"Made from new, amazing Zectron!"
So, your regular balls are just not good enough? Not enough bounce for the ounce? Brought to you from our friends at Wham-O! Toys, the same folks who gave us the Hula Hoop and the Frisbee, it's the new, amazing Super Ball!
Developed by a chemist by the name of Norman Stingley in 1965 the Super Ball had a spring recovery rate of about 93%. The material, "Zectron", was made by combining secret compounds under extreme pressure and temperature. So what does that mean?
When dropped from an outstretched hand, the Super Ball would bounce almost the entire way back up. When thrown with a little force, this seemingly innocent little ball tried its best to defy the laws of physics. The height it attained when thrown with a great deal of force was truly incredible. Combine this was the amazing amount of friction when the correct spin was put on the ball and the thing seemed to bounce forever and in any direction.
In the winter of 1965, Super Balls were selling in the millions. This encouraged Wham-O! to market Super Mini Balls, Super Ball Golf, Super Ball Baseball and Super Ball Dice.
As we all know, all good things must come to an end. The Super Ball did have its flaws. When thrown against rough surfaces, the ball would eventually chip and become pock marked. This rendered it pretty much useless. Combine that with the fact that the product was pretty easy to copy and the knock offs were sure to come. They did and Super Ball was history... for a while.
In 1998 Wham-O! unretired the original Super Ball. Still made from the space age sounding Zectron, I'm happy to report Super Ball is alive and well. All those other so-called "super balls" pale in comparison.