Balloons are a vital decor element for most parties. Guests are enticed and excited by these tiny balloons that seem to spell celebration and gaiety more clearly than the alphabets of the words themselves! Coloured alluringly, they make the party venue a terrestrial rainbow and when arranged suitably appear as classy bits of art.



Party balloons can be filled up with air, helium gas or water. Air balloons can be pumped in with a manual foot pump, electrical pump or simply blown in. Depending on how tightly it is sealed, air-blown balloons rarely last longer than the first 36 hours. Helium gas can also be pumped into balloons (although in most countries, you would need to obtain a license beforehand). This makes the balloon float upwards and stay upright if on a string. While it is a lot of fun, unfortunately helium escapes rather easily, so helium balloons rarely last longer than 24 hours.

Water balloons are, of the three, the most “dangerous†as they are messy. Solely made for fun and games, water balloons are harmless and break upon impact immediately. Unless it is a prank, water balloons are hardly ever used as decor items.

To spice up your balloons, party balloons weights can be tied to them. These come especially handy for helium balloons, which will always need something weighty to hold them down or they will float away. Balloon weights can be used for both latex and foil balloons, and very useful for giant, life-sized character foil balloons which need to sit or stand upright at all times. Otherwise, you can use them in balloon bouquets, and tie on a little gift at the same time.

Depending on the theme of the party, there are different types of weights to choose from:

- The popular option is that of tassel weights. These are simple bag weights wrapped with cheerfully hued paper at home or obtained otherwise. It can also use return gifts for the guests as the weight - once the party is over, balloon and weight may together given over to the guests as keepsakes. One's creativity may be utilized to customize the tassel weights.

- Star shaped paper weights are also a big hit, fit as they do all occasions including birthdays, anniversaries, office celebrations and even Christmas. The stars can be made more attractive by usage of bright papers, designs and shiny sprinklers. They may be made of plastic, wood, aluminum or steel.

- Heart shaped balloon weights are quite popular as they can be part of all major party themes.

- Themed weights are items or objects that fit each individual party theme. A sports theme party, for instance, may use party balloon weights that are shaped into soccer balls, footballs or rings to depict the Olympic spirit. Character weights, on the other hand, can carry familiar characters like the gingerbread man or children icons like Barney, Sponge bob, Square pants or Big Bird, while older people may go for pop icons like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus.

- Religious themed balloon weights are also available. These come in shapes of religious symbols like the holy cross, Jacob's star and the goddess Kuan Yin and used in religious gatherings like Bar Mitzvahs and Baptism.

Party weights are used inside the character foil balloons while they may be attached externally to smaller balloons. Character foil balloons are plastic balloons given a high-gloss metallic finish that have been cunningly designed to resemble a character, a personality or an animal. Children delight in cartoon characters like Barney, while adults are exulted by the sight of a balloon Madonna or Britney Spears!

Balloons hold true to one maxim - good things come in small packages! Yes, the large-sized balloon may be good as a decoration gimmick, but real fun comes from the small ones tied with strings or stuck on plastic holders. Foil balloons can come here as smaller avatars. Delightfully coloured, shaped in accordance with animal or cartoon characters they are weighed down slightly so that toddlers may hold on to them.

Character foil balloons are highly well-liked at children parties as they do not deflate as quickly as normal latex ones. In fact, foil balloons can last up to a few months - this ensures the child has plenty of time to enjoy his or her new found friend a long time after the party.