Balloons in Our Lives
Balloons are a part of life. As children we threw water balloons in the heat of the summer, we begged for that special one the balloon man had at the zoo, or we squirted water into the clown’s mouth hoping to win a prize at the carnival.
Some of us remember the Good Year® blimp flying around football and baseball games with the scrolling messages and of course there is the Macy’s® thanksgiving day parade with so many large balloons being walked down the street.
Balloons have been a way to advertise for many years and for a lot of different things including but not limited to Presidential candidates, car dealerships, and many causes.
Small balloons that have been printed with a company’s logo/slogan are often seen at trade shows, fairs, and other events that tend to draw families. Large balloons can be seen from a distance and draw attention to where they are anchored.
7 ft. balloon with logo
The material for making large balloons like the ones that fly in the Macy’s® Thanksgiving day parade has to be non porous very much like the material an inner tube is made out of.
The design of a giant balloon goes from paper to a clay model and finally to a plastic mold. It is on this plastic mold that fabric pieces are laid out so a pattern for the larger pieces can be made.
Large balloons are constructed in sections creating chambers that will allow a balloon to have balance and keep flying if one of the chambers springs a leak. The Macy’s® Thanksgiving day parade balloons have automatic pressure release valves in case the sun is warm enough to make the 14,000 cubic feet of helium expand.