It all started at the intersection of me being a smart ass on my Facebook page regarding my occupation, and a random lyric from an Elton John song that I was having a nostalgic obsession with.
“Levon sells cartoon balloons in town….”
And, then Facebook asked us to put up information about ourselves and I was suddenly a “salesman at Intown Cartoon Balloons.”.
Every time I logged-in I would see “salesman at Intown Cartoon Balloons”. Gradually, Intown Cartoon Balloons became this fantastical company where I imagined that all I did was hang out all day – people would come by and we’d chat and laugh – declare something done and wind down for the day.
At the same time, the concept began to gel. What is a cartoon balloon? It’s not necessarily an inflated “porky pig and friends” balloon. The “cartoon balloon” is actually what the characters in a comic strip are saying or thinking. Sometimes referred to as a “speech balloon” the cartoon balloon delivers the words to go with the drawings. It completes the idea that goes with the action.
Intown Cartoon Balloons is, in effect, a metaphorical company. A company that isn’t a company, yet represents many other ideas in the form of a company. It is a company designed to illustrate the absurdity of our corporate environment and the world we are too often confronted with. It is designed to point out the retching which most people feel when confronted with such absurdity and the feeling of powerlessness in its face, is shared. Among many.
