'Making the Very Best Balloons,' by guest blogger Larry Moss

A bunch of years ago, my friends’ son, then still probably 6 or 7 years old, ran up to me one day to ask, “Where do they make balloons?” The question was inspired by a song with that very name by They Might be Giants. While the song never answers the question that it poses, he didn’t let that bother him at all. He knew I’d know the answer. And he was right. I immediately told him, “Hamilton, Ontario.” I could have easily given him a few different answers, but that was the one that mattered to me. The Hamilton plant is where most of the Qualatex balloons that I use come from.
After years of using the product, I was really excited when Kelly and I were invited to the plant for a tour. We’ve often found ourselves in conversations with Pioneer employees (makers of the Qualatex brand) about the abuse we put their balloons through, and also other artists about what they expect from the balloons they use. This tour would be a chance for us to get our questions answered about the product itself, while being able to share our experience and our knowledge of balloon artist needs with the people actually making our balloons. When their tour ended, we took them on our tour of what we do with their product. We had Pioneer employees, from the people making the balloons, to the people testing their strength, to the sales team, and even the COO, all twisting balloons and trying new things that they didn’t know their balloons were used for. The goal of all of this is to make an even better balloon by devising an even more rigorous quality control regimen than they already employ.

The tour begins.

Are we allowed to reproduce trademarked characters and logos?

With the 2021 Olympics in Japan only a matter of a few months away, I am sure that we will see a fabulous range of balloon decor and designs to celebrate this awesome world sporting event. I am sure that in many cases it will be a replication of the Olympic rings. I recently did an image search on the internet using the keywords  Olympic, Rings, Balloons, and the page filled with many different interpretations of this iconic symbol made with balloons. 

So, my question is, are we legally allowed to reproduce trademarked characters and logos such as the Olympic rings?

The 2012 Olympics were held in London, U.K. There were several reported cases of small businesses getting into trouble by the Olympic committee. A florist was asked to remove "tissue paper" rings from her shop window. A butcher who had created a sign depicting the Olympic rings as sausage links was told that if he did not remove his sign that he would get into a lot of trouble. Even an elderly lady who had embroidered the Olympic rings onto a doll's outfit to sell for charity was informed that it would be against the law for her to sell it!