It is not generally advisable to spout a stream of water
across a boardroom filled with executives. However, Lonnie
Johnson—NASA engineer, inventor, and creator of the
Super Soaker—delighted the president of toy company
Larami Corp. with this very display. In 1989, after a seven-
year trudge through failed patents and rejections, Johnson
finally got his Super Soaker to store 1 shelves where it
reigned as the most popular water gun toy of the 1990s. His
product and 2 it’s spinoffs still predominate that market
today. A combination of luck and perseverance contributed
to Johnson’s successful creation.
[1] The discovery that 3 ended up eventually leading
Johnson to his first Super Soaker model was serendipitous.
[2] At the time, Johnson’s day job was at NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, where he helped design an atomic
battery for Galileo, a spacecraft created to observe Jupiter.
[3] By night, Johnson explored his own inventions in his
home office. [4] Johnson’s prototype sported a long plastic
tube and a metal spigot. [5] He aimed it at the bathtub,
and the powerful torrent of water it yielded put him 4 at
mind of a high-powered water gun. [6] The next step—an
arduous one—was to find a company with the desire and
means to produce it. [7] 5 After expressing initial interest,
Johnson was dismayed when one toy company ended
negotiations. [8] The next company he approached went
bankrupt. [9] He persisted and, after Johnson’s interactive
display in that boardroom, Larami Corp. bought the Super
Soaker and created fourteen different models of water guns
based on his design. [10] A decade later, over 200 million
Super Soakers had sold, generating over $400 million in
revenue. 6
7 Johnson’s physics and engineering skills were
critical to his toy design. Traditional water guns are held in
one hand and require just a trigger pull to eject the water
from a small cavity. Johnson’s invention, 8 by contrast,
calls for more muscle, requiring two hands to operate an
air pump before discharging, and stores water in a larger
container. The pump action on the Super Soaker allows the
user to compress the water and store more energy, resulting
in a mighty cascade of water.
While he enjoyed the accomplishment of creating
this product, Johnson also sought to solve problems more
complex than 9 amending summer fun. He embarked on
his own 10 business. He founded Johnson Research and
Development with his Super Soaker proceeds. He owns
over 80 patents, and his main goal is to create more viable
options for renewable energy. Johnson’s 11 persistence
knowledge and a happy accident paved the way for his
success as an independent inventor.
across a boardroom filled with executives. However, Lonnie
Johnson—NASA engineer, inventor, and creator of the
Super Soaker—delighted the president of toy company
Larami Corp. with this very display. In 1989, after a seven-
year trudge through failed patents and rejections, Johnson
finally got his Super Soaker to store 1 shelves where it
reigned as the most popular water gun toy of the 1990s. His
product and 2 it’s spinoffs still predominate that market
today. A combination of luck and perseverance contributed
to Johnson’s successful creation.
[1] The discovery that 3 ended up eventually leading
Johnson to his first Super Soaker model was serendipitous.
[2] At the time, Johnson’s day job was at NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, where he helped design an atomic
battery for Galileo, a spacecraft created to observe Jupiter.
[3] By night, Johnson explored his own inventions in his
home office. [4] Johnson’s prototype sported a long plastic
tube and a metal spigot. [5] He aimed it at the bathtub,
and the powerful torrent of water it yielded put him 4 at
mind of a high-powered water gun. [6] The next step—an
arduous one—was to find a company with the desire and
means to produce it. [7] 5 After expressing initial interest,
Johnson was dismayed when one toy company ended
negotiations. [8] The next company he approached went
bankrupt. [9] He persisted and, after Johnson’s interactive
display in that boardroom, Larami Corp. bought the Super
Soaker and created fourteen different models of water guns
based on his design. [10] A decade later, over 200 million
Super Soakers had sold, generating over $400 million in
revenue. 6
7 Johnson’s physics and engineering skills were
critical to his toy design. Traditional water guns are held in
one hand and require just a trigger pull to eject the water
from a small cavity. Johnson’s invention, 8 by contrast,
calls for more muscle, requiring two hands to operate an
air pump before discharging, and stores water in a larger
container. The pump action on the Super Soaker allows the
user to compress the water and store more energy, resulting
in a mighty cascade of water.
While he enjoyed the accomplishment of creating
this product, Johnson also sought to solve problems more
complex than 9 amending summer fun. He embarked on
his own 10 business. He founded Johnson Research and
Development with his Super Soaker proceeds. He owns
over 80 patents, and his main goal is to create more viable
options for renewable energy. Johnson’s 11 persistence
knowledge and a happy accident paved the way for his
success as an independent inventor.