Boblbee

Boblbee (also BOBLBEˑE when expressed on their products) was first established in 1997 as a thinktank for research and development of sports and recreational equipment. This eventually led to the design and manufacture of hardshell and softshell backpacks. Corporate headquarters are located in Torekov, southern Sweden where their products are made and assembled. They have received two Good Design Awards.

History

Jonas Blanking, a noted industrial designer has a background in the automotive and sports industries having worked with with such companies as Alfa Romeo, Volvo, Porsche and sports-gear maker Salomon. An avid outdoorsman, he constantly had trouble with conventional backpack designs that would render his books and papers soggy in inclement weather or allow damage to his laptop casings. Therefore he felt the need for a backpack unlike those considered suitable for sports such as hiking and biking, it would have to be rigid and provide adequate volume.

Blanking looked to the air cargo industry for his first attempt in working out his predicament, which led him to employ the use of aluminium and ABS plastics. Prototypes were developed in 1996, which even then bore an unconventional appearance. The final prototype featured a concept in which the outer shell could be implemented such that the outside surface area is as useful as the internal volume. Fasteners located all over the pack led to one being able to carry a skateboard or snowboard with simple straps that could be taken off with ease. Later, accessories were made to fit around the sides and the crevasse situated at the bottom of the pack for lumbar support.

The concept was finalized in April 1998, leading to the birth of the Boblbee Monocoque Hardshell Backpack, now known as the "Megalopolis".

Megalopolis

The Megalopolis was their first and is their most popular backpack to date. Using a design that reminds some of a toboggan or even a jetpack, it has the ability to make one distinct from the crowds. The design is so influential in fact that the Megalopolis and other lines have been greatly imitated, although these fakes are on the decline. So individual is the form that the Megalopolis (and the identical but smaller Peoples Delite) have appeared as accessories in movies such as "Charlie's Angels", "Hitch", "Jason X", "The Fast And The Furious", "The Italian Job" and also "Bicentennial Man", for which the pack could be considered futuristic for the movie's time setting.

The Megalopolis comes in two versions, the Executive and Sport models. The difference between the two is the color selections (Sport version has in-mold primary colors, whereas the Executive has been painted and lacquered in a myriad of colors). The Executive has a partition of the interior, where the Sport has a removable laptop sleeve instead of an actual laptop compartment.

Target audience

Boblbee bills itself as a sports enthusiast company, but the vast proportion of their products are used in urban situations. Couriers, cyclists, motorcyclists and DJ's are all noted buyers of Boblbee packs, especially the Megalopolis. In world terms, popularity has been achieved mainly in Japan where a big portion of Boblbee items are sold. Boblbee Japan also has a website separate from the main site which features products exclusive to that region. Boblbee also sells well in their home region, Europe.

Other lines

Hardshell

* Peoples Delite: A somewhat junior version of the Megalopolis. Smaller form factor and fewer connection points for the External Strapping System

* Sam Hipbag: What the name implies, a hipbag shaped with the principles of the Megalopolis.

* Scorpia: A hardshell handbag/backpack which has a latch-lock system. Smaller in volume when compared to the Peoples Delite.

* Scarabee: An even smaller hardshell handbag reminiscent of the Scorpia that has taken the place as a novelty line in which Disney motifs are incorporated.

oftshell

* Conga: Canvas sailor sac that as the name implies, looks like a drum.

* UFO: Another "drumbag" that collapses into a zippable disc.

External links

* [http://www.boblbee.com Official Boblbee Website]
* [http://www.boblbee.co.jp Japanese Website]

External links

* [http://www.atpm.com/9.12/megalopolis.shtml Macintosh community site review of the Megalopolis]