Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubemen!

Q: What do Beyonce, Family Guy, the Caribbean, and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta have in common? I’m so glad you asked.

A: These guys:

They go by many names: Sky Dancers, Inflatable Tube Men, Air Dancers, Tall Boys, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubemen (credit: Family Guy).

But no matter what you call them, I think we can all* agree that they are perfectly designed vessels of pure joy.

*All of us except Houston, parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts and maybe Philadelphia? Houston says this: “They “contribute to urban visual clutter and blight [that] adversely affects the aesthetic environment.” Okay, buzzkill.

I have been in love with these freaks for as long as I can remember. Where did they come from? Why are they used for business advertising? Who brought us these drunken dancers?

Meet Trinidadian artist, Peter Minshall. Minshall was the designer of the sculptures for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia (shoutout to 4th grade Amber and her incredible pin collection roaming around Centennial Olympic Park) which included the amazing “tube man.”

(Minshall apparently co-invented the “tube man” along with Israeli artist, Doron Gazit [there is some drama there that I won’t get into but you can read about it here.])

Even Beyonce couldn’t resist their charms. She included the wind technology (not the actual men) on a larger scale in her 2013 Super Bowl halftime show. (Youtube) And listen, if this gimmick is good enough for Beyonce, it is good enough for all of us.

What’s really amazing is how the tubey men have made their way from the art scene to the sides of many American roads as full-time marketing employees. They are used to grab attention and highlight various businesses, deals, low low prices, or something?

How many times have we all seen a flailing tube man doing his routine and said, “yeah, I need to stop here and buy something?” Every single day, right?

Okay, no. But if these creatures have taught us anything, it’s that sometimes you have to appreciate design for design’s sake. Sometimes it’s not about function at all. Sometimes design can just exist to bring the fun and catch us off guard!

At Option C, we take functional UX and UI design seriously, but every once in awhile, we have to insert something silly for no other reason than to bring some joy into people’s lives. Life is too short to hate on the silly things (looking at you, Houston).

Long live the Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman and long live joy in design!