The Balloon Planetarium Blog » Balloons In The News

TV Time – The Unpoppables

jim — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:43:29 +0000

Many of you know Addi Somehk, balloon hat creator extraordinaire. And if you don’t, you’ll enjoy visiting his web site, www.balloonhat.com. Without a doubt, Addi and his traveling companion/photographer, Charlie Eckert, have taken balloons to more exotic places than anyone else on the planet. Even if you’re not a twister, this site will leave you amazed and smiling.

Now Addi has teamed up with Brian Asman and Katie Lalbstain to bring us The Unpoppables, premiering February 7th on The Learning Channel. Each episode has the team transforming a plain venue into a balloon wonderland. Trailers can be viewed now on the TLC web site. Congratulations Addi, and thank you for introducing even more people to balloons. This looks like a hit!

California Balloon Ban Update No 3

jim — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:38:53 +0000

On Friday, May 30, the California Senate passed the ban on foil balloons. Enactment of the ban will become effective in January 2010 if the bill passes in the California Assembly. If you sell balloons in California, it is time to put more muscle in your hustle. Communicate with your Assembly representative now!

California Balloon Ban Update No 2

jim — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:15:51 +0000

Reliable sources report that since the failed vote on Monday, April 28, no new activity has taken place with SB1499, the proposed bill which would ban foil balloons in California. Another vote is possible during the next few weeks, but if that does not take place, the bill will die. All we can do is patiently wait.

How many balloons does it take to lift a person?

jim — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:27:10 +0000

How many balloons does it take to lift a person? In the case of the Brazilian priest who was lost at sea, reports claim that over 1,000 balloons were used, which was probably far more than necessary. This is a case where size is important — the balloon’s size and the person’s size. Consider that a 3ft latex balloon will lift 1 pound, whereas a 10ft vinyl balloon will lift 14 pounds.

Cirque du Soleil’s current touring show, CORTEO, performs in Seattle through May 25th. The act titled HELIUM DANCE features petite Valentyna Pahlevanyan, suspended from six ten-foot clear vinyl balloons, bouncing effortlessly through the audience. I say petite because according to the lifting capability of her balloons, she weighs less than 84 pounds.

Upcoming 2008 performances are scheduled in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Miami.

Visit the CORTEO web site

Read the THE NEW YORK TIMES review

Need a 10ft vinyl balloon?

The Amazing Gees

jim — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:51:24 +0000

The Kelly Monaco Fan Club loves sending balloons to the star of ABC’s General Hospital. The fan club provided our Los Angeles partner AMAZING BALLOONS BY GEE with 100 custom printed balloons for a recent delivery. Upon arriving at ABC Studios they learned that Monaco was not scheduled to be on the set until the following week. After consulting with the fan club, Claudia and Dennis Gee, owners of the company, arranged for a redelivery using a unique solution. They returned the balloons to their studio and stored them in plastic bags for a week. On the revised delivery day they untied each balloon, refilled them with helium, and delivered them like new to an appreciative Monaco.

Untying the balloons was possible because each had been tied around its ribbon tether — the same technique used when tying balloons to a line of monofilament for a string of pearl arch. A simple tug on the ribbons pulled the knots open.

Kudos to Claudia and Dennis for their AMAZING customer service, and for hanging around long enough to take this photo. What a great effort — one that was appreciated by many people.