Bean Bag Chairs are the Rage Again!
Bean bag chairs are now more popular than ever. They were the rage when they came out in the late 1960’s and the early 1970s, but faded from popular culture (also from living rooms and bedrooms). Sure, there were bean bag chairs still available, and they’ve been popular for children’s bedrooms across the United States, and around the world.
Zazbot.com now has a brand new bean bag chair resource in which we have listed a lot of information on most of the popular beanbag chairs that are available online and off-line, including theme-based beanbag chairs. What I mean by theme-based is designs and patterns based on sports teams, sports equipment, universities, US States, cartoon Characters (including licensed character), cars, etc.
Modern Beanbag Chairs and Golden Mean Ratio
The construction of modern beanbag chairs has been greatly improved due to the application and of physics and mathematics. In fact, some of the beanbag chair merchants brag about the use of Golden Mean Ratio in their manufacturing process. Don’t ask me why. I only care if the beanbag chair is comfortable and it’s sold for a reasonable price.
Modern Beanbag Covers and Inner Filling Material
The material used as filler (or “the beans”) has also changed dramatically since the inception of beanbag chairs. Listed below is very common beanbag chair composition. Keep in mind that this is a big beanbag chair description. This would be a large, adult sized beanbag chair.
- Size: 5′5 x 4′5 feet
- Material: Nylon (PVC coated nylon for longevity and durability)
- Filling: Virgin Polystyrene Foam (small foam balls)
- Cleaning: Use a clean rag rinsed with hot soapy water
There is a lot of competition in the beanbag chair market, and competitors claim that their materials are superior to the “other guy’s” beanbag. There is a difference between the expensive and cheap beanbag chairs. You usually get what you pay for though. Watch out for big shipping charges, as some of these companies are making profit from the shipping charges.
The Hazards of Beanbag Chairs
Parents should be aware that there has been reported case of death and injury due to improper use of beanbag chairs. What happens is that children unzip the beanbag chair and climb into it. Inside the beanbag the children either suffocate or ingest the filler. There has been approx. 40 cases of children suffering serious injury and approx. 10 cases of children dying as result of this phenomenom. For more on this hazard, please read this beanbag recall report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (commonly know as the CPSC).
The alternative is to buy a beanbag that doesn’t have a zipper. However, this means you can’t change the filler when it wears out. There is another option and most of these concerns resulted in an industry standard being developed via the CPSC which went into effect in 1995.
Recommendations from the CPSC suggested a double zipper on all newly manufactured beanbags. The new standard also includes a safety lock or latch to secure the double zipper when closed up. The lock/latch to have a special tool for opening so that children and toddlers can’t open the zipper(s). These new standards have cut down on death and injury from beanbag chairs greatly. Now, there is nothing stopping kids from cutting open the bag with knife or scissors and crawling in that way.
With the above, manufacturers need to display a clear an concise warning on the beanbag chair so that parents and guardians understand the risks associated with children at play. These warning labels must be readable in all of the respective languages depending on the countries the beanbag chairs are sold in.
US Flammability Standards
If the above issues were not enough, there has been a fire hazard associated with older beanbag chairs. Now the filler (regardless of type) must be treated with a fire retardant compound so the beanbag chair doesn’t turn into a fireball in the event of a house fire. New beanbag chairs must now meet the United States Flammability Standard for manufacturing.
What to Look for When Buying a Beanbag Chair
You want to make sure the beanbag chair you buy complies with all of the CPSC recommendations as above. Make sure the beanbag chair has flat felled seams, and/or double stitched seams. Only purchase a beanbag chair that has a double zipper with some kind of zipper locking device. Never buy a beanbag chair that does not meet the National Flammability Standard.
Beanbag Chairs are Comfortable, Durable, Safe and Fun!
Now that we’ve gotten through all the scary stuff associated with old-style beanbag chairs, we need to remind ourselves that modern beanbag chairs are comfortable, stylish, durable, safe, and just plain fun! Beanbag chairs are perfect for rumpus rooms, school settings, kid’s rooms, art deco interior decorating, and on home theater floors. With the newer trend of big beanbag sofas and beds, they’re coming back into style all over again. The price is never out of hand, and they make fantastic gifts.
Making Your Bean Bag Chair
Making your beanbag chair can be a lot of fun and may save you some money. At least when you make your own beanbag chair you can make is indestructible and safe. You can customize it and make it as personalized as you wish. This can be a whole bunch of fun for the kids and the family. Get creative and make a SPECIAL beanbag chair!
You can also make a DIY beanbag sofa. Click here for an example of a beanbag sofa plan with instructions and pictures.
Classic Beanbag Chairs and Furniture
There has been a trend towards making and selling beanbag chairs that are very much like the original designs that came out in the late 1960s. See this article on the Comfy Sack site. This is from their blog. Cool huh!!!!
Beanbag Chair Manufacturers
- The Cozy Sac
- Bean Products
- Beanbag Blitz
- SportsMagick (sports teams only)
- BeanbagChair.com
There are more manufacturers than this, but this are the main ones.
Our Beanbag Chair Information
We’ve created a tank of beanbag information in which we have separate pages on over 120 different beanbag chairs. Here are just a few links you can check out.
- Cheap beanbag chairs
- Personalized beanbag chairs
- Gaming beanbag chairs
- Faux Beanbag chairs
- College beanbag chairs
Thanks for dropping by for some beanbag ideas, and information. Please leave a comment on this article. If no-one has commented yet below…..just type in a sentence to get things started.
Tags: bean bag chairs, bean bags, chairs, Furniture
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