What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

[BalloonFun]

I love the Toys R Us balloons too. Fondly remember them since my youth till now.

In Australia, they were blown up to varying tightness at Toys R Us. Usually they were merely "round", and sometimes teardrop shaped. A few times they were blown up tight with beginnings of a neck, but I have never seen Toys R Us balloons getting fully necked up.

Once I saw the staff mouth inflate the balloons till the neck began to form, before putting them on a stick and tying them off with a clip. Amazing how they didn't use the pump!

Here in the States, in the early-mid '90s, they used an electric pump to inflate the round ones. The sound of the pump, when I used to work there, got me a little bit excited!

[TheMole]

There's a regional chain of pizza places (name redacted for privacy, but if you've been to Delaware or Maryland beaches, you may know what i'm talking about) that used to hand out amazing helium balloons with their logo on them. There were definitely some kind of 12" and they were always blown up with helium by the (usually pretty attractive) woman at the front counter where you would check out. I used to go there a lot as a kid/teenager and a few of the girls got pretty good at stretching the neck out big without popping the balloons which was nice to see

[Casey88]

There's a regional chain of pizza places (name redacted for privacy, but if you've been to Delaware or Maryland beaches, you may know what i'm talking about) that used to hand out amazing helium balloons with their logo on them. There were definitely some kind of 12" and they were always blown up with helium by the (usually pretty attractive) woman at the front counter where you would check out. I used to go there a lot as a kid/teenager and a few of the girls got pretty good at stretching the neck out big without popping the balloons which was nice to see

https://www.delawareonline.com/story...al/3739762002/

[Blueballoondude89]

Ugh that pisses me off that people have to be such pansies now. I get it, I really do. But there are FAR WORSE things that end up in the oceans. I would’ve kept the balloons and maybe, I don’t know, put them on sticks or something?

[ArchibaldR]

Ugh that pisses me off that people have to be such pansies now. I get it, I really do. But there are FAR WORSE things that end up in the oceans. I would’ve kept the balloons and maybe, I don’t know, put them on sticks or something?

Well the sticks seem to also be a problem because they are made out of plastic. But see it this way: I really think that if stores would just hand out empty balloons for kids (or people like us ) so they can blow them up by them self, it would be a hell of a lot better than giving away inflated balloons. Inflated balloons tend to fly away or get lost when kids are playing with them. When they first need to inflate them, they might wait until they're home. At least that was what i always did when i got empty balloons when i was younger. I waited at least until i was in the car until i started inflating.

As you said, i acknowledge that there is a problem and that we need to save the enviroment. That's why i support the banning of things like helium balloon releases and stuff like that. But a simple balloon from a restaurant or store, come on man.........

[Vicci]

Well the sticks seem to also be a problem because they are made out of plastic.

The ones from McDonalds are made from cardboard - no reason others couldn't follow

[Scooter]

As you said, i acknowledge that there is a problem and that we need to save the enviroment. That's why i support the banning of things like helium balloon releases and stuff like that. But a simple balloon from a restaurant or store, come on man.........

I take the opposite side. I would prefer places continue to use them to decorate, but NOT hand them out to kids at all. Most kids ARE going to play with them right when they receive them, and most aren't going to be... safe with them at all. A couple of good quality balloons for decoration, out of reach from any grubby mitts and I'd be a happy camper.

[Seidenki]

The Toys'R'Us balloons have been mentioned a few times. The ones in the Aussie stores were definitely 16" or so, and it was possible to buy them uninflated. Never recognised the brand they used for many years; I don't think it was Qualatex, though, nor Unique nor TufTex. However, they did change the print a few years before they left Australia and the replacements were definitely Qualatex.

[Punchballer]

I miss S.S. Kresege for selling and displaying inflated punch balls. Especially during the sixties and seventies. Woolworth's too. Meijer stores at one time had a section for kids called, Purple Cow where a variety of dairy treats and punch balls were sold back in the eighties and into the mid nineties before closing it down and renovating the entire section. Circus World, K-Bee Toy and Hobby used to sell the punch balls I enjoyed too.