Photo by Jenn Shreve snapped at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation. (Thanks Koshi for the headline!)

As a young'n, This American Life's Ira Glass performed magic and made balloon animals at children's birthday parties. You can watch his mad balloon skills in this Rookie Sunday Video during which he also discusses other more pressing, adult matters. To learn the fine art of balloon animal creation, Ira suggests "Roger's Rubber Ark: One Ballon Zoo" (1971).

Maker dad Ron Fugelseth and his 4-year-old son sent the boy's favorite toy train eighteen miles up into the stratosphere aboard a weather balloon outfitted with an HD camera and salvaged cell phone for GPS. Then he made this lovely video. (Thanks, Kelly Sparks!)