My Super Ball ® History
Though I was only about two when the Super
Ball ® first bounced on to the scene, we would eventually
play together, and although it was only for a very short time, it
was quite a memorable experience (in fact one that I've yet to
hear the end of). Who would have ever imagined then that years
later this little bundle of energy and I would be so beautifully
re-united.
You see my first experience
with the Super Ball ® was very short-lived and ended rather abruptly, on
the day... actually the minute that "the ball " broke
my folks' chandelier. I know, I know, you're probably going to
say that the ball didn't do it. I've heard that so many times. I
stand by my story. Anyway, needless to say I was Super Ball ® deprived as
a child, though I would "one day" be compensated for my
loss.
That brings us to around 1989,
when I was working in my hometown of Fullerton, CA as a salesman
for a local company. Just on the other side of a "fenced off"
storm drain from our office building, isolated between the storm
drain and the train tracks, sat a number of long-abandoned
buildings, all on one lot and all painted alike (ugly). We never
had a clue as to what once went on there, nor did we care...
until that "one day."
It seems that the property had
just been purchased, and the old buildings were being demolished.
During the demolition what should appear but Super Balls ®. What a
surprise! I think that our first clue to this tremendous find was
the sound of the balls bouncing off of our building's "loading
bay" door. Discovered initially by neighborhood kids
attracted by the loud noises, large machinery, or simply a new
shortcut home, they were soon all over the place, and were even
banned at the local schools (broken windows). Anyway, the
demolition crew just allowed them to be taken... I was told that
they even encouraged it. Rumor was that they were considered
"hazardous waste," and couldn't be dumped just "anywhere."
Well, upon discovery of their
existance my boss (also a child of the 60's) and I went next door
to take a look. Sure enough, Super Balls ® - - everywhere. Good old Super Balls ®, Original
Wham-O ® Super Balls ®, Copyright 1965 just like the one I had as a...
Well anyway, the balls, which still wore their original "mold
release," were mostly all strewn around. Kids were picking
them all up, filling their pockets to the brims. We sought out
the source, and in a couple of small storage rooms, (either stand-alone,
or by then standing alone), we found it... Super Balls ® in big bags.
(It was by the way, on the wall of one of those rooms where I
found the Super Ball ® "inventory" list).
Anyway, the
bags that held them were surplus type plastic lined
paper bags, some C & H Sugar, some Bandini Fertilizer, some
Beagle Greasweep - - all labeled with a stencil as to the size
and color of their actual Super Ball ® contents. I guess that when the fad died (the first
time) in the late ' 60's their inventory went into storage, and
there they sat. The Super Ball
®, and this manufacturer's production was revived in
the mid ' 70's, but for some reason the logo and size had changed
so the balls continued to sit. Eventually, sometime in the late '
80's the company apparently went out of business... the buildings'
doors locked, the lights turned out, and the balls... left behind
To sum things up, we got a
bunch (you should have seen my folks' faces the day I brought
them home). So, what to do with a bunch of Super Balls ®. Figuring
that they'd make a great collectible, having been such a popular
fad and all, I once advertised in a toy collectors newspaper for
a couple of issues, with only one response (without the advent of
the Internet, the world was still too small a place for my little
nuggets). Later, I sold some on consignment from the counter of
my favorite imported beer supplier's store, and though they all
sold, I never asked for the money (after all, he took care of my
beer connoisseuring needs). Once I even tried, with my boss, to
sell them at a local swap meet, but made only enough to pay for
our "spot" and lunch. I think that the problem there
was that we were trying to sell these balls to a bunch of nice
people who weren't yet in the country in the late ' 60's and
unfortunately had no idea of the history behind the balls, and we
were competing for their food and clothing dollar to boot. I even
remember refunding a dollar to a child whose father made him
return the ball, after the father had bounced it only to have it
come back and hit him in the face.
Well, my treasures went back
into storage after that where they've been for years... until I
stumbled upon an old ugly one being sold at eBay™. Mine are
beautiful. As a want-to-be webmaster in search of a cause on
which to spend a ton of time that I didn't really have, I got
right to work, and superballs.com was born. The rest is history,
the stories wonderful, and the interest just tremendous.
For a little history on the
manufacturer, please see
Fullerton Manufacturing Company - - History.
Super Ball ® is a
brand name and a registered trademark of Wham-O Incorporated,
Carson, CA
Wham-O ®
is a registered trademark of Wham-O Incorporated, Carson,
CA
eBay™
is a registered trademark of eBay, Inc., San Jose, CA
Please
note that this site is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by
Wham-O Inc.
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