Were weighted blankets originally designed for cows, as Andrew Hunter-Murray says?

Andrew Hunter-Murray traces the idea to Temple Grandin, who noticed cattle on her aunt's ranch calmed down when squeezed in tight chutes. Grandin, who is autistic, built her own squeeze machine and found deep pressure calmed her too. The first commercial weighted blanket followed in 1997, when one family made a bead-filled throw.

The 1997 product was first called the Beanie Blanket and was renamed after Beanie Babies threatened to sue.
Weighted blankets were first marketed as anti-anxiety blankets.
Habitat sold Britain's first proper duvets in 1964 as the 10-second bed.

▸In their words

“My fact is, weighted blankets were originally designed for cows.” Andrew Hunter-Murray · at 40:34 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on No Such Thing As A Fish (2026-11-05). Read the whole episode summary →

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