Now thats a ball!

Do any of you guys remember those liquid plastic bubbles you could blow up from a tube when we were kids? The moment I took my Gertie Ball out of the package I had a little deja vu when it comes to those old liquid bubbles.

The Gertie Ball is a play ball that is pretty unusual at least in the way you buy it and can store it. I'll make a bet your kids ask you for one of those big balls you see in the wire cages at grocery stores and department stores at least once a week. that As much as we love them they are hard to store as Connor has a huge blue one in my living room and I'm always trying to find a place to put it. The Gertie Ball is unusual in two ways.. it comes packaged completely flat in what appears to be an impossibly small package in comparison to how large your Gertie can get. The Gertie is blown up via a little plastic straw included and then you just put in the stopper and tada you have yourself a fairly large play ball. When your ready to store it or even pack it on vacation you can just pull out the stopper and flatten it back out, just remember to save your little straw to blow it back up.

I've always heard about Gertie balls but never played with one first hand. They have sort of an unusual texture and appear to be lighter than those balls you see at the grocery store. I was a little concerned about how durable the Gertie would be only because the material its made out is much softer and more flexible than the other large balls we have and typically I only ever expect those large balls to have a few month lifespan as it seems as if they tend to pop more often than I would like. Our Gertie is hanging in there with the other large ball we have and honestly I think it will drastically outlive our other ball.

The best part about Gertie's is the large variety of shapes, colors, and textures they come in. From a soccor ball design, to swirls, to balls with bumps, footballs, glitter, glow in the dark, there is a huge variety and they are all very affordable at most being under $6. Due to the small packaging they would make for a great stocking stuffer this Christmas and even older kids can find a Gertie that appeals to them.

You can see all of the current varieties of Gertie balls and even buy your own at the Small World Toys website!