# Who invented the inflatable woman, and when? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2000, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688 "2000-12-02T04:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/1 "2000-12-02T04:49:19Z")
I’ve searched all of Cecil’s archives and found zippo, so… ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/2 "2000-12-02T04:52:37Z")
You looked under “woman”\>inflatable, right? Look under “masturbation”\>instrumental. ---
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/3 "2000-12-02T05:30:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peace \* > **You looked under “woman”\>inflatable, right?** Yes, sahib. > [@](#): > > \*\*Look under “masturbation”\>instrumental. \*\* Okay, sahib (_five minutes later_} Nah. Doesn’t work, sahib. ---
**Author:** ![Timothy\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Timothy\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timothy_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/4 "2000-12-02T06:53:17Z")
Considering that the female form is relatively complex, and since the inflatable woman must be airtight and strong, I can’t imagine that they were made any earlier than 1823, when the Macintosh rubberized fabric coat was invented by Charles Macintosh. More likely, though, the first one was made from vinyl. Vinyl was invented in the 1920’s, by somebody named Walter Semon. Not exactly the complete answer you sought, but it’s the best I can do. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/5 "2000-12-02T07:02:26Z")
Uniball–your thread about birds and alka-seltzer made me despise you for awhile because I felt it was in bad taste. I apologize. You’re one screwy dude, and I’m starting to look forward to your threads. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/6 "2000-12-02T08:13:06Z")
You drank urine and I have bad taste? Ew! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/7 "2000-12-02T11:03:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Considering that the female form is relatively complex, and since the inflatable woman must be airtight and strong, I can’t imagine that they were made any earlier than 1823, when the Macintosh rubberized fabric coat was invented by Charles Macintosh. is this a hijack or the real meaning of the OP? True rubberized inflatable fabric wasn’t around before that but my guess that making ‘women’ out of stuff went way back even though they would be much heaver ---
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/8 "2000-12-02T11:39:00Z")
The Venus of Willendorf is a nice example of “making women out of stuff”, but I’m narrowing it to rubber women. At least they’re light and portable. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/9 "2000-12-02T14:33:50Z")
Oye, UnaPelota, I am SO not interested in searching the Web for you on this subject (it being a beautiful Saturday morning and life being too short), but I do have a suggestion. Look under “inflatable _doll_” or “blow-up _doll_”, not “woman”. And then do a Search Within Results with the word “history”. [http://www.google.com](http://www.google.com) ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/10 "2000-12-02T16:04:56Z")
**Inflatable wimmin???** _Damn, it’s har dto type with one hand!_ Where? How much??? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/11 "2000-12-02T16:44:46Z")
There is a song “Inflatable Woman”, sung to the tune of The Guess Who’s “American Woman.” I heard it only once on the radio, and I almost drove off the road laughing. ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/12 "2000-12-02T17:02:20Z")
This thread demonstrates a few things: 1. Anything goes. 2. In the first 12 hours it generated 9 answers and 145 views, ~ 1.208(3)% “initial response” rate. It’s comparable to other threads. 3. Nobody is born with all the skills necessary to find anything on the Net. I’d look under MastUrbation\>Instrumental\>Inflatable/Accessories/Tools, etc., also someting like Toys\>Rubberized or Inflatable\>Enjoyment/Self-Cratification may be fruitful. At any event, I think that sitting in front of the PC (we need a new term badly; toy+compute=to topute, to “play” with PC) beats many other activities. Such inquisitive mind, as Uniball, should not be wasted on drugs or inflatable chicks (provided he found one). Sorry, I forgot: he is not looking for one, he is in the history of inventions! Uniball, I blushed when I saw this “Sahib”, I forgot my youth when I was addressed so routinely. Address me “Teacher” or something. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/13 "2000-12-02T17:09:17Z")
The first inlfatable woman was constructed by Drewling McDrougal in the early 12th century. He lived on a lonely isle in what is now the Shetlands. A descendant of Norsemen, and a sealer and whaler by trade, he had an aversion to the popular pastime made of sheep by his neighbours on the mainland. He had heard tales of inflatable sealskin floats being used by harpoonists in regions to the north-west, so he started making floats himself. Being a solitary soul, one thing led to another, and McDrougal soon was involved in an amorous relationship with one of his inflated floats. The only problem was that his pounding away at it would force air out through the stitching, causing a very annoying noise. One year some visitors from the mainland heard the noise and broke into his turf shed to investigate. They happened upon him in the act with his inflatable seal, and were most impressed. Using Scottish inventiveness, they learned how to make inflatable women out of sheep rather than seal, and modified them so that the noise could be controlled through pipes. By the 13th century, the Scots had even learned how to play the device with their mouths, which was a remarkable development due to the cultural aversion to cunilingus at the time. Thus this adaptation of the first inflatable woman led to the creation of bagpipes, and also explains why a true bagpipe player does not wear underwear under his kilt, and why too few women are bagpipe players today. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/14 "2000-12-02T18:24:26Z")
> **[Realdoll - The World's Finest Love Realdoll](https://www.realdoll.com/)** > > The original Realdoll, founded in 1997, exclusively made in the USA. Expertly hand crafted. As seen on TLC, Discovery, Playboy TV, HBO's Real Sex, and more. ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/15 "2000-12-02T19:15:42Z")
It’s a pity that Drewling experimented with sheepskins at all. I would have, if stranded on an island, experimented with the sheep (ewe) as such… No bagpipes would have probably been born.But I ain’t Scott. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/16 "2000-12-02T19:43:40Z")
> [@](#): > > There is a song “Inflatable Woman”, sung to the tune of The Guess Who’s “American Woman.” I heard it only once on the radio, and I almost drove off the road laughing. > **[Twisted Tunes Archives - The Bob Rivers Show](https://bobrivers.com/category/twisted-tunes/)** > > Twisted Tunes .. description Thank God I found that. After bibliophage mentioned it, I couldn’t get the phrase out of my head because it fit so well, and I would have been compelled to do parody lyrics myself. Very funny. Give it a listen. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/17 "2000-12-02T21:57:55Z")
For the record, I was an original viewer and scuttled off to the search engines to try to scrap up an answer. So far, nothing. Searching for a history of sexual toys mainly just relates how women have been using dildos since time began and trying to narrow the search to history of blow up dolls just gives you a lot of nonsense that has nothing to do with it. Hopefully someone else can fare better where I have failed. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2000, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/18 "2000-12-02T23:15:09Z")
There’s an absolute-genius-level song about an inflatable woman on Frank Zappa’s “Zoot Allures” album. It’s called “Ms. Pinky.” I hesitate to quote the lyrics because of a warning against posting copyrighted (sp?) material on this message board. FZ was pretty picky about composers’ rights, and I have a tremendous respect for him. Anyway, there are FZ sites that will be happy to tell you the lyrics. Buy the CD, and you won’t have to worry about the rights, and Frank’s family will get a piece of the pie. I have avoided MP3’s because of musicians’ rights issues. Artists deserve to make a living, like the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/19 "2000-12-03T02:15:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\*There is a song “Inflatable Woman”, sung to the tune of The Guess Who’s “American Woman.” I heard it only once on the radio, and I almost drove off the road laughing. \*\* It’s from Bob Rivers. Heelareeous. You can find it easily at Napster. ---
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688/20 "2000-12-03T02:17:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peace \* > **Such inquisitive mind, as Uniball, should not be wasted on drugs or inflatable chicks (provided he found one). Sorry, I forgot: he is not looking for one, he is in the history of inventions!** Actually, I DID had a blow-up doll when I was younger. Pretty boring, if you ask me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-the-inflatable-woman-and-when/43688.md?page=2)