Water balloon
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A water balloon or water bomb is a latex rubber balloon filled with water. They are commonly used in water balloon fights and as a practical joke device.
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[edit] History
The first commercially marketed water balloon was produced by Edgar Ellington in 1950, while trying to invent a waterproof sock to solve the disease known as trench foot[1]. The design for the sock was a latex coating over a normal cotton sock. When the invention was up to his standards for testing he tried wearing the sock but then quickly found out the elasticity of the latex made it difficult to put on. After ripping several pairs of his waterproof sock he finally managed to successfully put the sock on by carefully heating the sock with a indirect heat source. He was thrilled with his success and had taken off the sock and filled it with water and tied the top to make sure that he had not accidentally ripped the sock unknowingly. When he did this he saw a small stream of water jut out of the plastic balloon, disheartened by his failure, he threw the balloon down and let it break over his table in his study. The satisfaction that he produced when doing so made him come up with the idea of a water balloon to which he would market to children. At first he marketed it as a water grenade, because his introductory idea was to aid soldiers in war, but later changed the name to water balloons to make the activity more child friendly.[citation needed]
[edit] Uses
Water balloons are similar to grenades in water balloon battles, or as projectiles when used with a balloon launching device.
Water balloons are very popular in celebrating Holi in India, Nepal, and several other countries.[2]
A thin-walled, transparent, and filled water balloon can be used to start a fire in a process similar to using a glass lens.[3]
[edit] Filling and tying devices
Water balloons are typically filled at an indoor faucet, an outside tap, or at the end of a garden hose. Multiple types of filling nozzles are available on the consumer market and come in threaded (3/4" standard in the US) and non-threaded types. Non-threaded nozzles are called filling funnels and may be difficult to use. Some brands of nozzles are called loader instead of nozzle, but no differentiation exists between other types of nozzles. Nozzles may include a valve feature for turning the water source on or off as needed.
Homemade water balloon filling stations may incorporate water balloon nozzles or valves that are on the market or use common plumbing fixtures. These stations may have one or more nozzles or valves. Portable and fixed station designs each have distinct pros and cons depending on the location of use, number of system users, and the quantity of filled water balloons needed.[5] Multi-nozzle stations not only enable more water balloons to be filled for adults planning upcoming youth events or for preventing boredom in children upset with how challenging it may be to fill a balloon at a hose spigot, but greatly enhance group social interactions which is very important in toys for children and adult volunteers that work with children.
Tying water balloons is no longer a challenge. "Easy Fill and Tie" is a specially designed kid-approved device by SplashParty.com that provides a revolutionary to fill and tie water balloons easily, quickly and finger friendly. Even tying water balloons with just two fingles is possible now. Tie-not.com has invented and patented a new innovative way to fill and tie water balloons, fast and easy. Imperial Toy has a patent-pending balloon filling valve with an integrated tying post.[6] Water balloon tying devices (similar to balloon discs) are on the market or are under development, but are always more expensive than the balloon and are made of a harder material than the balloon as well.[7] A patent-pending design for a liquid activated water balloon seal means is under development as well.[8]
[edit] Other types
Gas balloons (air or helium types) may be used as water balloons, but are not typically preferred because the balloon wall thickness is different. A water balloon is designed to be filled up to the approximate size of a baseball in a pear shape (so as to be thrown more easily), whereas some gas balloons, when filled with water, may reach the size of a basketball; this is disadvantageous because those balloons are harder to handle, usually requiring two hands. Mainly for safety reasons, water balloon walls are designed to be thick enough to be held without bursting yet thin enough to burst upon impact.
In a similar process to gas balloons, water balloons may be molded into various shapes at manufacturing. One process involves a patented mandrel for making elastomeric articles.[4]
Water balloons are common in sizes from an inch and a half to four inches though larger sizes are available. Typically water balloons are sold in quantity and often include a filling nozzle in the packaging. Many of the low cost brands use small water balloons and generic nozzles which both tend to be difficult to use.
Another form of water bomb is a sheet of paper folded to form a roughly spherical container (Origami) capable of holding water.[5] These are then filled and used in a similar way to latex versions.
[edit] Yo-yo balloons
Yo-yo balloons are a common type of water balloon found at matsuri festivals in Japan. Typically small, round, and colourful, the balloons are filled with 1/10 of water and hung from a rubber band. This gives them enough weight and bounce to function as a yo-yo, earning them their name.[6][7] The balloons are often won in a game (Yo-yo Tsuri or just yo-yo[8]) where they are set floating in a tub of water, with an elastic band and a paper clip affixed to one end. Players "fish" for the balloons with another paper clip attached to another rubber band, or (more commonly), a twisted "line" of paper, which they then try to hook through the paper clip of the desired balloon.[9] As the paper line breaks easily, the game is often likened to goldfish scooping in terms of difficulty.
The Wii video game Ennichi no Tatsujin includes a virtual Yo-yo Tsuri game.
[edit] World record
Guinness World Records maintains a record category for largest water balloon fight. The current holder is Brigham Young University.
| Location | Date | Number of participants | Number of balloons | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coogee Beach, Australia | April, 2006 | 3000 | 55,000 | Video of fight |
| UK Christian Student Fellowship | August, 2008 | 2,744 | 58,000 | Video of fight |
| Brigham Young University | July, 2010 | 3,927 | 120,000 | Video of fight |
[edit] In popular culture
In the season one episode of The Simpsons, Bart the General, hundreds of water balloons are thrown at Nelson Muntz and other school bullies.
[edit] References
- ^ Townsend, Allie (16 February 2011). "All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys". Time. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048654_2049039,00.html. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
- ^ http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2005/03/25/Arts/9
- ^ [1] Fire starter
- ^ US Patent 4943225
- ^ [2] Origami
- ^ http://www.discovernikkei.org/nikkeialbum/en/node/4236 Japanese Yo-Yos
- ^ Events at Japanese Festivals
- ^ Japan Now, Vol. 4, No. 8 (June 19, 2008)
- ^ Yo-yo fishing in Osaka
