Balloon props for "LILI"

 A part of my set design for  LILI includes two large bunches of helium balloons which are brought onstage by my Carnival Girls during their dance and then placed in brackets on either side of the Puppet Booth as it is being assembled.
It would be easy enough to use actual balloons...except that the Hip Pocket Theatre is an OUTDOOR venue and said balloons would be buffeted about by even the slightest breeze. Soooo I devised this engineered prop which will not only be more durable but in the end much easier to maintain.

And it involves NO helium at all!

 I found a company on line that sells all sizes and colors of Beach Balls ( here's a plug for https://www.beachballs.com in Seaford, Delaware. They are Great!) And they had 16" solid color inflatable balls which have a finished diameter of 11", the perfect size and  in just the right colors for this project.
 If you are curious or thinking of using this idea be forewarned that the 16" listing is for the ball Un-Inflated, measured as it lies flat after manufacture. Any reputable dealer will also list the inflated diameter as well.

The balls were just perfect.
 Now how to get them to stay on the end of the oak dowels I had chosen to stand in for "strings"? Some experimentation yielded a very practical solution. What you see spread out on my workbench at the top are black metal "lift legs". These are sold at most hardware stores and building suppliers ( I got mine at Lowes HI). These have a flat surface with a 1/4" threaded bolt and are used in the real world as replacement adjusting feet for things like washing machines and refrigerators.

Gluing these directly to the bottom of the beach balls didn't give them enough support, so I added 2 1/4" silicone suction cups (also from Lowes) by drilling a 1/4" hole through the middle and screwing the foot up from the inside until it sits firmly within the cup as shown above.

Now I inflate the beach balls, but only until they are lightly firm, not all the way, and using a flexible vinyl adhesive ( used for repairing things like swimming pools and, duh...beach balls!) I attach the cup and foot assembly to the bottom of the ball. This is the end opposite the inflation nozzle at the top.

Starting to make sense?
Looking like a balloon to you?
Great.        I will post the rest of the assembly tomorrow!.