Who knew playing with big balls is sooo much fun

I wonder what frivolous lawsuit made this come to pass.

How much of our tax dollars did the CPSC spend on this?

And it's possible to fall off a round ball, even when not over inflated.

It's nice to know that there are no other dangerous / fraudulent / harmful products out there and this has risen to the top of the CSPC's priorty list.

I always handle my balls when exercising, what are you talking-- oh, right. THAT kind.

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

(in my best bevis & butthead voice)

heh.. heh..... you said balls hee heh

So this is what we have come to? Our society is so pathetic that the act of falling 15 inches from a plastic ball to your shag carpeting requires a danger warning? Its only a matter of time before cats begin feasting on our shriveled, underused brains.

@SkokieGuy: To clarify, the balls were bursting when overinflated. Over the years the company that manufactures the various brands received 47 complaints and voluntarily decided to "recall" the balls by issuing new instructions that gave more information on how to avoid overinflating the balls (specifically referencing air temperature, using a pump versus a compressor, and so on).

So in this case it's the manufacturer acting independently and in advance of any major problems.

Increased warnings? Soon the advertising for these things will resemble this skit: [www.nbc.com]

"Caution: Happy Fun Ball may accelerate to dangerous speeds. [...] Do not use Happy Fun Ball on concrete. [...] If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head. [...] Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball."

I am sure the newly included measuring devices will be a hit at parties. Now people can bring their balls and measuring devices and have contests to see who has the biggest balls.

@Radi0logy: I'm inclined to agree with you, Radi0logy. Just imagine if a person from the 1800s somehow time-traveled to the present day; how horrified they'd be at what mewling milk-sops we've all become. Heck, forget 1800s, even someone from the 1940s would be disgusted with us.

@Chris Walters: Thank you for the clarification!

Even the CPSC release says "in cooperation with the firm named below", so the actual involvement of the CPSC is murky. So I am hereby issuing a voluntary snark recall.

@Radi0logy: ...that explains why my cat keeps licking her lips when she perches above me on the couch...

"Wipeout Big Balls" FTW!

I am all for consumer protection. Warning people about hazardous chemicals, etc., maybe even a warning/guidline for how many PSI you fill your exercise ball, but this is a little extreme.

@redskull: Who needs time travel? Many of those people are still here! We just label them "crabby" and relegate them to old-age homes when they start talking about what mewling milksops we've all become.

You probably shouldn't use them this way either: Swiss Ball FAIL - How not to use exercise balls. [bit.ly]

@SkokieGuy: When inflated correctly, which is over two days, IIRC, the balls are not that "round". They distort enough that it is hare to fall off them. If they are over inflated, however, they don't "give" as much and are easier to fall off.

@Chris Walters: My balls both came with paper tape measures and a STERN WARNING not to overinflate past X inches. Got them both like four years ago.

I spend a lot of time measuring my balls, personally.

@Dave Gambrill: Youtube has convinced me that those things really are dangerous.
Hilarious and dangerous.

Happened to an ex of mine once. He sat on an exercise ball and it shot out from under him because it was over inflated and he wasn't paying attention to how he was sitting on it. He fell straight to the floor, landed on his tail bone, and had to go to the hospital because it really messed up his back - he could barely walk and felt all numb. Fortunately, the effects from the fall lasted a day or two and there was no lasting effect.

@shaunhoffman: Tough as it may be to bite my tongue, I'll refrain from making a "balls in the face" joke here.

@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): Do you inspect your balls and wash/clean them thoroughly?

@bonzombiekitty: nothing worse than a sore coccyx, except maybe a bruised ego.

@YoSoyHe-Man!!_GitEmSteveDave: I've never had to clean my balls. Then again, they are quite blue and tend to not show dirt.

@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): I wish my balls had come with that! There's no information (and they're not one of the above brands), and I just don't know how delicately to handle balls. I just pump when things get saggy and hope for the best.

@endlessendres: Try reading the article and see if you can figure it out.

Apparently it needs to be noted that most other fitness balls come with tape measures and overinflation warnings?

It would seem the problem is not just folks falling off, but that the balls are bursting (from first sentence of article):

"An overinflated fitness ball can unexpectedly burst while in use, causing the user to fall to the floor"

Furthermore:

'47 reports of balls "unexpectedly bursting, including reports of a fracture, and multiple bruises."'

Aw, c'mon, nobody put up an AC/DC reference yet?

@Chris Walters: Breaking makes more sense as far as a recall. I use on for doing exercises on and duh, it is a ball and it does pesky things like rolling. It really isn't that hard to misjudge your balance and possibly fall.

Check the shell of the ball before you buy it. Some of the cheaper ones are rather thin. I bought a more expensive Gaiam brand ball because the plastic was much thicker. We had one that was thin and it ended up with a hole in it after a few months.

@emona: Dr. Manhattan I presume?

@Bearded Rapper: Adjustments are legal.