Why People Pop Bubble Wrap and Uncovering Eight Mysteries of Puchi Puchi

That polyethylene sheet is often used to wrap fragile items. Many people become addicted to the act of popping it with their fingers, and it has long been affectionately known as “Puchi Puchi®.” Generally, it’s called “bubble wrap,” but this Puchi Puchi name is actually a registered trademark of Kawakami Sangyo Co., Ltd., the company that developed and manufactures it.

So why did this Puchi Puchi become something that can be popped with your fingers? The book titled ‘Puchi Puchi®: Why Did a Bubble Sheet, Made to Prevent Being Popped, Become Something to Pop with Your Fingers?’ (Puchi Puchi Culture Research Institute, published by Mynavi Publishing), released on “Puchi Puchi Day” on August 8th, answers that question. It was written by the Puchi Puchi Culture Research Institute, which has been within Kawakami Sangyo and has gathered information about Puchi Puchi for 23 years.

The human desire to pop Puchi Puchi with fingers is said to be a psychological phenomenon called “affordance,” similar to the urge to open a door when you see one, or to press a button when it’s there. So why has the act of popping Puchi Puchi become so broadly therapeutic for people? The book shares a wealth of information about Puchi Puchi collected by the Research Institute, and we introduce just a small part of it.

 

(1) “Puchi Puchi® Has an Official Way to Be Popped”

Puchi Puchi, which helps relieve stress when popped, actually has an official popping method. The basic technique is the “thumb pop,” where you lightly grip a bubble between your thumb and index finger and press it firmly to pop. There’s also the “silent pop,” where you slowly slice each bubble with a cutter—people get hooked on the subtle sensation. Other methods include the “underwater pop,” where you pop bubbles in the bath and enjoy the tiny air bubbles, and the “rolling pop,” where you lay a sheet on the floor and roll over it to pop bubbles with your entire body. There are also competitive methods, like the “Genpei pop,” where two people pop bubbles, and the “mahjong pop,” which involves four people. The “wringing pop,” where bubbles are crushed all at once by twisting the sheet like a rag, is considered unofficial and frowned upon by fans as a disrespectful method.