Waboba facts for kids
Waboba is a company that makes fun outdoor toys and sports gear. It started in Sweden and has offices in other countries like the USA and China. Waboba is famous for inventing balls that can bounce on water! They also make the super bouncy Moon ball and the Wingman flying disc. The company focuses on toys and games perfect for the beach or your backyard. Their main slogan is Keep Life Fun. The name Waboba is a special brand name, and many of their products have patents, meaning they are unique inventions.
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What Does Waboba Mean?
The name Waboba is actually a short way of saying "WAter BOuncing BAll." This name comes from the very first product the company invented.
How Waboba Started
In the early 1980s, in Sweden, a clever inventor named Jan Von Heland had an idea. He was throwing a Frisbee upside down and saw it skim across the water, just like skipping a flat rock. This made him wonder if he could create something that would bounce on water.
For many years, Jan tried out different shapes and materials. He wanted to find the best way for a ball to bounce on water. Finally, in 2002, he discovered that a soft ball covered in a special fabric called Lycra worked best. This design helped the ball bounce much better than other balls on water.
In 2004, Jan developed the idea into a product. He eventually got a patent for his invention, which became known as the Waboba Ball.
The Waboba ball is made from different types of polyurethane plastic, covered with Lycra. This special design allows it to bounce on water and also float. To make the ball bounce, you need to throw it like you're skipping a rock. If you throw it with the right angle and force, it will bounce high on the water between players. But remember, these balls are made for water, so they don't bounce on land!
Today, there are many different types of Waboba balls. Some are for serious players, some for beginners, and there's even one for dogs!
In 2016, Waboba and Jan von Heland's invention were shown on a TV show called Million Dollar Genius on The History Channel.
Where Waboba Products Are Sold
The Waboba Water Bouncing Ball first came out in Sweden in 2005. It was sold there for two years. Then, in the summer of 2007, it was introduced to new places. These included other parts of Europe, the United States, and Australia. By 2019, you could find Waboba products in more than 75 countries around the world.
Waboba Products
Waboba makes many different toys for water and land.
Water Bouncing Balls
- Pro - This ball is made for people who want to play with great control and accuracy in lakes or the ocean.
- Extreme - This ball bounces very fast, far, and high in lakes or the ocean.
- Surf - This ball is soft and easy to use, perfect for beginners in lakes or the ocean.
- Big Kahuna - This is the largest Waboba ball. It works well in all water places: lakes, oceans, and pools.
- Blast - This ball is designed especially for playing in swimming pools.
- Fetch - This ball is made for dogs to play with in the water.
Water Accessories
- Catch - This is a special glove made of neoprene. It's used with the Waboba Pro ball for water games.
- Waboba Lacrosse - In 2014, Waboba worked with another company called STX. They created a water lacrosse game using special sticks and a Waboba Extreme ball.
- Water Cracket - This is a cricket bat designed to be used with a water bouncing ball.
Land Items
- Spizzy - A round foam ball with cool zig-zag stripes.
- Octzilla - Similar to the Moon ball, but with a slightly different shape.
- Moon - This is a super high-bouncing ball made for playing on land.
- Street - This ball has an unusual shape, which makes it bounce in unpredictable ways.
- Flyer - This is a large shuttlecock. You can hit it with your hands, knees, feet, or even rackets.
- Wingman - A flying disc made of silicone that you can fold up.
Awards and Recognition
Waboba products have won several awards:
- Approved for Special Needs by AblePlay.
- Named a Best Toy for Vacation by Dr. Toy.
- Received a Gold Award from the Family Review Center.
- The Moon Ball won the 2013 Toy of the Year Award from Creative Child Magazine.
How Waboba Balls Bounce on Water
When a Waboba water ball hits the water, it flattens out like a pancake. This flattening helps it get more lift and pushes it back up into the air. When the ball hits the water at a shallow angle, it creates a bowl-shaped dip. Because the ball is soft, it flattens into a disc shape as it hits the surface. This allows it to glide smoothly across the water. The angle of the bowl-shaped dip then launches the ball into the air. Once in the air, the ball returns to its normal round shape, making it look like it bounced.
This process is very similar to how flat stones skip across water, even though stones are much heavier than water. A shallow impact with the water surface creates a bowl-shaped dip that launches the stone into the air as it leaves.
Waboba and Science
Scientists with the U.S. Navy have been studying Waboba balls. They are interested in how the ball's softness and flexibility affect its movement in water.
It's important to know that almost any ball can bounce on water. If you throw a ball at a shallow angle with enough speed, it can glide across the surface.
This idea was used during World War II by a British inventor named Barnes Wallace. He developed the "bouncing bomb" for a famous mission called "Dam Busters." He was inspired by old stories of the British navy bouncing cannonballs off the ocean to hit enemy ships. Wallace figured out the science by bouncing marbles, steel balls, and other balls across a pond. He found that even solid steel balls could bounce across water. Regular tennis balls or other plastic balls can also skip on water if thrown fast and at a low angle.
