Every bingo player knows the satisfying feeling of pressing a dauber against a card — that quick dab of ink that signals you’re one step closer to shouting “Bingo!” But few players stop to wonder: where did this simple yet ingenious tool come from? Who invented bingo daubers, and how did they evolve from the humble beans and coins that players once used to mark their cards?
The history of bingo daubers is more fascinating than you might expect. It’s a story that spans nearly a century, touching on American entertainment culture, manufacturing innovation, and the transformation of bingo from a casual pastime into a multibillion-dollar industry. Let’s trace the complete journey from beans to ink.
Before Bingo Daubers: How Players Marked Their Cards
To understand why bingo daubers were invented, you first need to understand what came before them. The game of bingo — originally called “beano” — dates back to the late 1920s in the United States, and the earliest marking methods were charmingly primitive.
Dried Beans: The Original Markers
The name “beano” wasn’t random — it came from the dried beans that players placed on their cards to mark called numbers. At carnivals and county fairs in the late 1920s and early 1930s, players would receive a handful of dried lima beans or navy beans along with their cards. When a number was called, you’d place a bean on the corresponding square. The game got its more familiar name “bingo” when, legend has it, a winner became so excited that she shouted “bingo!” instead of “beano.”
Coins, Buttons, and Tokens
As bingo moved from carnivals into dedicated bingo halls during the 1930s and 1940s, players began using whatever small objects they had handy. Pennies, buttons, small pebbles, and cardboard discs all served as markers. Some halls provided standardized plastic tokens or chips. The problem with all of these methods was the same: markers could be bumped, shifted, or knocked off the card by an errant elbow — sometimes with disastrous results for a player on the verge of winning.
Sliding Window Cards
In the 1940s, reusable bingo cards with sliding plastic shutters appeared. Each number square had a small plastic window that could be slid to cover the number. While clever, these cards were expensive to produce, the tiny sliders were fiddly to operate quickly, and the cards eventually wore out. They solved the “markers falling off” problem but introduced new frustrations around speed and durability.
Crayons and Pencils
Some players simply marked their cards with crayons or pencils. This created permanent marks that couldn’t be knocked off, but it was slow — you had to draw an X or circle rather than just place a token. The marks were also often small and hard to see at a glance, which became a serious problem as bingo games got faster and players began playing multiple cards simultaneously.
By the 1950s, bingo was booming across America. Halls were packed, games were getting faster, and players were demanding a marking method that was quick, permanent, visible, and mess-free. The stage was set for an innovation.
Who Invented the Bingo Dauber?
The exact origin of the bingo dauber, like many everyday inventions, is somewhat murky. There isn’t a single “eureka moment” or a lone inventor who can claim full credit. Instead, the bingo dauber evolved through the contributions of several manufacturers and tinkerers in the bingo supply industry during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
What we do know is that the concept of an ink-based marker with a foam applicator tip emerged from the commercial bingo supply industry. Companies that manufactured bingo cards and equipment recognized the need for a purpose-built marking tool and began experimenting with various designs.
The earliest bingo daubers were essentially modified ink bottles with sponge applicators attached. The key innovation was the use of a semi-transparent, fast-drying ink that would mark the card clearly while still allowing the number beneath to be read — solving the visibility problem that plagued crayon and pencil marks.
Several early patents related to ink-based game markers appear in the US Patent Office records from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. These patents describe various configurations of squeeze bottles with absorbent tips, and they reflect an industry that was actively racing to develop the ideal bingo marking tool.
By the mid-1960s, the basic design we recognize today — a plastic bottle filled with water-based ink, topped with a round foam applicator — had been established and was being manufactured by multiple bingo supply companies. The dauber had arrived.
When Were Bingo Daubers Invented?
The timeline of when bingo daubers were invented can be broken into three key phases:
Late 1950s — Development: The first ink-based bingo markers appeared in prototype form. These early versions were often crude — glass bottles with cork-mounted sponges, or repurposed industrial ink applicators adapted for bingo use. They proved the concept but weren’t yet refined enough for mainstream adoption.
