Texas entrepreneur and father of eight Josh Malone is “completely overwhelmed” with the online response to his latest invention: Bunch O Balloons.
The Malone’s Kickstarter campaign was launched just over two weeks ago, and has spread like wildfire. Earning well over it’s intended $10,000 goal, the toy has managed to rake in nearly $820,280 with more than 19,000 backers and 15 days left to go. It has been featured on big media outlets like Yahoo, Good Morning America, BuzzFeed, and even Time, much to Malone’s surprise.
Malone and his family spend hours lobbing water balloons at each other, but are often exhausted with the tedious task of filling and tying one balloon at a time. He told CrowdFund Insider:
“Sometimes, thinking about how long it takes to fill and tie water balloons is enough to dissuade a parent from even wanting to play. With Bunch O Balloons, we’ve taken away that worry. Now you can go from sitting around to throwing water balloons with your kids in minutes.”
Bunch O Balloons allows you to completely fill more than one hundred balloons in a minute. That’s a lot faster than doing it the old fashioned way.
The disposable mechanism twists onto a hose and simultaneously fills thirty-seven balloons at once. After they have filled, give a gentle shake and they fall right off. A small, elastic band seals off the water and takes away all the work, giving children of all ages the ability to create their own water bomb arsenal.
Malone is the holder of six other patents, so he is no novice as an inventor and has a sense of how to turn those inventions into business models. He attended the International Toy Fair in New York City back in February, but received no interest from big toy companies, all skeptical about buying the new idea.
They’ve changed their tune now, according to Malone. He told CNN news one toy company representative who said no at the toy fair is now back “hat in hand” to discuss a possible deal.
Plans to create a fully automated assembly line are set to go in motion in September of 2015. Backers can receive packages of Bunch O Balloons including supplies of water balloons, but many of these rewards are already gone thanks to the sheer volume of demand.
Image: ABC News
This is truly awesome. However, it’s such a simple product that I wonder if he’ll be able to deploy nearly a million dollars toward it. Oh well, that’s the kind of problem to have!
kristen
How do I get some of these balloons
What a wonderful idea! This will definitely not be just for kids. 🙂
I’m glad Josh got the backing he needed and that it was surpassed. The toy companies that weren’t interested – ah well, it’s proven to be their loss 🙂
Kristy Giammona
Hello, I am so interested in buying your bunch I balloons. We have 6 kids and we love having water balloon fights. Can you please tell me where I can buy this product. It’s a must have for my family.
Thank you kristy
Kristy, I could be wrong, but I don’t think it’s available yet. If you haven’t already, visit the Kickstarter campaign page to find out how and when you can get hold of one.
Aira Bongco
Wow. It is so simple yet it made it big just because it is useful. The idea came from a need and then he used it to help other people.
Often, it’s the simplest ideas, the ones right beneath our noses, that are the best, and one of the most popular.
Kelly
How can I.buy.this?
Amanda
They will become available September of 2015 according to the caption on the kickstart website