The History of Bounty Paper Towels

In 1957, Procter & Gamble decided to expand into consumer paper products. They acquired the tissue maker Charmin, which was based in Green Bay, Wisconsin and had a product called Charmin Towels, a single-ply paper product that was created using a conventional papermaking process. Procter & Gamble realized there was a growing demand for paper towels and began a decade of research into creating an innovative new version. Through interviews and research, the company learned that consumers cared most about absorbency, not the strength or softness typically promoted by competitors. In 1965, P&G discontinued Charmin Towels and released Bounty Paper Towels in their place. The new, 2-ply Bounty Paper Towels were thicker, softer, and more absorbent than other products on the market and were quickly embraced by the public. But the innovations didn’t stop there. In 1982, P&G Senior Inventor Paul Trokhan developed a proprietary technology that allowed Bounty Paper Towels to be even more absorbent, helping to make the words of the brand’s famous slogan (“The Quicker Picker Upper”) true. Trokhan has explained in interviews that there are “micro-regions of the towel that are focused on strength and other micro-regions that are focused on softness.” His innovative, invisible-to-the-naked-eye design helped make Bounty even more popular and catapulted it into the iconic brand it is today. And indeed, Bounty continues to be one of the most well-known, best-selling paper towel brands in America.