Before starting, everyone should know that a zorb ball is a large inflated, flexible plastic ball that a person can climb inside of. Basically, it’s a giant human hamster ball but double layers. Nowadays, zorbing games popularity is rolling across all over the world. People can use it on grass, water, snow, ice and even special made track. You can use your exceptional creativity enjoy the zorb ball activities. Also, it’s very popular on social medias and becoming a sort of pop culture phenomenon. The zorb balls could be “the next big thing” in the party rental industry to overtake inflatable castles.

The potential of zorbing games will be brought out with the zorb ball technology improves over time. The question is: when will you decide to increase profits for your company by leasing out this flexible plastic ball?

1. The history of zorb ball

Some people may think that these inflatable balls were invented in recent years. Actually, they’ve been around on the commercial market for more than 20 years. As early as 1975, the first human-sized inflated ball as we know them today was invented by French architect Gilles Ebersolt. Ebersolt, who was just a teenager when he came up with the idea, created a ball that he called his “Ballule” (French for “Bubble”). Although this bubble ball appeared on television internationally in the 1970’s and 1980’s, but Ebersolt never made his invention into a commercial inflatable product.

Jackie Chan found himself inside an inflated ball in the 1991 film Operation Condor, where the action star rolls down the side of a mountain in a death-defying stunt. As a Chinese who grew up watching Jackie Chan movies since childhood, I’m pretty sure Jackie Chan was inside the ball when it went down the mountain. And you should never, ever try this like Chan.

The “zorb ball” name comes from Andrew Akers and Dwayne van der Sluis of Rotorua, New Zealand, who founded the company Zorb Limited in 1994. The Zorb company created the world’s first commercial human hamster ball, as well as the first zorbing park.

2. The design of zorb ball

The design of zorb balls is pretty simple on paper, of course it will be a bit harder to manufacture. It’s essentially one vinyl or PVC or TPU ball wrapped inside a second, larger ball. These two balls are connected via hundreds of small nylon strings. The exterior ball is then inflated with a commercial blower. Zorb balls usually have two donut-like entrances, some have only one.

You need to inflate the zorb ball body and the donut-like entry tubes before you can safely use them on grass, water, snow, ice, hills and almost any other surface (just be careful not to get it scuffed up on pavement). Some water zorbing enthusiasts will put a little bit of water inside the ball, just enough to splash around for some added fun.

3. Zorbing games

In recent years, zorb parks have sprung up all around the world. People have came up with many ways to have fun with the innovative zorb balls. One of the most popular zorbing games is that participants climb into the giant hamster ball and roll down a huge hill. Most zorb parks feature some form of downhill experience. if you can’t find a zorb park near you, you can always buy a zorb ball for yourself and enjoy the game on a grass hill with a gentle slope. Most hills used for sledding in winter months should be safe for zorbing.

Another popular zorbing game is zorb ball wrestling, where two “combatants” roll into each other, sometimes on a track, and attempt to knock each other out of a specified area. It’s sort of like sumo wrestling, only inside human hamster balls.

Another variant of zorb ball is called bumper ball or bubble football. Yes, you can use it to play bubble football game. It’s much more like a half zorb ball, with your upper body inside the ball and your feet outside, and then you run and knock each other when moving the soccer ball around the pitch. There was even a “Bubble Football World Cup” in 2018. Click here to see more fun games you can play with the bubble balls.
Are you ready to invest in zorb balls for your party rental business?

These giant bubble balls are not just fun outdoor toys, but profitable rental units as well. As the exposure on internet videos and TV grows, the zorb balls are getting more and more notice. In some North American markets, the inflatable human hamster balls are in high demand and seems to be spreading over time. Now it’s a good time for you invest in these inflatable products because they have been used enough to know they’re overall quite safe.