April 12, 2004
#66 :: Balloon Anchor
Half a dozen of these lined a throw-rug dance floor at our 2-year-old neighbor's birthday party last weekend. Three balloons were tethered to each, at just-above-head level, so that when you moved among them you had the sensation of being a blimp coming to berth among its brothers in an open-air hangar. It was festive, fun, and testament to the crisp, playful design sense of our neighbor's mom, the architect. The balloon anchor is purely purpose-built - heavy and cheerful, and better than tying balloon strings to chairs or toddlers' arms. But of all the artifacts from our throwaway culture, this has to be one of the least-biodegradable: A sheet of mylar wrapped around a sheet of plastic with a cardboard buffer disc and a hard-plastic tie-off strap - all wrapped around a 12-ounce chunk of cement. C - E - M - E - N - T. It's a permanent thing designed to protect a temporary thing - something that could last hundreds of years in a landfill, for the benefit of preserving a toy with a one-day life span. What must the factory floor in Mexico or China look like, as they roll off the line - glittery and stolid? What must its employees think of their handiwork's target users' lifestyles and wealth? And when the party's ended, and the last lungful of helium has been sucked from the last balloon for yet one more hysterically high-voiced rendition of "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," how many are just thrown in the trash?