Balloon Sticks, what are they, and how to use them?
A long, long, time-a-go, when children wore knickers, horses drew carriages clip-clopped down the street, and the daily wage was 5 cents, people would go to the local fair to see the strange acts from around the world. They would see different foods, strange people, and if they were lucky, they would get a balloon.
It wasn’t like today where you could walk up to the entertainer and ask for a “Sponge Bob” or a “teddy bear holding a heart.” You would choose from the many red, blue, yellow, orange, green, and white balloon colors. The balloon man would hand you a long stick with a round air-filled balloon tied to the end of a stick. Hence the name Balloon Stick.
Balloon Sticks are long thin wood dowel rods. These sticks were initially designed for children and adults to have a handle as they held around the air-filled balloons, while in turn showing off the balloon in a crowd and drawing more attention to the balloon man.
However, as technology improved and the availability of helium became easier to obtain, the Balloon Stick was replaced by string. Today, it is widespread to get a helium-filled balloon with a piece of string as the handle.
Balloon Stick Flower
The Balloon Stick did not just disappear; they took on a new look. No longer are they wooden dowel rods, but colorful plastic sticks measuring 3/16 in diameter and 16″ long. Helium balloons were replaced with air-filled Mylar balloons used in flower decorations, balloon centerpieces, and balloon Twisters.
Being a descendent of the original balloon man, Balloon Twisters realized that they faced the old problem of giving out balloons to customers again. So they took ideas from the past and combined them with the present. They could now twist a balloon into any shape and design. Colors are now abundant, and manufacturers are designing new balloon colors, giving the customer multiple colors to choose from. Like the original balloon man, he can attach a twisted balloon to a stick, giving the customer a handle for their balloon animal while drawing attention to the balloon man.