What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

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  • Scooter
    Senior Member
    • May 2022
    • 246

    #31
    Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

    Went to a TJ Maxx today, and was pleasantly surprised to see they had some balloons blown up and floating by the checkout counters. They looked rather big, probably 14 or even 16 inches, and while spherical most had a bulb shape starting to develop. Didn't ask to see if I could get any for myself since I was with someone else at the time, but worth noting. Dunno if this is something at this specific location or if each location has them and decides whether to inflate some or not, but worth checking out.

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    • Eduloon
      Junior Member
      • Feb 2020
      • 19

      #32
      Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

      This ones are still there sometimes, but i really like Little Caesar’s orange balloons, they are 12”, but don’t know which brand, they have a more chemical smell, but when inflated, they get a bit translucent and are really soft and strong

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      • Faganite#47
        Member
        • Nov 2022
        • 39

        #33
        Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

        Back in the 90’s McDonald’s and Burger King used to have decent size balloons on sticks . I always grabbed a couple every time I was in one , and they were easy to untie as well

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        • Blueballoondude89
          Senior Member
          • Apr 2022
          • 168

          #34
          Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

          Not sure why McDonald’s or BK did away with the stick balloons. Even Red Robin Burgers just stopped doing it. And they were helium filled back in the mid to late 2000s. It’s not like they’re still (gasp) HELIUM filled. I would make sure the balloons always stay. Period. Even if they were air-filled on sticks. Bunch of boring old wet blankets that have to get rid of everything fun.

          I actually remember a BK near me having helium filled balloons as far back as April of 07. Not sure what the event was but I remember my younger cousin ended up getting one and she had it at my grandma’s house.

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          • Seasidelad
            Senior Member
            • Sep 2018
            • 191

            #35
            Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

            I loved getting balloons from McDonalds back then they were easy to untie and a good size too. They seemed to have them for a couple of weeks at a time. Had some from BK as well.

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            • RLMI
              Senior Member
              • Jul 2021
              • 107

              #36
              Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

              There's a chain called Mad Over Donuts, or M.O.D. that often have orange balloons as part of their decor.

              These are air filled and on sticks. Quite often, these are pretty overinflated to the point of distortion, with long necks. I wonder whether it is the balloons that inflate neck first, or whether the staff are told to blow them up till they reach this size and shape. I wonder if many pop.

              A bit off topic, but back in high school, one of the classes I was in got called down to the gym to blow up balloons for a disco that night, and our teacher told us to blow the balloons up to the same size as what she was going to show us. Then she took out one of the balloons, it was a gold 12 inch, and blew it up by mouth in front of everyone till it had a neck, tied it, and said that was the desired size.

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              • Loonorm
                Senior Member
                • Mar 2019
                • 214

                #37
                Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                I know that I have put my thoughts here earlier, but I just happened to remember one. Even though it is not a restaurant, or store…it’s United Airlines. Back in the l60s-e70s, they ran their ‘Come Fly With Us’ ad campaign, and one of the print ads featured a very pretty blonde stewardess with a bunch of helium balloons. An aunt of mine would fly either United or Pan-American when she took her overseas trips. When she flew United, I would always be rewarded with a bunch of balloons.
                Another store for balloons would be Marshall Field’s. They always had some really nice big balloons! I had got one when we went to downtown Chicago for a day. I lost it to the ceiling of the Great Hall of Chicago’s Union Station.

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                • Blueballoondude89
                  Senior Member
                  • Apr 2022
                  • 168

                  #38
                  Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                  Originally posted by Loonorm
                  I know that I have put my thoughts here earlier, but I just happened to remember one. Even though it is not a restaurant, or store…it’s United Airlines. Back in the l60s-e70s, they ran their ‘Come Fly With Us’ ad campaign, and one of the print ads featured a very pretty blonde stewardess with a bunch of helium balloons. An aunt of mine would fly either United or Pan-American when she took her overseas trips. When she flew United, I would always be rewarded with a bunch of balloons.
                  Another store for balloons would be Marshall Field’s. They always had some really nice big balloons! I had got one when we went to downtown Chicago for a day. I lost it to the ceiling of the Great Hall of Chicago’s Union Station.
                  I believe I mentioned this already but back in the early 60s, one of the very first indoor shopping malls opened in my city. Midtown Plaza. And with it was a department store called Sibleys. I hear stories about it every year from my parents and my aunts and uncles. Every holiday season, Midtown was *the* place to be. They would have the Santa’s Workshop thing with animatronics on display, a Clock of Nations, a children’s monorail ride, and then after you’d get a photo taken with Santa at Sibley’s, there was a guy selling Kazoo trumpets and … balloons. A clear balloon with a red Santa on the inside. I was able to find one picture of them even though it’s black and white but it’s the only one I found of the balloons. Pretty much EVERYBODY remembers those. The Christmas thing at Midtown lasted until about 2007, although the balloons had stopped sometime in the early 90s when Sibley’s closed. My dad took us to Midtown in 1995 and I rode the little monorail. I wonder if at some point they switched to Mylar balloons lol.

                  If I could find those red doll shapes, I would totally do those. They just wouldn’t have Santa faces.
                  Attached Files
                  Last edited by Blueballoondude89; 27-11-2022, 20:40.

