Overinflated inflatables in public

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  • Vicci
    Blown to bits
    • Oct 2009
    • 655

    Overinflated inflatables in public

    There's a thread about overinflated balloons in public, so thought I'd create one for inflatables after what I saw this weekend (I didn't get photos unfortunately as my phone battery died).

    I was in Nottingham at the weekend and they've got a small funfair in the city square - there was your standard hook-a-duck type side show, where you could win the usual cuddly toy, junk toys and inflatable hammers. I heard the unmistakable sound of someone blowing up an inflatable, turned around and the girl operating the side show was blowing up one of the inflatable hammers by mouth, so I had to have a go at hooking a duck to win one or two!

    Whilst I was hooking a duck (taking my time), she was wandering round still blowing up the hammer when *bang* the head of it tore in half. I said to her "oops" and she responded with "that's the fifth one today"

    Anyway, I hooked my duck, she asked what I wanted, of course, I wanted a hammer, she whips out a new one and starts blowing it up - it's rock hard (I didn't know these things could take so much), she handed it to me with the words "is that blown up enough" - of course, I say "a bit more", she puts two more puffs in and hands it back to me, I wander off with my grossly over-inflated hammer - which popped itself a few minutes later

    Also in Nottingham, in one of the shopping centres they have an indoor "beach" - the ladies there were pumping up beach balls to their upmost capacity - wrinkle-free and make a ringing noise when you flick them - which gets my approval!

    It's not often you see inflatables being over-inflated in public, anyone else seen any recently?
    Vicci x
  • Sid1
    Junior Member
    • Jan 2021
    • 10

    #2
    Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

    Wow. That would be amazing to see. No wonder you were drawn to the booth. I would have done the same. "Is that blown up enough?" is a question I have not often heard, but one I would gladly field!

    Comment

    • heaviest
      Senior Member
      • Jun 2018
      • 501

      #3
      Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

      Some time ago I saw a couple pink donut rings, the kind with the bite out of them, overinflated to where the outer seam didn't pucker. The bite part is smaller around and it doesn't stretch there nearly as much as the rest of the ring, so when you overinflate them it looks really distorted. Looked ready to blow even without anyone on them, but they were being played with by a fairly thin woman and a chubby woman. No pops.

      Comment

      • PVC Vinyl Enthusiast
        PVC Fetish
        • Jan 2013
        • 107

        #4
        Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

        Is it any wonder that inflatables rupture so easily nowadays when they are made from 6P-free PVC? (6P-free PVC, also known as 'environmentally-friendly PVC', is PVC free from the 6 commonly used phthalates).

        I recall my visit to the British catalogue order store, Argos, in the early 2000's. This was at a time when inflatable 'bubble-style' furniture, made from glossy clear, silky soft and durable PVC, was in vogue. In the Argos store there was a fully inflated glossy clear navy blue inflatable sofa on display. It was not what I'd describe as over-inflated, but, rather, it was inflated to full capacity. It looked 'erotic', as the shiny clear navy blue PVC material of the fully inflated sofa 'glistened' under the shop lighting.

        I could not wait to get my hands on one, so I promptly placed an order for not one, but for two (one clear navy blue; the other was crystal clear). That night myself and my then-girlfriend had hours of fun on the two sofas!
        Enjoy soft, shiny and smooth PVC (inflatables and clothing). The 6P-free/10P-free material is total rubbish.

        Comment

        • Vicci
          Blown to bits
          • Oct 2009
          • 655

          #5
          Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

          Originally posted by PVC Vinyl Enthusiast
          I recall my visit to the British catalogue order store, Argos, in the early 2000's. This was at a time when inflatable 'bubble-style' furniture, made from glossy clear, silky soft and durable PVC, was in vogue. In the Argos store there was a fully inflated glossy clear navy blue inflatable sofa on display. It was not what I'd describe as over-inflated, but, rather, it was inflated to full capacity. It looked 'erotic', as the shiny clear navy blue PVC material of the fully inflated sofa 'glistened' under the shop lighting.
          I've still got a few of those sofas and chairs (in dark blue, turquoise and clear) - they seem to have become squeakier and softer with age. When they're deflated they make that wonderful creaking noise when you pick them up.
          Vicci x

          Comment

          • RLMI
            Senior Member
            • Jul 2021
            • 107

            #6
            Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

            At public swimming pools in the 1980's and 1990's, there were often lots of swim rings available for hire. These were always hugely overinflated, till they were wrinkle free and warped/bulging out on one side.

            I think the staff kept adding air to firm them up until they eventually leaked.

            I used to see the staff inflating the tubes, usually with an electric pump but occasionally by mouth as well, not stopping till they became really fat and swollen. I never witnessed a pop though.

            Comment

            • RLMI
              Senior Member
              • Jul 2021
              • 107

              #7
              Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

              It's still very common in Malaysia to inflate swim rings till they are wrinkle free, bulging and warping. Shops usually sell them inflated.

