Buddy Bumper Ball

There are many pretenders to the throne of Violet Beauregarde.

Buddy Bumper Ball

• [robotnik]

  Perhaps blue was not the best color choice.

  • [Brainspore]

    Perhaps blue was not the best color choice.

    Or perhaps it was the best. choice. ever.

    • [robotnik]

      You’re a positive thinker, Brainspore, and I like it!

• [Pirate Jenny]

  You could totally make a Violet Beauregard costume with that :D

• [Haz 0]

  One of the greater inventions of our time

• [Stefan Jones]

  I would have loved one of those as a kid.

  I’d would have put it on my destructive little brother, after duct-taping the arm holes shut.

• [bklynchris]

  Will they fit me and my spouse? 

• [Bucket]

  Violet, you’re turning violet, Violet!

• [Pirate Jenny]

  Doh, I didn’t see the caption at top right–I swear I didn’t. (If I had, I would have spelled her last name right ;)

  Stefan Jones, ditto that for my own formerly rascally little brother.

• [Pete-O]

  With the hands trapped inside the ball (no grip nor balance) and no head protection whatsoever, this sure looks like a “head trauma” ball.  you bump your buddy and then there is nothing to help you manage the subsequent, inevitable fall.

  A very dangerous novelty.  I would not qualify this as a toy.

• [Rider]

  Can you say nasty head wound?

• [Dan]

  Fun fact for the day: The word “pretender” does not necessarily imply that one’s claim to a throne is illegitimate or spurious. Who knew? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretender

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  You know who else had one big ball?

• [sata blank]

  Hmmm … I DO know one market demographic these might appeal to. *Shudders* https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Body_inflation

  • [robotnik]

    That scene in “Zelig” must be a HUGE turn-on.

• [Stefan Jones]

  An Al Jaffee piece that ran in a 70s-era MAD Magazine featured something like this, as a toddler safety device.

  It had a solid ball, however. And Jaffee had it filling up with pee (much to the satisfaction of inhabitant, who looked like Al Jaffee’s caricature of himself).

• [Erik Knutzen]

  Hey, didn’t the Yes Men do this one?

  http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/yes-men-launch-survivaballs.php

• [Chuck]

  They should issue these to OWS protesters.  It would be hilarious to see the police attempt to arrest people wearing them.

• [Cowicide]

  Pretty much everything is protected except the head.  What could possible go wrong?

  • [kbmcg]

    to me, it basically looks like a machine for producing concussions in children.

• [RobDobbs]

  Perhaps it’s a prototype from A Modest Proposal? 
  It seems designed to eliminate the world of children by humanely breaking their neck with a simple rolling action.

• [Oliver Schmieding]

  “domes and globes and stadiumses…vainglorious dross.”  buckminster fuller murmured, that fateful evening, while reaching for his half-emptied cup of mulled absinthe.  ”i’ll give them something cool to remember me by.”
  :)

• [jimh]

  I’ve had blue balls before! No thanks!

• [cdh1971]

  I wonder how long it would take for me to get arrested if I wore one of these in a busy, public place? 

  Having said this – check out their website…has a lot of interesting items.

  • [jimh]

    What, you mean wearing one of these and nothing else?

    • [cdh1971]

      Hmmm. I’m thinking perhaps having a test subject or subjects trying it clothes, then without, and compensate them with a case off middle shelf beer. 

      This would pass the research ethics  board right? 

• [lulamaebroadway]

  That thing has `Head Injury’ and “Neck Fracture”  written all over it.

• [Ali Kurtze]

  Mandatory in Australia soon.

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  Is it anymore dangerous than this?

  • [kbmcg]

    Yes, it is moderately more dangerous.

• [Miss Demeanor]

  I’m going to DIY this at home on my kids, encasing them in bubble wrap will work, right?

• [mrclamo]

  These will soon be a requirement at high school dances. Mark my words.