Mechanical engineering, toys

Lonnie Johnson: inventions and patents

Lonnie Johnson is an engineer who worked for the US Air Force and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including on the Galileo mission, before inventing the Super Soaker. The National Inventors Hall of Fame says the water toy grew out of his work on an environmentally friendly heat pump and has generated well over 1 billion dollars in sales. He holds more than 100 US patents and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.¹

Patents

Inventions

• Super Soaker. A water toy that the Hall of Fame says grew out of his work on an environmentally friendly heat pump.¹

Recognition

• 2022 Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame¹

Sources

1. National Inventors Hall of Fame, Lonnie Johnson (accessed 2026-10-28)
2. Google Patents, US4591071A Squirt gun (accessed 2026-10-28)