| Balloonfest '86 Helium Tank | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
Balloonfest ‘86 |
|
Type |
Helium Tank |
|
Effects |
Electrically attracted to water and people |
|
Downsides |
Creates loud disturbances or mechanical flickering |
|
Activation |
Inflation |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
349065-2494 |
|
Shelf |
918745-2086-294 |
|
Date of Collection |
June 12, 2019 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Balloons are a staple of birthday party clowns and saucy innuendos. In 1986, the charity United Way broke the world record for largest simultaneous launch of nearly 1.5 million. Volunteers spent an entire day filling thousands of latex poppers with helium underneath a safety net.
It didn't work.
An approaching storm spooked the organizers to release their plastic legion early. Instead of floating high and popping, they were forced back upon the ground by a front. Everything in the vicinity of Cleveland was swamped, all the way up to the Canadian side of Lake Erie. The onslaught of balloons interfered with a search and rescue mission, which likely resulted in the drowning two fishermen. A stable of prized Arabian horses injured themselves in a panic; United Way was sued by both parties for damages. Even airport traffic stalled for a little, and the plastic menace continued littering the surrounding areas.
Effects[]
Inflating creates a small electrical charge between the rubberized surface and the surrounding air. They tend to float towards materials of opposing charge, meaning they flock on water and people with ease. On contact they either pop and release a loud painful crack, or slowly shrivel up in a disturbing gurgle. Noises made by them often cause momentary panics or scramble signals on machinery. Several stray balloons have been tangled up with streetlights in recent years and been the cause of the eerie flickering reported by some nighttime stragglers.