Saturday, November 18, 2017

Water Balloons from Plano

There is a water balloon inventor in Plano!  The article This Water-Balloon Battle Threatens to Soak Everybody by Ruth Simon, Nov. 15, 2017 New York Times.  Josh Malone, a mechanical engineer in Plano, invented a device called Bunch O Balloons that fills many water balloons at once.  Bunch O Balloons generates about $125 million a year in sales.  It is so nice to hear about a local inventor.  Of course, as soon as you invent something, your invention will get copied.  The NYT article is about the lawsuit between Zuru Ltd., which sells Mr. Malone's Bunch O Balloons, and TeleBrands Corp. which sells a knock-off product.  It is an interesting article that highlights the need for deep pockets to protect your intellectual property.

Here is a picture of the Bunch O Balloons product:

You can order them from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Balloons-Seconds-Included-Discontinued-manufacturer/dp/B01DR8J5PM

This is so cool. I remember how long it took to make water balloons.  I have warm memories of the time I first ran across water balloon cannons:  https://www.amazon.com/300-Yard-Balloon-Slingshot-Cannon-Launcher/dp/B00AL57GEW/ref=pd_sim_21_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VDK51YNNANWTD531FT6D

My son and his friends, when they were young, went to a meadow for a water balloon fight and barrage of water balloons came sailing over the tree tops from water balloon artillery.  Our boys were carpet bombed.  It as a hoot.  Just think of all the extra water balloons you can make with Bunch O Balloons.  Yes indeed, water balloons are part of childhood!

Robert