An antenna ball is made of styrofoam or foamed plastic. Plastic variants are also commercially available. The ball for the antenna actually has a spherical shape and is placed on the tip of the antenna.
The antenna ball has been known since the 1960s and originally comes from the USA. At that time, the antenna ball was used as advertising material and provided with company logos.
Antenna balls were originally introduced in 1967, as foam balls in orange and blue as 2- inch marketing tools to advertise Union 76 gasoline, and were popular until the fad died out in the early 1980s..
Various companies have since used the antenna ball as advertising space. Even now there are still such versions with advertising. The balls are much more popular, however, in bright colors or decorated with their own logos and sayings.
They balls had a huge resurgence in 1995, when Jack in the Box introduced a line of antenna balls designed to resemble Jack Box’s head.
Antenna balls are a promotional item given away at Jack in the Box restaurants, they were first sold with the purchase of a Sourdough Jack burger in 1995.Over the years, there have been many variations to mark special occasions.
As a Jack in the Box product manager explained, “the antenna balls [gave] fans a fun token for their vehicle while giving the company a mobile billboard that could possibly be seen by thousands of people.
Jack in the Box claims over 32 million antenna balls have been sold or given away by the restaurant since their introduction.
Do Antenna Balls Have a Purpose?
Since its creation antenna balls purpose was for marketing and promotions.
Then antenna balls were produced to celebrate sports teams, to promote business, to reflect the diverse personalities of the ball buyers.
Through antenna balls people can express their selves and their individuality.
Then the automotive accessories industry discovered that antenna ball can be a gadget for the car. A wide range of products is available in the trade.
Various topics can be covered with the antenna ball. The interested tuner receives the article, for example, with smiley motifs or with printed flames.
Variants with popular baseball teams, football clubs and vehicle brands are also available in stores. An antenna ball is suitable for individual tuning of the car and can be color-matched to the car or simply serve as a fun gadget that acts as an eye-catcher.
Antenna ball – a gadget and eye-catcher
An antenna ball is available with flame motifs, smileys and other creations. The tuner has a large selection of articles available and can choose the antenna ball according to his wishes.
The antenna ball is a stylish and funny gadget that further individualizes the tuned car and acts as an eye-catcher. Incidentally, the classic round antenna ball is joined by countless other shapes such as heads, flags, Santa Clauses, hand signals and even funny animals and mythical creatures.
Why you should consider using a car antenna topper
For a lot of people, the idea of adding a car antenna topper to their vehicle may be too silly to actually do, but there are a few reasons why people enjoy using them.
There’s no denying the humor factor of car antenna toppers. After all, most car antenna toppers probably look drastically different from your car’s appearance. A cute little butterfly floating atop a Ford F-150? This juxtaposition is the reason why it looks so funny, and in this case, it’s a good thing.
Not everybody has a good day every day. Maybe someone had to work overtime, or maybe they just had a fight with their significant other– it could even be something as mundane as spilling coffee on themselves. These things can seriously ruin your day, and sometimes a little silliness is a perfect thing to cheer someone up.
We’re not saying that you’ll instantly become the talk of the town with a bee flying over your car, but if at least one person looks at your topper and smiles, we feel that the car topper has done its job.
They can help with celebrating occasions
Depending on local festivities, having a car antenna topper can really help you get into the mood and add something to the overall “vibe” of the occasion. A prime example of this would be Halloween, a time of the year when people decorate their front yards with all sorts of comically spooky creepy crawlies.
There are plenty of Halloween-themed car antenna toppers, and this can make your ride a little more interesting during the Halloween season. Not only will your home be decorated with spooky stuff, but you can also turn your car into a nightmare on wheels.
Another thing toppers are great for is celebrating the changing of the seasons. When the first flowers of the year bloom and the bees start coming out again, you might want to “spring” for a flower- or bee-shaped topper. If it’s Christmas time, maybe pick up a snowman- or Santa-shaped topper to help celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
Car antenna toppers can certainly be used every day, but they stand out most when they’re used during festivities– people will understand why you’re using one, and it will help everyone get into the holiday spirit.
What to look for when buying?
The antenna ball should be made of durable materials and shouldn’t be too heavy. The warnings and product description for an antenna ball should be read and observed without fail.
The antenna ball should be attached so that the antenna remains stable even at higher speeds and does not break off. It is also advisable to purchase a weatherproof item that is not damaged immediately after the first ride.
The manufacturers usually state the properties of the articles. The larger the antenna ball, the heavier it is and the more the wind has an attack surface. The risk of the antenna bending or breaking increases accordingly.
Do car antenna toppers affect antenna performance?
While it may look like a car antenna topper would affect connectivity to your local radio stations, rest assured, because you should be able to connect without issue. There haven’t been any concrete tests done to prove this, but people who use car antenna toppers generally don’t experience any issues getting a signal from their local AM and FM stations
Car antenna toppers are safe around kids as long as they’re securely installed, they should be safe around kids– they won’t be able to reach the toppers in the first place, so you shouldn’t have to worry. They are also waterproof so they can remain in the antenna even in the event of rain.