Early 1960s — Commercialization: Bingo supply manufacturers began producing purpose-built daubers using plastic bottles and polyurethane foam tips. These were the first daubers that a modern player would recognize. They were sold primarily through bingo halls and mail-order bingo supply catalogs.
Mid to late 1960s — Widespread adoption: By 1965 to 1968, daubers had become the dominant marking method in American bingo halls. Their advantages over beans, chips, and crayons were so clear that most halls began selling daubers on-site and some even required their use for game integrity (since daubed marks are permanent and easier for callers to verify).
So while you can’t point to a single year and say “that’s when bingo daubers were invented,” the late 1950s saw their conception and the 1960s saw their rise to dominance. Within roughly a decade, they went from nonexistent to essential.
The Evolution of Bingo Dauber Ink
The ink inside bingo daubers has undergone significant improvement since those early days:
First generation (late 1950s–1960s): Early dauber inks were often spirit-based (alcohol or solvent-based), which meant they dried quickly but had a strong, unpleasant chemical odor. The colors were limited — mostly blue, red, and black — and the ink could sometimes bleed through thinner bingo cards. These inks also posed potential health concerns, as the fumes could be bothersome in poorly ventilated halls.
Second generation (1970s–1980s): Manufacturers shifted toward water-based ink formulations, which dramatically reduced odor and improved safety. The addition of glycerin and glycol compounds helped prevent the ink from drying out in the bottle while still allowing it to dry quickly on paper. Color options expanded to include green, purple, orange, and pink.
Third generation (1990s–2000s): Modern ink formulations brought further improvements in vibrancy, consistency, and safety. Inks were now formulated to meet ASTM D-4236 non-toxicity standards, making them safe for use as children’s art supplies. This era also saw the introduction of specialty inks including glitter, fluorescent, metallic, and scented varieties.
Current generation (2010s–present): Today’s bingo dauber inks use food-grade and cosmetic-grade colorants, making them safer than ever. Quick-dry formulations minimize smudging, improved surfactants ensure consistent ink flow through the foam tip, and better preservatives extend shelf life. If you’re curious about the specific ingredients in modern daubers, our guide on what bingo daubers are made of has the details.
From Simple Tools to Colorful Collectibles
For the first two decades of their existence, bingo daubers were purely functional objects — plain plastic bottles in basic colors, designed to do one job. But starting in the 1980s, the dauber began its transformation into something more.
The color explosion (1980s): As ink technology improved, manufacturers began offering a wider rainbow of colors. Players started choosing daubers to match their moods or lucky colors. Some players began bringing multiple daubers to games, using different colors for different cards or sheets.
The novelty era (1990s): The 1990s saw the first wave of novelty bingo daubers. Manufacturers realized that bingo players — many of them loyal, repeat customers who played weekly — would happily buy themed and collectible daubers. Holiday-themed daubers (Christmas trees, Easter eggs, Halloween pumpkins), lucky charm shapes (horseshoes, four-leaf clovers), and character-themed bottles began appearing in bingo halls across the country.
The craft crossover (2000s): In the early 2000s, bingo daubers found an entirely new audience when educators and parents discovered their usefulness as children’s art and learning tools. Rebranded as “dot markers” or “dot art markers,” the same basic product was marketed for preschool activities, occupational therapy, and adult art projects. This crossover dramatically expanded the dauber market and led to further innovations in tip sizes, ink colors, and packaging.
Custom and collectible daubers (2010s–present): Today, you can find daubers customized with bingo hall logos, event commemorations, and even personalized names. Collector-edition daubers are released for major bingo events, and some players amass collections of hundreds of unique daubers. The humble bingo dauber has become, for some, a collectible item in its own right.
Bingo Daubers in the Digital Age
The rise of online bingo in the 2000s and 2010s raised a question: would digital bingo make physical daubers obsolete?
