Forty-Two Inch Digits
Each balloon in the set measures 42 inches, which puts the top of the word about chest height when the four stand on the floor. That scale reads in a photograph taken from the back of a room, where smaller letter balloons disappear. The foil surface catches whatever light is in the room, so the digits still register once the overhead lamps go down for the countdown.
Helium Or Air
Filled to about ninety percent with helium the balloons float, which suits a ceiling display or a cluster tied over a table. Blown up with the straw instead, they hang flat on a wall or a fence with no tank to rent. The double layer of polymer resists popping under pressure, so a digit that gets bumped in a crowded hallway usually rides it out rather than going off like a firecracker.
Deflate And Refill
The valve seals itself as the balloon fills, and the same straw that inflates it lets the air back out at the end of the night. Deflated, the four digits fold into a drawer instead of being cut off a wall and thrown away. That matters for anyone who runs the same party twice, a graduation in June and a countdown in December, using one set both times.
Hanging The Set
Small tabs on the digits take string, ribbon or a hook, so the row can be strung along a curtain rod, taped to a photo wall or hung from a ceiling grid in a school hall. Spacing is up to whoever hangs them, which helps when the wall is shorter than the four digits laid end to end and the numbers have to stack in pairs.
