It looks like our Insta-Snow® or (Instant Snow as many people call it) is showing up on lots and lots of “Top Gift Ideas” lists that are prevalent on so many blogs. When we first created the Insta-Snow product back in 2002, we knew that science teachers would find a great use for the superabsorbent polymer, but we never thought that a powder that erupts into snow (okay, fake snow… but it looks so real!) would become this popular.

Where to Find Insta-Snow Polymer 

Here’s how it works… Just mix a cup of water with a scoop of Insta-Snow polymer and within seconds, the liquid turns into a solid and then erupts into a fluffy white, snow-like material. How does it work? Insta-Snow® is actually derived from the superabsorbent polymer found in baby diapers. The only difference (and it’s a big one) is that the Insta-Snow polymer not only absorbs water but the long chains of molecules swell to an enormous size. The polymer soaks up water using the process of osmosis (water molecules pass through a barrier from one side to the other). When water comes in contact with the polymer, it moves from outside the polymer to the inside and causes it to swell. The polymer chains have an elastic quality, but they can stretch only so far and hold just so much water.

The Insta-Snow reaction is a great example of a physical reaction - a reaction where the substance itself does not change. If you think of the Insta-Snow powder is millions of tiny sponges, it’s easy to see that neither the Insta-Snow powder or the water was changed. If you allow the water to evaporate, the Insta-Snow powder dries out and returns to it’s previous state, ready to be used again.

There’s Only One Insta-Snow - Don’t Be Fooled by the Insta-Snow Knock-offs and Imitation Products

With all of this popularity comes the huge wave of Insta-Snow knock-offs… imitation products where the powder doesn’t exactly erupt like the real Insta-Snow but just turns into a clump of white goo that has to be stirred to eventually look like clumpy slush. It’s amazing to see how blatant some people or companies are when it comes to knocking off a product or an idea. Insta-Snow® Powder is a registered trademark, which means that the name is protected under federal copyright law.

But this didn’t stop a few guys in Minnesota from stealing the name Insta-Snow and developing a line of products that literally copied every Insta-Snow product we had on the market. They even lifted the font on the packaging, called their product Insta-Snow and even went so far as to copy the text in our instructions. But if that wasn’t bad enough, they launched a website called www.instasnow.com and stole a video of me doing a television segment about Insta-Snow from 9News.com and posted it on the site. If you didn’t know better, you’d think that it was one of our websites. It’s comforting to know that really good intellectual property attorneys know how to fight this kind of copyright infringement and were able to regain control of the trademark and the domain. If you visit www.InstaSnow.com now, it goes to the right place, but that hasn’t stopped the Minnesota-based company from marketing their own version of snow (if you want to call it that) under the name of Snow in Seconds or Snow to Go or Fairy’s Frost.

It’s also amazing to get phone calls from people who purchased the bad snow and they want to know why it doesn’t work like the snow they saw in the video. Then we have to explain the whole story to yet another person. When they eventually receive the real Insta-Snow from SteveSpanglerScience.com, the understand why it pays to buy the original Insta-Snow.

As for the Minnesota guys… we just found out what new thing they’ll be working on in six months. How did we find out? We’re working on it right now!

Spangler introduces Tim and Megan to Insta-Snow and "reverse helium"

The news anchors at Fox 4 News in Dallas wanted to see if I could find a few ways to make science fun on their Good Day show. Let’s see… I could show them pictures of my science project from 3rd grade… or discuss freezing point depression… or make it snow and change their voices. I’ll pick door number 3. As you’ll see in the video, we covered the interview counter with erupting Insta-Snow and allowed Tim and Megan to experience the “reverse helium” effect using sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

This appearance on Good Day Dallas is the kick-off to a week of science workshops and presentations at NAEYC and the Texas Association of Science Teachers annual convention.

If you’re a fan of the Ellen Show, you know that the show recently moved to a new set on the Warner Bros Studio lot. The new studio is huge… great for exploding clouds of liquid nitrogen! Watch the video, but keep reading to learn what happens behind all of those clouds.

I’ve mentioned this before, but it deserves a second mention. Ellen DeGeneres and the people who make up her staff are absolutely top-notch, first-class, amazing people who love their jobs. From the moment we arrived on the lot, there was someone ready to help us with anything we needed. And unlike a normal guest, I have a bunch of weird stuff to set-up backstage. The request list that I turned into the producers for this segment included rain coats, fire extinguishers, liquid nitrogen and a huge jar of pickles. With lots of stuff comes lots of set-up time backstage and probably more interaction with the Ellen Show crew than most guests get.

Aside from having a great time, the big take away for me during this visit was the way the Ellen staff does their jobs. There’s a genuine sense of excitement and fun on the set. From the prop coordinators to the make-up artists to the camera people and the producers, everyone takes so much pride in what they do. Everyone seems to live by the motto - make it big, do it right, give it class… or don’t do it. Right before rehearsal, the producer who handles my segment told me that one of the executive producers wanted to stand in for Ellen as we ran through each of the experiments. Normally I watch him out of the corner of my eye as he watches the demos for the first time and takes notes during the rehearsal. This time, instead of watching the demos, he wanted to participate and get his hands dirty (literally). That idea of having fun, being engaged (instead of just showing up) and doing everything possible to make the show great is exactly why the show is great.

Maybe that’s the secret… make sure you’re doing something you really love to do… or don’t do it.

When the phone rings, we never know quite what to expect. The phone rang and on the other end was a senior producer at the Ellen Show (you know… Ellen DeGeneres). It seems that this producer had been watching a few of our science videos and wanted to know if Ellen would have fun making huge clouds with liquid nitrogen, shooting potatoes, whipping up a batch of slime or learning how to make toilet paper fly. My response was “yes” to all of the above. But maybe it’s best if you help us decide which science experiments would be most fun to do with Ellen. Of course, the goal of the segment is to show parents how to make learning fun… and what could be more fun than 50 gallons of Insta-Snow erupting on the set?

Now this doesn’t mean that I’m automatically on the show… they’re just interested. So, what cool science demos should I pitch to the producers at the Ellen Show?

Drum roll please… and this week’s most asked customer service question is… Is there more than one Insta-Snow on the market? Answer: NO, but there are a number of knock-offs and the calls we get are pretty funny. There is only one Insta-Snow® as indicated by that “circle R” thing. We don’t use the ® everywhere because it becomes somewhat annoying, but the name Insta-Snow is a federally registered trademark of Steve Spangler Inc. (Federal Trademark Registration #2928946). But that hasn’t stopped the knock-off companies from branding their own versions of a snow powder. Our favorite knock-offs are the companies who believe that Insta-Snow is the same superabsorbent polymer found in a baby’s diaper. If this were true, every time the baby went potty, the diaper would erupt to an enormous size and explode! Might be a great way to potty train the kid, but it’s not true. Insta-Snow® is the only polymer that instantly ERUPTS when it comes in contact with water. The knock-off “snow” companies tell their customers to “…add water and stir the mixture for 20-30 seconds to make snow.” All you have after 30 seconds is a tired hand and a cup of baby diaper goo. Just stick with the original Insta-Snow® and you’ll be safe, happy and amazed.

This morning, television viewers of Good Morning America learned how to make snow in their living room with our very own Insta-Snow. Each month Good Morning America highlights “Stupid Products” from the stupid.com website, and I’m pleased to say one of my creations was one of the lucky few featured on the segment. I’m so proud… it’s almost like winning the Nobel Prize!

“This product isn’t stupid… my kids would love it!”
- Good Morning America co-anchor (what’s his name??)