What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

[Chip67]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

F.W. Woolworth; they always sold 2 foot Blue Bird Helium Balloons. Big bunches at each register. Those were the days.

[Blueballoondude89]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

I used to have a girlfriend back in the 90s that would bring all the balloons home from Blockbuster. She had no idea how much I liked them she just loved balloons and would take them if they were going to pop them. Usually I would manage to rescue them from her after they had been there for a while. I remember she had a blue one under her desk in her room. She was on the dance team and always wore pink or white Nike airs. She would push her shoe into it while she was working and squeeze it. I still have that one saved in a bag somewhere

God I miss the Blockbuster balloons. My CHILDHOOD. They had that “drip” on the top like Qualatex but they were not Qualatex. Must have definitely been Pioneer. I remember in August 1994 I got a helium filled blue one at an outdoor kids event that had Blockbuster as a sponsor and it immediately went BANG in the hot sun. I honestly wasn’t even that upset, I had 2 other balloons lol. I’m lucky I still have some more recent ones saved in a ziploc in the freezer. There was one closing in 2011 and I couldn’t believe they had an entire BAGFUL for sale! Sadly half of them got too degraded but I blew up a lot of them so I was pretty happy.

[Spacehopper]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

McDs..my first balloon, so they hold a special memory...knowing someone who worked there, I could get a few

[TizianosBoy]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

McDonald's definitely, they very rarely give out balloons now due to COVID, but when I can get them I ask a crew member when they have them, cause I hate getting them when they're on sticks and inflated, cause they're always tied, my local music shop used to do branded balloons, but they stopped due to COVID and I've not seen anymore since 2017.

[MetroBalloon]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

The Mcdonalds in town still has plenty nice shiny balloons, and there's a cute sexy guy working there who I ask to blow up balloons for me.

Only wish Krispy Kreme was still here. The guy who blew balloons for me was amazing and would even do it by mouth (before the virus).

[Seasidelad]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

My local Krispy Kreme no longer has balloons I used to regularly get some. Not seen any in McDonalds lately but they are so small now I am not that keen.

[Eagle]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

I really miss the Blockbuster balloons. I snagged a bag in 2011 when a location near me was closing. Was able to blow up a good amount before the rest of them degraded. I’m guessing those were some form of Pioneer?

But I REALLY miss the TGI Fridays ones. Really upset that those have been long gone since 2004. Those were definitely Tuftex. I saved a deflated one from my birthday in 2002 and been keeping it in the freezer. I really want to find a pic of that Stripes the Zebra!!! I’m so happy those were double sided 12 inch, not dinky little 9 inch. Fridays used to go all out for those. But nooooo. They had to get rid of them. A restaurant near me had 9 inch Tuftex balloons, even as recently as 5-10 years ago. Was able to snag a little baggie before they closed for good.

I used to get the 9 inch Unique/Amscan from Applebees but no way I’d do that today. They came out with different colors about 15 years ago (sadly not here though) that were a minty green and a light pink similar to Unique. But they were clearly some sort of Pioneer since it had the drip on top. I got some on eBay but they’re gone now. I also liked the shape of the newer ones. Plus the print was slightly different.

Anyone have similar stories?

There’s still tgi balloons at my local

[Eagle]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

Same McDonald’s seem to pick and choose when they give balloons out they used to be in every store 24/7 now it only seems on Fridays and Krispy Kreme haven’t offered since covid

[MylarLover]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

I miss the Mylar Balloons that BG Bank gave out for free in summer of 2005 here in Denmark.

[Blueballoondude89]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

Same McDonald’s seem to pick and choose when they give balloons out they used to be in every store 24/7 now it only seems on Fridays and Krispy Kreme haven’t offered since covid

Regarding Krispy Kreme … that’s just pathetic considering it’s been 3 years now and maybe time to move on? I wish the only KK here didn’t close 10 years ago. They had some awesome balloons.

[LoudPop]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

In college, my girlfriend worked the evening shift at Dillards. The first shift of the day would blow up helium balloons for promotions and sales events. Then, the evening shift would pop all the balloons before closing so not to trigger the motion sensors and alarm. I loved hearing about them popping balloons all over the store. I would ask if anyone was timid or scared of popping balloons; but she said everyone was either having fun and laughing while popping them or "just work like" pop, pop, pop. Sometimes, she would save some balloons for us to pop after work.

[LoudPop]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

I grew up in the 70's and 80's and a mall we would go to had a balloon vendor stand in the center hall of the mall. They sold large (14", 16", 18"+) helium latex balloons. The balloons were always max inflated and often crystal see-through colors. I was trying to come out of my phobic balloon popping phase of early childhood; so my balloon radar was always active. I remember getting such a rush with my heart skipping a beat on hearing the strong forceful "whoosh" of helium inflating balloons from anywhere in the mall. My ears would perk on that loud "whoosh" ... sometimes going for what seemed like an extra long inflation time. I was on alert expecting a loud POP! Sometimes, the balloons would pop during inflation, sometimes it was right after inflation there would be a quite pause then BOOM! The noise echoed through the mall. I felt like I was the only one in the mall anticipating balloons popping. Most people laughed at a balloon popping or didn't react at all. I was mesmerized at the tightly inflated helium balloons and I loved hearing the taunt drum like sounds as bounced against each other when the vendor would add or remove balloons from the bouquet of balloons. I don't see balloon vendors anymore and miss those days.

[AndreasLooner]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

Grew up late 80's 90's 00's and remember Toys R Us aslways having massive bouquets of necked jewel tone helium balloons on all of there tills in Chester, was phobic then but would have loved to have had some and still wish i did to this day !
That and Franky N Bennys in the late 90's used to put out huge helium bouquets and i used to hang on Cheshire oaks a lot so used to steal a load then sit opposite it and let them down then pocket them for laer use.
Also TGI fridays used to have clear belbal 14's a few years back which were hot as fuck, had a few of them !

[BalloonAus]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

I miss balloons at stores in general. Used to be so many give aways in malls, Krispy Kreme used to have them, once I went to Krispy Kreme and there was a cutie who served me. I said it was my friends birthday and the donuts were for my friend. Asked he to blow up a balloon for my friend and she did. McDonalds even though they smelt bad and were small. These days it is a rare occurrence to see balloons being handed out or in stores. Toys R us are gone so no more giant balloons at the register. So many places or charities that used to use balloons no longer do. Recently Carl's Jr did when they came into Australia but after a few months that stopped. It's a sad life for us balloon fans these days.

[bubblesNdragons]

Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

My first experiences with balloons were from Chuck-E-Cheese, and while that means those were some of my first phobic memories, I still kinda have a soft spot for those. My family and I would take those home a lot back in the day.