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WHAM-O SUPERBALL FACTS
Superball (originally Super-Ball) is a toy, invented by Norman H. Stingley, and
manufactured by Wham-O in 1965. It is an extremely elastic ball made of Zectron,
which contains the synthetic rubber polymer polybutadiene vulcanized with sulfur
at a temperature of 165 degrees Celsius and at a pressure of 80 atmospheres. The
Super Ball has an amazingly high coefficient of restitution. Dropped from
shoulder level, Super Ball snapped nearly all the way back; thrown down, it
could leap over a three-story building. Also known as bouncy ball. After watching his kids play with a Super Ball, Lamar Hunt, founder of the
American Football League, coined the term Super Bowl.
In Canada only the BLUE ball was sold under the name Bounder-Ball, Marx sold a BLACK ball and there were tons of Super-balls Made in Japan. The made in Japan balls lost the surface easy.The BLUE Bounder-Ball was really a Wham-O Super-Ball but had no name on it. It was Best.
In Canada only the BLUE ball was sold under the name Bounder-Ball, Marx sold a BLACK ball and there were tons of Super-balls Made in Japan. The made in Japan balls lost the surface easy.The BLUE Bounder-Ball was really a Wham-O Super-Ball but had no name on it. It was Best.
The most common was Blue, however Black, Red & Multicolor were also sold. The
Green Giant company had a mail away for a Giant Pea, a Green Super-Ball. The
large Super-Ball is 1 15/16", the small at 1 1/8" and the mini at .780 sold in
packs. A Super-Ball golfball, the same size as a regular golf ball was also
sold. The Firetron was introduced in 1970 because of
Japan knockoffs. By 1966 the Super-Ball fad died out. Knock-offs sold for about
a quarter. Wham-O also released Super-Ball Dice & a Super-Ball Baseball.
Made in U.S.A.
In 1975 Wham-O re-released the Super-Ball slightly smaller than the 1965 balls. These were Blue & Black. Many kids remember the 70s ball as well.Time passed and Super-Balls from 1965 & 1975 were seen on ebay selling for over $100.00 for unopened packages. Wham-O Re-released the 1975 Super-Balls as a Commemorative in 1998, in Black & Purple. These were made in U.S.A. in the 1975 mould. Later a 1999 Keychain Super-Ball version Black & Purple introduced using the U.S.A. 1998 Super-Balls in a unique holder Made in China. I bought ALL the Remainders of the 1999 Keychain Super-Balls.
Made in U.S.A.
When Wham-O went through some personnel changes the Super-Ball was again Re-Released in 2001 but these were of Chinese origin and not the same. They had a foul smell and didn't bounce like the 1965, 1975, 1998, or 1999 Key chains Super-Balls. These are shown below in their various packing. The first two are the same size as the 1975/1998 balls.
Made in China
When Wham-O decided to repackage the Super Ball below, they changed the composition and the balls bounced better. In 2008 Wham-O released a new packaging and introduced the balls in color, these balls bounce POORLY. Come on Wham-O!
Made in China
Presently (2008) ebay seller gmroi has loose original Wham-O Firetron Super-Balls which are the next best thing. Sometimes seller superballs.com puts a few super-balls on ebay.Original Wham-O Super-Balls used for collecting should be treated with Armour All and stored in a cool dark place in a cardboard box.
Original Wham-O Super-Balls don't like sunlight or high heat. Left in you car it will go dull and eventually Crack.
NO BALL BOUNCES LIKE A TRUE WHAM-O SUPERBALL*
*ONLY The 1965, 1975, 1998 Commemorative, The 1999 Super-Ball Keychain and the Super-Ball Golf ball are made of the same material 1965 REAL ZECTRON made in the U.S.A. and are TRUE SUPER-BALLS. The Firetron from 1970 is not made of this material, however it is a good bouncer. Of all the Wham-O Super-Balls, the Super-Ball Golf Ball bounces the highest because the dimples like golf balls create compression.Super-Ball is a registered brand name used by the Wham-O Inc. Emeryville California.
Wham-O is a registered trademark of Wham-O Inc. Emeryville California
This guide is not endorced by Wham-O Inc.
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Guide created: 08/14/07 (updated 08/28/08)
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