Help me find or make a clear plastic ball for my drinking bird costume (yes, a drinking bird costume).

October 5, 2007 7:34 AM

I'm going to be a drinking bird for Halloween and need a clear plastic ball to fill with colored liquid and attach to my butt. How can I buy or make one?

The ubiquitous drinking bird... a wonder of science and also (I hope!) my Halloween costume. I have the top hat and beak covered, but I'm hitting a Google wall on the clear plastic ball to be filled with liquid (I'm planning on attaching it to myself as a sort of tail). I figured I'd buy a clear beach ball, but the only ones I can track down online are on sites that make promotional products and you have to buy in bulk. So any ideas on where I could find one? I'm also very open to making one somehow--two plastic bowls glued together, maybe? Keep in mind it has to hold liquid.

Any other general drinking bird costume tips are welcome as well.

posted by ethorson to grab bag (19 comments total)

What about a big clear balloon from a party supply store?
posted by designbot at 7:40 AM on October 5, 2007

My first thought was that a plastic yard-of-ale would be perfect, but a quick Google search seems to turn up only half-yards in plastic, which might be a bit small. If you can manage to locate a full size one it would strap to your back fairly easily.
posted by Jakey at 7:44 AM on October 5, 2007

Gum ball vending machines have, or have had, those large clear globes. See what the local vending machine ......er......vendors have that is a spare part for those.
posted by Freedomboy at 7:49 AM on October 5, 2007

How about a stability ball? I've seen semi-clear ones before - a coworker used to sit on a see-through greenish ball.
posted by odi.et.amo at 7:55 AM on October 5, 2007

This one would be perfect if you could remove the fish from inside. Remember, anything you fill with actual water is going to be reeeeealy heavy, and might significantly reduce the fun of wearing such an awesome costume.

A clear plastic fish bowl might work, though.
posted by MsMolly at 8:00 AM on October 5, 2007

you could use a clear shower curtain to make one!
posted by letahl at 8:08 AM on October 5, 2007

If you would consider not using liquid, this might work. You can get it different colors, so you could detach half of a clear one and half of a red one and put them together.
posted by Evangeline at 8:17 AM on October 5, 2007

In light of MsMolly's comment, i'd really recommend filling whatever you pick with tiny syrofoam balls that you'd use to fill a beanbag. They'll "flow" a little as you move and will be MUCH lighter.

This will give you more flexibility in the globe that you choose. You can even buy a cheap bean bag and cannibalize the filling from that :)
posted by odi.et.amo at 8:17 AM on October 5, 2007

Perhaps a replacement plastic globe for a light fixture would work?

The first thing that popped into my head was this flower aquarium but that's glass.
posted by Ostara at 8:30 AM on October 5, 2007

You'd better post pictures! What a great idea!
posted by agregoli at 8:32 AM on October 5, 2007

How about one of these? Maybe a little spendy for a halloween costume piece, but it looks exactly like what you're looking for.
posted by otolith at 8:46 AM on October 5, 2007

Here's another site that seems to have pretty much everything.
posted by nedpwolf at 8:52 AM on October 5, 2007

How much weight are you willing to carry back there? Think about how much a gallon of milk weighs, and how small it is.

You should definitely look into low-density substitutes for water.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 9:19 AM on October 5, 2007

i think a handful of clear balloons (one attached, the rest in your pocket as spares) would make the most pleasant tail. otherwise, i second evangeline's hamsterball idea.
posted by twistofrhyme at 10:39 AM on October 5, 2007

Find two big acrylic punch bowls at Target or the Supermarket. Put one on your front abdomen and one on your backside, with white tights running up to your waist. I would do candy on the inside -- like redhots or nerds would move nicely. It is halloween after all.
posted by Eringatang at 11:32 AM on October 5, 2007

Here's some beach balls that might work. The translucent gray ones could be clear enough for your purpose.
posted by otolith at 2:02 PM on October 5, 2007

No one's suggested one of those clear hamster balls? They make 'em red, too, I believe.

Check your local pet store.

Here's some examples :
http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=13172
http://www.petguys.com/-045125613500.html
http://www.pets-warehouse.com/vpasp/shopexd.asp?id=106778

I 2nd the suggestion of using something other than water, for sake of how heavy it would be. However, if you were to use water in those hamster balls, I'd suggest some face-down clear packaging tape on the inside of the ball to cover the air slots.
posted by revmitcz at 3:42 PM on October 5, 2007

One way to have the liquid without the weight of the liquid is to have two spheres, one slightly smaller and inside the other, with colored water in between the two. Should look pretty realistic, but if you had to make it yourself, it would be even more complicated.
posted by alexei at 4:55 PM on October 5, 2007

Success! Didn't get as many photos as I should have, but here are some. I ended up going with colored water and it wasn't overly heavy. Couldn't have done it without Metafilter--thanks, all!
posted by ethorson at 7:43 PM on November 4, 2007