Naming a balloon is a very serious business. After all, once you pick a
name you are likely to have it emblazoned on your jacket, hat or T-shirt.
It may appear on pins, or trading cards, or perhaps it will be painted on
the side of your chase vehicle. All of these items cost money, and
therefore, you will probably not be inclined to change them often because
of the cost involved. So let's take a look at some of the balloon names
other folks have devised.
I've noted in my study of this subject that many people tend to go with poetic sounding monikers such as "Morning Glory," "Serenity," "Desert Spirit," "Blue Horizon," or "Midnight Magic." Certain Iyrical themes are popular and appear in different forms such as the dancing theme used in "Sky Dancer," "Wind Dancer," and "Sun Dancer." (Some of these names are claimed by more than one balloon.) The heavenly nature of flight is found in "Blue Heaven," or just "Heaven," but "Hog Heaven" brings a different picture to mind!
Of course you can always name the balloon after yourself or someone you know. I found a surprisingly large number of balloons that seemed like family members: "Earl," "Fred," "Oscar," "Norman," "Chad," and "Nellie." Were these uncles or cousins that made the down payment on the aircraft? I wonder.
Maybe you want to use your name in a clever twist, such as "Deelight," owned by Dee Crabtree, or "Barrfly" by Richard Barr. Names that sound like something else are good for a laugh, such as "Raising Hale," and "Hottem Hale" owned by members of the Hale family.
Names or words spelled backwards are found in "Nyliram" and "Ytivarg." Generally it's going to be hard to find a word or name that is pronounceable backwards. It reminds me of trying to play phonograph records backwards to see if they really say things like "Paul is dead," and other nonsense. But if it works for you, by all means, go for it.
I was amused to find that several people had the courage to laugh at their financial status. I came across names that evoked the expensiveness of this sport such as "Past Due," "Highly Leveraged," and "She Broke Us." A bank, appropriately enough, sponsors a balloon called "A Loan At Last." And while we are on the subject of sponsored balloons I would like to point out that many companies simply name their balloons after their product. "Winston," "Cadillac," and "Coca-Cola" are examples that get their message across (yawn), but don't display a lot of imagination in my opinion. (If you crew for these balloons, please don't call me. I'm sure you are a wonderful bunch and the balloon is a bonafide gem.) I just prefer names that have bit of zing to them. "Royal Flush" is a balloon sponsored by a plumbing company with a sense of humor.
Then there is the category of balloon names that I have dubbed "What the...?" These are names that seemingly defy explanation. "Cosmic Muffin,'' and "Magic Carrots" are funny, and I like them for their offbeat nature, but exactly what were their owners consuming at the moment of inspiration?
And then there is the aerostat called "Big Soft Wobbly Thing." Let's not go there. Let's just say that if you're like me, (a typical balloonist) you missed a lot of Sunday School and went ballooning instead. Right?
When it came to christening our own balloon, my husband and I had a tough time coming to a decision. We went back and forth, and round and round, wrestling with names (phew!). In desperation, we resorted to looking through old record albums for titles of favorite songs. At last we came up with one that described our innermost feelings about this sport: "Still Crazy". . . after all these years. Since then I have noticed a lot of other balloon names derived from songs such as "Rhapsody in Blue," "Peppermint Twist,'' "Delta Dawn," "Stairway to Heaven," "Wildest Dream," and "Jumpin' Jack Flash," just to name a few. I'm sure there are a lot more out there that I have missed. Please forgive me if I omitted your favorite.
If I ever got another balloon, I would be at a complete loss. I guess I would be like the balloon owners who named their new arrival "Without A Clue."
