Single-use or disposable cameras date back as far as 1886 with the Ready Fotografer Company’s camera that used a single glass dry-plate. However, it was in 1948 that single-use cameras using film were introduced, with the Picture Box from Frederick Bierhorst and the more successful Photo-Pac from Alfred D. Weir. Other products followed such as the all-plastic Imp introduced by Arthur W. Beaurline, and the bakelite Photo Pak Matic introduced by FEX in France in 1966.
In 1986 Fuji entered the market with the QuickSnap using 35mm film, with Kodak following in 1987 with the Fling using 110 film. Kodak moved to 35mm film the following year. Other companies and innovations followed, such as flash, underwater versions, telephoto lenses and 3D capabilities.
In 1988, 3 million single-use cameras were sold in the US, rising to 23 million by 1993. In that year, 60 million were sold in Japan.
Single-user cameras remained popular for many years, and despite the availability of digital cameras followed by smartphones, single-use cameras are still produced by a number of companies. More recently they have been undergoing a revival in places such as Japan, among users that like the look of the photos produced.