Had this toy when I was a kid, and I loved it. It consisted of a balloon with a kind of landing gear attached to the bottom, and the 'controller' was a fan. I was fascinated with the idea of controlling it as it moved around the room.
As you can imagine, the reality wasn't as good as the hype. Most times, the balloon would just float wherever it wanted and then drop to the floor, out of the reach of the fan. But to a ten-year-old, it was still pretty cool. Saw one at a flea market a few years ago, and even though it was broken I was tempted to buy it. The hefty price tag ended up out-weighing my craving for nostalgia.
I guess in some ways, my flying drones nowadays is rooted in those memories of playing with this toy. Or at least satisfying the same urges. There are even the same restrictions - height limitations (the ceiling), and not letting it get too far away (the walls).
As you can imagine, the reality wasn't as good as the hype. Most times, the balloon would just float wherever it wanted and then drop to the floor, out of the reach of the fan. But to a ten-year-old, it was still pretty cool. Saw one at a flea market a few years ago, and even though it was broken I was tempted to buy it. The hefty price tag ended up out-weighing my craving for nostalgia.
I guess in some ways, my flying drones nowadays is rooted in those memories of playing with this toy. Or at least satisfying the same urges. There are even the same restrictions - height limitations (the ceiling), and not letting it get too far away (the walls).
