Who, in a bored moment, can resist puffing up a latex glove to see how far their imagination will run with the inflated object? Apparently not many since the practice is so wide spread that it is a cliche even in show biz.
The average American family found a way to relate to this less serious use of latex gloves back in the ’70s when M*A*S*H ’s Trapper puffed them up to balloon status to entertain a little Korean boy. Of course, latex gloves had long been a popular party decoration around clinics and hospitals before this show aired. However this pithy sitcom elevated the gloves to a party novelty item when they were used as festive flair alongside the surgeons’ infamous still in they operated in their barracks known as the Swamp. For a fix of nostalgia, you can watch this episode of M*A*S*H Season 2, Episode 6 via www.netflix.com.
If you enjoy top notch clay animation with a peculiarly British flavor, you owe it to yourself to have a look at Nick Park’s The Wrong Trousers. In this piece, you will meet the unforgettable evil mastermind, Feathers McGraw, a penguin who ingeniously transforms himself into a rooster with the flick of a latex glove on the top of his head. This is entertainment art intended for all ages and is well worth popping into your Netflix queue for a Friday evening with the family.
A fictitious medical school class, Balloon Making 101, is a standard joke among pediatricians. Many of these doctors are fairly adept at temporarily distracting small patients from their misery with inflated latex gloves. Paramedics have some facility with the things themselves, travelling around with plenty on board their ambulances. Their approach is somewhat different however, involving ambulance exhaust pipes. Stupidvideos.com shows how these guys can kill time, waiting for dispatch to send them out on the road. If you have time to kill yourself, you can search “ambulance vs latex glove” on that site.
If you are stymied the next time you have to come up with some kids’ party activities, visit balloonhq.com and search “ideas with latex gloves”. A quick dig around for magic markers and a box of latex gloves will turn you into an instant entertainment hero. Even if you considered yourself artistically impaired before, these simple but successful ideas will change your mind.
With so much press about H1N1 this season, it is most advisable to keep laughing in order to boost our immune systems. Now, more easily than ever, you can find a pack of latex gloves at a wide variety of retailers, often right on an aisle end cap. That leaves you with little excuse for not trying out a little of your own innovative glove humor.
Jen is an experienced senior glove industry consultant and is the editor-in-chief of a growing online resource library that is aimed at educating and supporting anyone wearing disposable gloves. Jen suggests readers visit this collection of how-to and support: Living With Latex Gloves.