Is it a balloon is it a ball it39s both it may seem a bit flat and squishy at first but push the straw into the base and blow through the tube to inflate it like a balloon once at the desired size remove the straw and it39s ready to be bounced and tossed about like a ball when it39s time to put it away again simply push the straw back into the base to let the air out can be inflated and deflated as and when desired also it glows in the dark