Back	© 1997 Daniel Kahn. All Rights Reserved

What's In this thing?

(Scrunchy Ball Filler Secrets Revealed!)

First: The Scrunchy Filler Prime Directive:: ALL FILLERS SHALL BE DRY AND UNCOOKED!
Otherwise you get health hazards, tremendous mess, and potentially smelly Scrunchys.

Scrunchy Fillers
Filler	Pros	Cons
Cous Cous	This makes a terrific filler, It’s very manageable, the balls retain their round shape and make a pleasing physical and audible crunch when you squeeze them.	It’s a little more expensive then the other fillings but well worth it.
Rice	My first and only store bought ball was filled with rice. It’s cheap.	Not a very good choice as it tends to be pointy and pokey and will eventually pierce the balloon cover.
Flour	The balls have a very interesting mushiness with a low degree of resistance similar to putty. Might be a good choice if the intended recipient is doing light physical therapy. It’s also inexpensive.	Make sure your balloons are helium quality. Flour has very small granules and, believe it or not, can actually work its way through some balloons.
Oatmeal	Oatmeal is a good cheap filler. Very firm Scrunchys. As such they are very good for strengthening exercises. They quickly (after about three hours of scrunching) soften to a comfortable density as the oatmeal gets pulverized. These balls tend to become very personalized as all the energy that goes into them changes their nature.	The balls tend to start out quite stiff. This bothers some folks. Little kids may have a tough time with them when they are new.
Corn Starch	These balls have an almost eerie quality. They retain the scrunched shape and can be molded to fit any desktop. They are also quite musical.	These balls make a lot of noise when they are scrunched. The sound is like walking in deep snow. They are not good in shared offices. This is about relieving stress, not creating it.
Puffed Millet	Very light. They have the weight of a wiffle ball. They last a long time and have a friendly feel to them. I imagine younger children might like these.	The lightness makes these balls feel cheap. It's bizarre, I know, but when I give these to people they don't seem as thrilled as they are when they get the heavier ones.
Beans	Round beans are best, navy or dried peas for instance. The balls stay round. They have a very particular tactile lumpiness that other balls don’t have. Beans are also the easiest filler to manage.	They don’t feel much like the commercial variety if this bothers you.
Bird Seed	This is what most of the "pros" use. If you want that REI feel this is the way to go. It’s inexpensive.	It may be a bias but, I find the feeling a little unsatisfying.
MY FAVORITE: 1 part Corn Starch / 2 parts Oatmeal, mix thoroughly	These balls work-in faster than the straight oatmeal and they hold a molded shape a little better. It may be my imagination but they seem to last a little longer too.	I sometimes have a strong desire to bite them. I can control myself but you may not be able to.
If you’re daring: Ooblick	If you know what it is and still want to try this, I hereby give you permission to ignore the prime directive in this instance. If you don’t know what Ooblick is, check out the Dictionary or ask a laser technician. It’s messy, it’s weird, it’s almost erotic.	I’ve never had one last more than a week before popping open in a soupy disgusting alien-blood kind of way