The wonderful world of blob launching videos

What is a blob? It's a giant plastic bag filled with air, placed in a lake.

What do you do with the blob? One person sits on one end the end of the blob. Another person climbs a tower and jumps onto the other end of the blob, launching the sitter into the air.

What happens when two beefy guys jump onto a blob at the same time? The sitter gets launched very high in the air.

Where can I see more blob launching videos? Here. Here. Here. Here.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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libraryboi

I had no idea you could link to a video and specify the position in seconds for start time. While I am grateful, it makes me wonder what else I wasn’t taught in internet school.
maralenenok

Whoa, didn’t expect random Russian swearing at the end. Cool video, though. I want in!
- Zhiva
  
  When I heard “Horse fuck it!” I was O_O
- invictus
  
  What are you talking about? Clearly, a call for equine fornication was a natural reaction to the displayed events.
Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y1wmXaMsEw
Itsumishi

Heavy-Weights.
MadMolecule

I really, really want to try that. Wearing a cape.
nixiebunny

There’s just something wonderful about conservation of momentum.
millrick

why isn’t launching a blog this much fun?
Anonymous

is that Hank Hill saying “what” at 0:12 ?
switters

This is Wednesday… By the weekend, someone will have been killed blobbing. Monday should see the rise of Mothers Against Blobbing. “To blob or not to blob” will be heatedly discussed most of next week on American news/morning shows, and by the end of next week this once summer fun activity will have gone the way of the lawn dart. Also I’ll go out on a limb and predict Bob Loblaw of http://www.bobloblawsblobblog.com will have a reality show deal and a private jet…
- Anonymous
  
  Hilarious
- Anonymous
  
  RLOL (Really Laughed Out Loud)
callmeishmael

The video just made me laugh out loud. It also made me wish that I lived close to a lake.
Anonymous

This was by far the favorite activity we had at summer camp in Texas. The typical way is that you try to stay ON the blob as other campers jump on, you come down and try to bounce them off, etc. but the big launch was always fun, too.
My memories were quite fond of that camp until I discovered that former campers at the same camp included the Bush family, of whom George W was the first to attend, followed by his twins. Picture W. at the end of the Blob with Cheney in his speedos trying to launch him off.
Anonymous

Where can i get a blob?
Nylund

Does the military have this technology? I can only imagine what could be done if this device was in the hands of well-trained Navy SEALS.
Brainspore

Someone has to set up a chain of these things. Four fat guys jump onto the first blob, propelling the two beefy guys onto a second blob, propelling the skinny woman onto a third blob, which shoots a cat 50 feet into the air.
- Anonymous
  
  That’s not how it works – it wouldn’t be any different if the first set of people landed on the last blob.
  - Edman
    
    Actually, each successive launch would have less energy, so it would be pretty mundane by the time it got to the cat.
    
    I say just have the four fat guys launch the kitty directly.
    
    Poor kitty.
    - Anonymous
      
      Yep, Anonymouse is forgetting that we live in the real world and there are always energy losses.
      
      That being said, “4 fat guys launch cat” has the potential to be the greatest video in the history of youtube. I would pay good money to see it (I am not a cat fan), PETA be damned.
    - Brainspore
      
      I’m not suggesting that the blob chain idea is a more efficient way of launching the cat, just more entertaining one. If people are gonna get all PETA on me then we can substitute a small dog that likes swimming, or maybe just an unpleasant cat that really has it coming.
- pa
  
  The railgun of blobs!
- Anonymous
  
  haha that sounds awesome. wouldn’t a cat’s claws rip the blob though?
- Anonymous
  
  Brilliant.
MrsBug

That looks like the MOST FUN EVAR!!!
Anonymous

Did he died?
edi

yes please.
Agies

I present to you the fun float.