The answer, clearly, is no. While online bingo has grown into a significant market, traditional in-person bingo remains enormously popular. In the United States alone, bingo generates an estimated $90 billion in annual revenue, and the vast majority of that comes from live, in-person games where physical daubers remain the marking tool of choice.
Even in halls that use electronic bingo devices (handheld tablets that automatically track called numbers), many players still prefer paper cards and daubers. There’s a tactile satisfaction to daubing that a touchscreen simply can’t replicate — the feel of the sponge tip pressing against the card, the bright splash of color, the physical act of participation.
Some innovations have blended old and new. LED daubers with light-up tips, daubers with built-in card holders, and ergonomically redesigned daubers for players with mobility issues have all appeared in recent years. The core design, however, remains remarkably close to those first commercial daubers from the 1960s — a testament to how well the original concept works.
If you’re looking to buy bingo daubers today, you’ll find more options than ever, from classic solid-color daubers to glitter-filled novelty designs.
Fun Facts About Bingo Daubers
Here are some entertaining tidbits about bingo daubers that you can share at your next game night:
- Millions sold annually: An estimated 50 to 100 million bingo daubers are sold each year in the United States alone, making them one of the most-produced marking instruments in the world.
- Blue is king: Blue is consistently the most popular bingo dauber color worldwide, followed by red and green. Some players are fiercely loyal to their color and will refuse to play with any other.
- Lucky daubers are real: Many bingo players are superstitious about their daubers. It’s common for players to have a “lucky dauber” they bring to every game, and some players believe that switching daubers mid-game is bad luck.
- Dauber art is a thing: A growing community of artists creates impressive artwork using only bingo daubers. From portraits to landscapes, “dot art” using daubers has become a recognized art form with its own online communities and exhibitions.
- Speed daubers exist: Competitive bingo players who work 30 or more cards simultaneously sometimes modify their daubers for faster ink flow, or use specialty “speed daubers” with wider tips and more fluid ink.
- World record: The largest bingo game ever played involved over 60,000 players in Bogota, Colombia, in 2006. That’s a lot of daubers working simultaneously.
- Educational powerhouse: Bingo daubers are now one of the most-used art supplies in American preschools. Teachers use them for everything from alphabet recognition to math exercises to fine motor skill development.
- They’re airport-friendly: Bingo daubers can be carried through airport security in your carry-on bag. The ink volume is typically under the 100ml liquid limit for carry-on items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented bingo daubers?
There isn’t a single credited inventor. Bingo daubers were developed collaboratively by several manufacturers in the bingo supply industry during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The concept evolved from modified ink bottles with sponge applicators into the purpose-built plastic daubers we know today.
When were bingo daubers invented?
The first bingo dauber prototypes appeared in the late 1950s, with commercial production beginning in the early 1960s. By the mid to late 1960s, daubers had become the standard marking tool in American bingo halls, largely replacing beans, coins, and chips.
What did people use before bingo daubers?
Before daubers, bingo players used dried beans (which gave the game its original name “beano”), coins, buttons, cardboard tokens, plastic chips, sliding window cards, and occasionally crayons or pencils. Each method had drawbacks — tokens could fall off, crayons were slow, and chips could be accidentally bumped.
What year did bingo daubers become popular?
Bingo daubers reached widespread popularity during the mid-1960s. By approximately 1965 to 1968, most American bingo halls had adopted daubers as the primary marking method, and many halls began selling them on-site or requiring their use for game integrity.
Are bingo daubers still used today?
Absolutely. Despite the rise of electronic bingo and online gaming, physical bingo daubers remain the most popular way to play in-person bingo. Millions of daubers are sold every year, and they’ve also found widespread use in education, arts and crafts, and therapy. To learn about modern daubers and how to use them effectively, check out our beginner’s guide.
What were the first bingo dauber colors?
The earliest commercial bingo daubers were available in a limited range of colors — primarily blue, red, and black. As ink formulation technology improved through the 1970s and 1980s, the color palette expanded dramatically. Today, bingo daubers are available in virtually every color, including neon, metallic, glitter, and scented varieties.
