The History of Foam Fingers

They’re a common sight at sports games across the country – and for good reason! The foam finger was invented for a high school football game by an industrial arts teacher named Geral Fauss in 1978. Fauss created the first foam finger using poster board, but later made another batch using Masonite. However, Fauss was concerned that the hard material would be too dangerous in a rowdy crowd, so he switched to polyurethane foam instead. After selling out his entire supply of 5,000 foam fingers at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Fauss started his own company called Spirit Industries in 1979. The trend he started is still going strong, and Spirit Industries continues to make foam fingers and other foam products for sports fans today!