Did You Know This Iconic Product Is Made In Minnesota?

It can be tough to get kids to take a bath before bedtime. They are tired, they had a long day and, after all, baths aren't exactly the most fun thing to do for a toddler.

However, there are a few enticements that can lure your kid into the bath. Maybe a rubber duckie is all it takes, or some bath crayons. For my son that one thing is bubble bath.

The suds are a game-changer for the entire bath conversation in our house, transforming another torturous hair-washing session into a fun, relaxing soak in the bubble-tub.

While I am sure there are a ton of bubble bath products out there, we always seem to go with Mr. Bubble. That is the brand I remember using as a kid and it's one of those name brands, like Rollerblade or Frisbee, that is just shorthand for the product itself.

Mr. Bubble was originally invented in North Dakota and wasn't exactly an instant hit. When the product debuted in 1961, it was a "massive flop" according to CBS:

At 59 cents, the price was wrong, he said. The bubble bath didn't fit into the household grocery budgets at the time. His father made a deal with a large grocery chain to sell Mr. Bubble at a lower price to get rid of it -- and it flew off the shelves.

 

"But he couldn't afford to sell it," Ed Schafer said. "It was losing money on every little bubble."

Eventually they were able to get the price down to 39 cents per package, which proved to be the sweet spot to get the product selling.

In 2008, Mr. Bubble was sold to Minnesota-based The Village Company, which continues to produce the product to this day.