New Earthball, Old Earthball

The first thing I’d like to say is that New or Old, the Earthball is a striking symbol that people quickly and easily relate to. While I’ve long said you don’t need an Earthball to present New Games, it sure does attract a crowd at a festival or event. And, like it or not, the Earthball is the enduring symbol for New Games. Now, of course, it is possible to rent or buy the Earthball for you or your group. It can be used in competitive and a variety of cooperative activities. A summary of these games will be provided upon purchase.

The New Earthball (above) comes preprinted, saving a lot of time (I know from personal experience painting a number of Old Earthballs in my day). The New ball has the landforms and oceans painted on it PLUS clouds that make it look more realistic as seen from space. It’s a beauty!

It is a lighter than the Old Earthball (13 lbs for New, 30 lbs for Old), making it much safer for all people, especially children (with the Old ball, imagine it coming down on top of you standing upright – 30 lbs on the move!). The New ball is less expensive by a US$150.

This New Earthball Is a rugged, cloth skinned globe for field games. Brand new to my supplier, they have dye-sub printed, polyester skinned covers. Because they are printed in this way, the ink goes all the way through the fabric. This means the globe image doesn’t scratch off with use. The polyester material is hardy and they have a sturdy bladder inside.

As you can see, the printing these globes is gorgeous. Displayed is one of their 6-foot New Earthballs being played with by children. Notice the color and detail. You could never have done this on a canvas globe.

My supplier will usually have these New Earthballs in stock. If they don’t have the size you need in stock, it will take around 3-4 weeks to make and be delivered. Please inquire to find out shipping costs and how long it will take to get you an Earth Ball. Location also makes a difference in delivery time from the supplier in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

For those who don’t know, the Old Earthball (shown here) is a white 6 foot (1m 82cm) inflatable canvas ball with a vinyl bladder that has the outlines of the continents and islands on it.

This ball can be painted by you so that oceans and land masses are colored however you wish to do it, whether you would like the oceans and lakes to simply be one color of blue or to show darker blue where the water is deeper and lighter blue where the water is more shallow. And land masses could be solid green, or if you choose to show desert areas as yellow, mountains as brown, Antarctica as white, you can do that, too.

Painting the Old Earthball can be a team building experience by itself. I remember a party I had where the ball was in my living room and I invited people to take up a brush and paint a bit of the ball. It was fun!