They’ve been played with by keas, collected by uni students, and decorated with flowers and hearts in Christchurch (unofficial cone-capital of New Zealand). But where did they come from?

Turns out, an American called Charles D Scalon, got the idea for road cones while working as a road marking painter in Los Angeles, according to Wikipedia and other sources. Makes sense, we think, as a way of keeping himself and others safe.

His patent was granted in 1943.

Originally concrete, cones now tend to be high-density plastic. That’s less damaging, if hit by a vehicle or human and still does the job.