Though Lonnie Johnson is best known for inventing the bestselling Super Soaker water gun in 1989. Johnson had been formerly employed at the U.S. Air Force and NASA, where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Johnson was born in Mobile, Alabama. His father, a World War II veteran, explained the basic principles of electricity to Johnson at an early age. Johnson recalls having always liked to tinker with things, and was therefore nicknamed “the Professor” by neighborhood kids. He once took apart his sister’s baby doll to figure out how her eyes closed. Johnson also attempted to prepare rocket fuel in a saucepan, and almost burned down the house.
Johnson did make some of his own toys growing up. He built chinaberry guns using a mop and hollowed out bamboo tubing. He also built a go-cart, windmills, and rockets.
As a teenager, Johnson attended Williamson High School, an all-black high school in Mobile. In 1968, he represented his high school at a science fair in Alabama where he was the only black student, and for which he presented a robot powered by compressed air that he had created. Johnson took home the first-place prize.
Johnson attended Tuskegee University, and earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1973 and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering in 1975. Johnson worked for the U.S. Air Force, on the stealth bomber program, and eventually joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1979.
During Johnson’s time at NASA, he worked in the Air Force Missions Lab, developing the nuclear power source for the Galileo mission to Jupiter. Johnson also worked on several weapons-related projects, and as an engineer on the Mariner Mark II Spacecraft series for the Comet Rendezvous and Saturn Orbiter Probe missions.
In 1982, Johnson conceived of the idea of a pressurized water gun, after shooting a powerful stream of water in his bathroom during experiments for a new type of refrigeration system. A few months later, he built a prototype in his basement in the evenings after work, using Plexiglas, PVC pipe, O-ring seals, and a two-liter soda bottle for the reservoir. Johnson wanted to produce the toy himself, but the manufacturing costs were too high. It was not until he met the vice president of toy company Larami, at the American International Toy Fair in New York City, that Johnson received interest in his invention.
Johnson built an improved prototype and traveled to Larami headquarters in Philadelphia. After refinements with Larami’s design director and engineering consultant, mass production was made feasible. The first commercial version of the water gun appeared in stores in 1990 as the “Power Drencher.” The following year, the toy achieved commercial success under its new name, “Super Soaker.”
Super Soakers have incorporated a variety of technological developments:
– Piston water guns, without triggers, that are fired simply by pumping;
– Pressurized reservoirs, which are pressurized by air pumped and compressed into the reservoir, after which compressed air pushes the water out of the nozzle when the trigger is pulled and a valve is opened;
– Air pressure in a separate chamber, designed so that water is pumped from the reservoir into an empty plastic container, compressing the air in the container, the compressed air forcing the water out when the trigger is pulled and the valve is opened;
– Spring-loaded pistons;
– Motorized water guns, which used an electric pump to push water directly out of the nozzle; and
– Constant pressure system, by which a user pumps water from the reservoir into a rubber bladder, which expands as more water is forced into the bladder, exerting a constant pressure on the water.
In 1991, the Super Soaker generated $200 million in sales. Johnson founded his own company, Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc.
In 1995, Larami became a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. In 2013, Johnson discovered that he was being underpaid royalties for the Super Soaker and several Nerf toys. He filed suit, and was awarded $73 million in royalties from Hasbro in arbitration.
More recently, Johnson teamed up with scientists at Tulane University and Tuskegee University to develop a method of transforming heat into electricity to make green energy more affordable. As of 2022, Johnson has three technology-development companies: Excellatron Solid State, LLC; Johnson Energy Storage; and Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems (“JEMS”). JEMS has developed the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter System (“JTEC”), which Popular Mechanics listed as a top-10 invention of 2009. The converter can use many diverse forms of fuel without a need for fuel-specific customization, and can generate power from fuel combustion, solar irradiance, and low grade waste heat. Johnson Energy Storage has developed a solid-state battery and, as of early 2023, is raising funds to develop a demonstration manufacturing line.
Johnson holds more than 250 patents, most of which are for the Super Soaker. He was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal, as well as several awards from NASA for his work in spacecraft system design ant the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 2008, Johnson was awarded the Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics for his work related to JTEC, and he was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 2015, the Super Soaker was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Seven years later, Johnson was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Johnson, his wife, and their four daughters live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Johnson is currently working to encourage students to pursue their interests in STEM. He has partnered with 100 Black Men of Atlanta and FIRST Robotics to introduce more students to engineering and technology.