York Times
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Reuters (article based on phone interview)
Entertainment Weekly
Access Magazine (interview with Pamela Anderson)
Mon
Jan
10
2005
New York Times News Service
On January 10, 2005, several papers ran the following New York Times News Service blurb about our site:
Poppin’ good time
There’s no better way to rack up some quality idle time than by doing something mindless such as, say, popping bubble packaging. If you’ve never had the pleasure, thanks to Katherine Fernie, you can – even if you don’t have any of the stuff hanging around. At http://www.virtual-bubblewrap.com/, a pristine cyber-sheet of the wrapping is there for your amusement, complete with addictive popping sounds. Fernie, a Web designer in Centreville, Va., has many fans, among them Sealed Air Corp., the maker of Bubble Wrap, which has given her permission to use the name of its product.
– NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
Thu
Jan
06
2005
The Delphos Herald
This is from an article in The Delphos Herald on January 6, 2005:
Forget resolutions, indulge on Internet
Site Seeing
by Becky Hirn
Instead of starting the New Year with a column all about the things we should be doing to make our lives better, like organizing, dieting or exercising, I decided to take a break after the holidays. It’s time to de-stress and have fun. The Internet can help. Here are a few sites I bookmarked for all those days in the coming year when I just want to goof off and forget about resolutions, responsibilities and efficient use of time. Enjoy!
www.virtual-bubblewrap.com — Indulge yourself if only for a few minutes at this site. Be careful not to get addicted. Some have claimed to spend hours popping this online bubble wrap. The site provides a realistic looking sheet of that bubbly plastic in which site visitors can smash to their heart’s content. Select to pop them one by one with the click of your mouse, or go into manic mode and just slide your mouse over as many tiny bubbles as you can. Also, choose from three sizes of bubbles. Finally, see the insane version of virtual bubble wrap where the web master has replaced the popping noise with some crude audio and visual effects.
[snipped rest of article]
Thu
Dec
30
2004
New York Times
We were mentioned in an article in the December 30, 2004 edition of The New York Times . . . Here is the portion of the article:
Good Luck and Bubblewrap.com
Lisa Napoli
Published: December 30, 2004
[snipped from full article]
Pop Goes the Woofer
This penultimate day of the year is a good one for quiet reflection, and there’s no better way to rack up some quality idle time than by doing something mindless like, say, popping bubble packaging. If you have never had the pleasure, thanks to Katherine Fernie, you can – even if you don’t have any of the stuff hanging around.
At www.virtual-bubblewrap.com, a pristine cybersheet of the wrapping is there for your amusement. (A supersophomoric version makes distasteful sounds.) Ms. Fernie is a Web designer who lives in Centreville, Va. And she harbors no delusions about her site.
“It started back in the day when the funniest things on the Internet were sites like ‘the big red button that doesn’t do anything’ and other absurdist ‘useless’ sites,” she said in an e-mail interview. “My friend and I were wanting to put up a site that topped them all in uselessness, so we brainstormed to think of what would translate least well to an online medium. Bubble Wrap was our natural choice. It is an almost completely tactile experience, so how could that possibly translate to a computer screen?”
Ms. Fernie and her friend created several other versions before the Flash animation that is currently available was posted. She has many fans, among them the Sealed Air Corporation, the maker of Bubble Wrap, which has given her permission to use the name of its product.
Fans write in her guest book, including one who typed: “i dont know who it was where it was when it was who invented this game but you are totally awsome dude and you have my vote for the totally addictive game dude.”
Mon
Apr
26
2004
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Another newspaper article about this site!
Posted on Mon, April 26, 2004:
STRESS BUSTER
Burst your bubble wrap online. It'll feel great
By Betsy Friauf
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Love that satisfying snap when you pop bubble wrap? Do you imagine that all those little circles are "moles" of urban stress, and you're whacking them like a champ?
Now you can snap online, at www.virtual-bubblewrap.com. It's more socially acceptable than alarming your co-workers with a sharp burst like automatic-weapons fire.
For those who require a more active stress-reduction method, the site suggests popping bubble wrap by rolling somersaults over it.
You're also in luck if you cope by using humor. As the site advises, "Chicks dig bubble wrap. Always bring it along on a date."
