Purse your lips, take a deep breath, begin to blow, and then feel it slowly grow within your hands. It’s kinda soft at first, but the more you blow the more firm it gets. Firmer and firmer until it feels like it may explode! Just one more blow. Bang! There it goes! All over your face. Shredded rubber in all directions. That sharp, ear ringing pop that sends a tingle down to the very tips of your toes. What are you? You’re a Looner, a Looner of the “Popper” variety. There are other varieties, “Non-Pop” being the most notable. But all share a common theme, the sexual attraction to things inflatable.
Blowing Things Up
That’s right, blowing things up, i.e inflating them, (not destroying them with dynamite) is a very popular fetish, one that’s growing all the time and one with its own intricacies. Balloons, from whence the term “Looners” derives, are probably the most popular inflatables to toy and fondle with, but that takes nothing away from all the other inflatables that have their own fanatics. Pool toys, rubber rings, beach balls, air mats, lilos all qualify as possible objects of an inflataphile’s desire.
In fact anything inflatable is fair game, and why not, who knows what might float your boat? So back to the looners. Looners have a fascination with balloons specifically. Some like to inflate the balloons until they pop. They are known as “Poppers”. Poppers glean their satisfaction from the anticipation of the pop as the balloon fills with more and more air until it explodes. The loud bang bringing the moment to a climax that translates to a sexual climax for some. The sound itself being a key factor for sexual arousal.
Toying, Playing and Squishing
“Non-Poppers” are basically the polar opposite. They seek no satisfaction whatsoever from their balloon or inflatable exploding. No. That would be a disaster. They enjoy the process of inflation and they enjoy even more the toying, playing, and squishing of their blow up toy, or watching their partner or somebody they find attractive do the same. Some go as far as full-blown (no pun) sexual interaction with their inflatable.
This obviously begs the question as to why? There have been various studies on the subject that have revealed no real hard and fast answers. Some participants report the feel of shiny vinyl of say a beach ball, as “heaven” against their skin. Others liken the changing shape of their inflatable as it’s squished to movement, as if it’s alive in some way, making it animate, almost bringing it to life. Some enjoy the feeling of expansion as the inflatable is filled with air – maybe some kind of aroused phallic symbolism perhaps? Others enjoy deflating their toys, the sound and the feel of the air coming from the valve excites them sexually, as does the feeling of the toy slowly deflating.
Companion Dolls and Dakimakura

Credit: Antibes.co.uk
Then there is the elephant in the room of course, the oft-ridiculed inflatable sex toy, the blow-up sex doll. Blow-up, or inflatable sex dolls, manufactured from vinyl, have been around for about half a century. Their history though goes back much further, as far back as the seventeenth century in fact, when Dutch sailors would form old clothes and material into masturbation dolls, to keep them “company” on long voyages. It wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century, and the advent of vinyl, latex and silicone, when the same basic concept of these companion dolls was seen as something that could be commercialized and marketed to the public – in the form of an inflatable. No doubt the prospect of owning an inflatable of human form, to some inflataphiles, was an exciting prospect. However, the science behind the construction of such masturbation/companion dolls moved extremely quickly. Today they are made from materials that make them appear and feel incredibly lifelike and the inflatable variety, while they still exist, are at the cheap and most unrealistic looking end of the scale. The Japanese however, who have expressed a long interest in companion dolls, created their own kind of inflatable sex toy, called “Dakimakura”. Translated into English, Dakimakura means “hug pillow”, but the Japanese have been known to do more than just hug these things. A common practice is to portray a life-size image of an anime or porn star, often in a suggestive pose, on the pillow. Hence making it more enjoyable to “cuddle”.
Bouncing Around In Inflatable Suits
Another and perhaps more enveloping sub-genre of inflatable fetish is that of the Inflatable Suit. This fetish sees the participant wearing an inflatable rubber suit, which, naturally, is then inflated, providing a “Michelin Man” type appearance. This particular fetish is sometimes seen as a safer alternative to real body inflation, a somewhat risky practice where various parts of the human anatomy are inflated with air or water to make them swell and inflate. However, many inflatable suit wearers often cite the tightness of the suit against the body, the feeling of security it provides, and simply the sheer fun of bouncing around in a balloon suit, as reasons why they enjoy this particular fetish. When you compare it to say ballbusting, for example, it sure sounds like a whole lot more fun!
Happy Looning
Inflatable and Balloon Fetish is definitely growing in popularity around the globe. There are more and more ways to connect with fellow looners and inflataphiles online, with forums, blogs, online groups and dedicated web pages popping up all the time – you can check out our tech section to see a list of places where you hook up with like-minded looners, or find basic information if you’re just dipping your toe into the looner water. Clips4Sale.Com has literally tens of thousands of Balloon and Inflatable related clips so if you like to watch people playing with balloons, beach balls and the like, go check those out too. Whether you pop or not, don’t stop, and HAPPY LOONING!