              I had no idea that this was considered overinflating them, so I always blew up my swim rings to this size and tightness.

              I realised the hard way when my blue Care Bears swim ring sprung a leak when I was 5, due to being blown up too tight, and a few years, when a 20inch swim ring exploded violently in my face when blowing it up.
              Attached Files

              Comment

              • Pepertje90
                Junior Member
                • Sep 2017
                • 17

                #8
                Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                In some swimmingpools here, you can use the aircompressor to inflate your pooltoys. When I was younger, I always overinflate my toys there! But now these days, it's more fun to inflate them by mouth at the beach or pool!

                Comment

                • Nopops4me
                  Senior Member
                  • Jun 2015
                  • 519

                  #9
                  Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                  RLMI - those images are certainly blown up tight, very few with wrinkles.
                  I've seen most beach goods outlets at the seaside displaying tightly blown inflatables. I reckon they blow them tight in order for them not to last very long when customers play with them at the beach. The full weight of a heavy guy laying on a tightly blown air-mattress isn't going to last long - so back he goes to buy another one. Good sales ploy.
                  When I've wanted to buy an inflatable, I've chosen one in the packet from the shelf and got it blown up in front of me to my required tightness. Many a time I've seen discarded seam split inflatables lying on the floor near the compressor, obviously a week seam or blown up too much.

                  Comment

                  • Vicci
                    Blown to bits
                    • Oct 2009
                    • 655

                    #10
                    Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                    Originally posted by Nopops4me
                    I reckon they blow them tight in order for them not to last very long when customers play with them at the beach. The full weight of a heavy guy laying on a tightly blown air-mattress isn't going to last long - so back he goes to buy another one. Good sales ploy.
                    Spot on - I had a summer job in a beach shop in Cornwall when I was a teenager, the trick was to inflate them really tightly but not so they pop. Then when the customer left them in the sun the inflatable would go a bit soft as the pvc stretched and became thin (this was back when the black tyre inflatables were the in-thing - so they got hot and expanded really quick), the customer would then blow them up some more themselves (not realising they're already over inflated) until they're hard again because that's how we did it in the shop - now they're massively over-inflated and pop really easily (usually on something like a stone in the sand, or the customers nails).

                    They become a repeat customer and as the puncture was on a panel rather than a seam (apart from those who go too far and the inflatable ripped in half), you laid full blame on the customer being careless - so no free replacement. Ker-ching.
                    Vicci x

                    Comment

                    • condensatelover
                      Senior Member
                      • Jan 2022
                      • 133

                      #11
                      Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                      In Russia, there are some balloon studios which can inflate customer's balloons with helium. In summer, when it is hot outside, they switch on air condition, so the helium in a gas tank cools down. They blow up customer balloons huge and tight, qnd when customer pays money and goes away, the helium in balloons starts to heat up and balloons start to pop.
                      Of course, customer will come and argue "give me money back"
                      But designers just say "we are not responsible for customer's balloons, your balloons are bad, so we can sell you our balloons, they are better and will not pop"
                      So the customer buys "better" balloons for a double price, and starts to argue with balloon distributor, who says "they do not pop, you have overinflated them"
                      The customer is a double fool.
                      That is awful, but it is business.

                      Comment

                      • RLMI
                        Senior Member
                        • Jul 2021
                        • 107

                        #12
                        Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                        Vicci, did you blow the inflatables up by mouth or pump when you worked at the shop? I've seen quite a few staff at beachside shops and pool supplies shops inflating pooltoys by mouth for customers.

                        Usually the mouth blown items aren't too tight but the ones inflated by compressor can get really hard and solid if they survive the inflation.

                        I was used to seeing the swim rings and beach balls being blown up till they had no wrinkles so I always blew mine up the same way.

                        Comment

                        • Vicci
                          Blown to bits
                          • Oct 2009
                          • 655

                          #13
                          Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                          Originally posted by RLMI
                          Vicci, did you blow the inflatables up by mouth or pump when you worked at the shop?
                          It was always with the compressor for the public
                          Vicci x

                          Comment

                          • RLMI
                            Senior Member
                            • Jul 2021
                            • 107

                            #14
                            Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                            Using the compressor is certainly a wise choice, to save one's lungs and also from a hygiene viewpoint.

                            In primary school, for swimming lessons, each of us brought our own swim rings but our teacher used to check, and top up our swim rings with her breath before we entered the water.

                            Those who were capable of blowing them up themselves did so but many of us couldn't. We also helped blow up each other's swim rings without a second thought.

                            Comment

                            • Stephane
                              Junior Member
                              • Apr 2022
                              • 3

                              #15
                              Re: Overinflated inflatables in public

                              It sounds like you have a lot of overinflating inflatables stories! Would love to hear them!

                              Comment

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