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                  • AuroraFox
                    Member
                    • Nov 2015
                    • 54

                    #39
                    Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                    Reading through this thread made me realize how commonplace balloons were in everyday life about 20ish years ago. They were used as displays at all kinds of stores, given away everywhere - I remember doctors offices, dentists, banks, restaurants. They were used often in school projects, and of course at birthdays. Being terrified of them as a kid meant that I was avoiding them everywhere, but now it feels like a rarity to even see one. I’m assuming it’s because most places don’t allow them inside buildings due to latex allergies. I think the only place I’ve even seen a balloon recently is at the grocery store near the floral corner - and I remember balloons being inflated constantly in those places! Now, it’s rare to even see anyone even standing there.

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                    • Scooter
                      Senior Member
                      • May 2022
                      • 246

                      #40
                      Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                      Could be greenwashing, could be latex allergies, could even just be that they pop and cause unwanted commotion. I'm sure it's a mixture of that.

                      I will say my dentist actually still has balloons stored in a closet at his office. Saw some tied to a helium tank once when going in for a cleaning. They give them to younger kids after the kids are done. Haven't been there to see any being blown up or the giving away process or anything, which is for the best, but I do know they're there.

                      Again, my feelings are mixed as I'm saddened I get to see balloons less, but I'm also glad I don't have to see so many kids interacting with them.

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                      • AJK64
                        Moderator
                        • Jun 2018
                        • 721

                        #41
                        Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                        Here in the uk you still see balloons being given away for advertising sometimes, but definitely becoming less and less, and smaller balloons too. Add to that the number of balloon brands that have stopped making certain sizes and it's a dark time to be a balloon fan

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                        • Whale Rider
                          Senior Member
                          • Nov 2022
                          • 542

                          #42
                          Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                          cant think of any nice balloon giveaways for quite some time at least not in meaningful sizes...

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                          • Blueballoondude89
                            Senior Member
                            • Apr 2022
                            • 168

                            #43
                            Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                            Originally posted by Scooter
                            Could be greenwashing, could be latex allergies, could even just be that they pop and cause unwanted commotion. I'm sure it's a mixture of that.

                            I will say my dentist actually still has balloons stored in a closet at his office. Saw some tied to a helium tank once when going in for a cleaning. They give them to younger kids after the kids are done. Haven't been there to see any being blown up or the giving away process or anything, which is for the best, but I do know they're there.

                            Again, my feelings are mixed as I'm saddened I get to see balloons less, but I'm also glad I don't have to see so many kids interacting with them.
                            The dentist office … if I ran one I would definitely do the same thing. They do sell the pink and blue Teeth shaped Mylars online lol. Also, anyone here used to watch the Rugrats on Nickelodeon? That reminds me of 2 instances … the episode with the Giant Mister Tippy sippy cup nightmare and the dentist offering baby Tommy a ballooooooooon lol, and then another with Chuckie getting one from his dentist, and Susie tying it to Angelica’s Cynthia doll. Which somehow was able to fly away! I hated that episode because Angelica didn’t do anything wrong but Susie wouldn’t listen to reason. Plus her Cynthia doll was irreplaceable. Moral … don’t let Susie borrow your balloon.
                            Last edited by Blueballoondude89; 01-12-2022, 20:22.

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                            • Chevyhellraiser
                              Member
                              • Jun 2019
                              • 56

                              #44
                              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

                              Comment

                              • stretchedtight
                                Senior Member
                                • Apr 2013
                                • 166

                                #45
                                Re: What restaurant/store balloons do you miss the most?

                                Interesting thread!

                                There was a Pizza place called "That Pizza Place" that always had balloons. It was frequented by high school kids and I remember the girl in one of my class that was inflating a pink balloon with their logo. I think she inflate/deflated it a few times and it got pretty big. I would guess the balloons were maybe 11" There weren't anything special, but I enjoyed that memory of seeing one of my attractive classmates blowing up a balloon to a dangerously large size.

                                There is a chain of Mexican restaurants called Chevy's that always had 11-12" Red, White and Green balloons with their logo and the hosts would inflate with helium. People would take inflated balloons and I think've shared here her the story of my now wife and couple of her friends , taking some of the balloons and inflating/deflating one at the table while were were having drinks/food with friends. Balloons weren't anything special, but this a fond memory of mine and the catalyst for me sharing my fetish with my wife.

                                I used to work at a bank that would frequently get Qualatex balloons with promotions and they had a helium tank. Most of the time they were pretty Crystal color and it was a joy to watch some of my attractive coworkers inflate them with helium. So many fun memories from this time of my life.

                                I remember going to a street fair as a kid and people were walking about with big 17" crystal helium balloons. I think it was a radio station that was giving them out. I recall "Gullible" being printed on them, but that doesn't really make sense so I might be recalling incorrectly.

                                I think what I miss the most is the balloons used at the car dealers and apartment complexes which many have replaced with plastic balls on sticks. During the spring and summer they seemed to be everwhere. I would enjoy seeing them fresh in the morning since after a few hours they would be oxidized. Almost always are tuftex 17" balloons and often were the beautiful crystal colors. Love seeing big bouquets of those pretty balloons.

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