It’s been around since May 2002. It’s a plain old latex balloon bouquet kind of balloon. It’s semi-deflated, so its kind of a floppy football. It had some of that spritz in it that makes balloons last, and boy does that stuff work.
I have handled it (often the death of old balloons, as they crinkle under your fingers), I have drawn on it with permanent marker, it wore a plastic fireman’s helmet for about a year… it won’t die. It has survived three office moves packed in a cardboax box. It is the Rambo of balloons, the Prince Corwin, the Thing. It’s too dumb and too ugly to die.
Anyway, is this the Elder Balloon? Or are there others out there to whom it must pay homage?
The Guinness World Record site shows these 15 records for the search term ‘balloon’- none having to do with ‘oldest’ or ‘longest-lasting.’ I think we should start a Straight Dope World Records and just give awards to people based on claims they make, on thier honor they tell the truth :D.
i used to work in a group home for the mentally handicapped and i worked with a person that loved baloons and we tried to keep them around as long as possible,so i came here thinking i could tell you of a balloon that asted longer, but i can’t. my hat is off to you and your balloon (which is obviously some kind of sign from god or something).
A friend at a previous job had (by the time I left) an eight year old mylar birthday balloon from his daughter’s first birthday. It was still inflated (with air) and showed no signs of age. Your latex lagabout is but a mere Johnny-come-lately, a usurper to the throne, a balloonatic.
I once had a helium foil balloon for about 10 years. It was still half-inflated, but in pristine shape. It was gift when i broke my arm as a kid, and it managed to stay in my closet for those years. Eventually i just chucked it.
I still have a foil balloon which my girlfriend gave me for Valentines Day in 1999 and its as taught and filled today as the day she gave it to me. It’s safely kept behind glass now but still where I can see it. Don’t understand why its still going but keeping it to see how long it lasts!
Ooops! I hadn’t noticed this was a zombie. But then, on the other hand, if you’re gonna resurrect an ancient thread, it might as well be on a topic dealing with old age, right ?
I can see deflating and packing away a balloon as a memento if it had super special meaning but why in gods name would you keep an inflated balloon around!?
