Most of us probably nurture 'going high up on a hot air balloon' wish as one of the things of our '100 things to do before I die' list. Hot air ballooning looks extremely fun and attractive as you ascend the skies in a rather slower pace and gracefully reach the highest point from where the earth looks distant and surreal. The balloon is powered by propane burners and the wind as the various currents take the big balloon towards its direction of movement. Here are eight amazing designs of hot air balloons that makes it appear even more entertaining and fun, particularly for the children.
1. Darth Vader
The Darth Vader hot air balloon participated in the 36th Annual International Balloon Fiesta that was held in New Mexico, USA. This particular Star Wars character design was created by Benot Lambert from Belgium. This huge black-colored sombre-looking balloon has the shape of the head of Darth Vader which measures 26 meters in height and 21 meters in width. This hot air balloon ride would probably excite all the Star Wars fans out there, however, its gloomy look would not go too well with the children.
2. Hot air balloon
Ian Edmonds, works as an environmental consultant with an organization called Solartran and has come up with a unique renewable generator which is actually a hot air balloon! This colorful generator makes use of the sun's heat to heat the air inside the balloon which enables it to rise up to 3 kms into the air. This is indeed a self-sufficient zero-fuel hot air balloon, which would be any environmentalist's dream!
3. Thanksgiving Day parade
The 82nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York saw a bevy of various floats that filled the streets. There were 28 floats in all and the one that received the most cheers was Shrek. Yes, that lovable ogre won the most affection from kids who simply couldn't stop cheering their favorite cartoon character!
4. Turtle Hot Air Balloon
This amazing monster sized turtle hot air balloon wearing a pair of sneakers, a bow-tie and a baseball cap looks absolutely spectacular! This humorous design is great to watch when you are down on land and you see a giant turtle - all geared up - looming in the skies above! This hot air balloon is absolutely a riot for the kids!
5. Snoopy Balloon
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York in 2008 saw an amazing float of Snoopy, the favorite dog cartoon character from Peanuts who marched the street with his binoculars. The little children must have had a spectacular time watching a giant sized Snoopy smiling his way across the streets amidst a lot of fun and revelry!
6. Nescafe Mug Hot Air Balloon
The Nescafe Mug hot air balloon was an entry for the First Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta from New Zealand which was held in 2009. This huge cup of coffee flown by a team from New Zealand must have been a great publicity stunt for Nescafe apart from the amazing ride it provided!
7. The hot air balloon shaped like a bottle of Coca Cola
This huge Coca Cola hot air balloon has made more than 150 appearances in a single year and is a part of the company's commitment to responsibility (CDR) program. This hot air balloon is shaped like the classic Coca Cola glass bottle and most certainly promotes the brand Coca Cola apart from the amazing joy ride that it provides!
8. Flying Cow hot air balloon
'The Flying Cow' is a unique design for a hot air balloon that reminds you of the popular nursery rhyme in which the cow flies over the moon! This hot air balloon took off from Chateau d'Oex which is a popular skiing resort located in the Swiss Alps, during the International Hot Air Balloon Week in 2003. This flying cow hot air balloon must have certainly proved to be very entertaining for the folks watching it from down below!
