To think it’s time for the Balonz joke to fade away in to obscurity?

[ShirleyPhallus]

Every single thread about names in any context some poster pops up with “Is it Balonz 🤣🤣🤣”. I may be being irrationally mardy but:

1. It isn’t funny, it was mildly amusing years ago but certainly isn’t funny anymore
2. It’s really really old now. Can’t we do better and come up with some new lines rather than relying on this and Pom Bears and Naice Ham for lolz.

Willing to accept if IABU (hmmm). So settle this for me:

YANBU - Balonz isn’t funny and should die a death
YABU - what you on about! Balonz continues to be hilarious and is an absolute classic! Get a sense of humour and a life woman.

I actually took it a bit differently - almost a light telling off of the person who comes onto baby names to say they've named their baby something unique and amazing and shocking to the simple minded general public, but then refuses to give the name. It's a way of saying ok, your name is probably daft, or we'll assume it is unless you tell us. Because those threads are annoying!

But anyway, inside jokes and references are as old as forums themselves. What distinguishes a forum from fast food social media like Twitter is its history and particular community, which lives on through jokes like Balonz. Not everyone who joins in need have been there, it's a stand in for what's distinctive about a place. In this case, one of the things that's distinctive is once a day someone comes on suggesting ridiculous baby names like they're normal, and people chiming in with jokes.

It was for those of us who were there.

Ledge.

Makes me vaguely chuckle tbh, but If you slag off “my vagina looks like a punched lasagne” we riot!

Unfortunately, those are the perils of the modern trend for 'boil in the vag' convenience.

I like it when a thread organically becomes its own instant in-joke!
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3143672-TO-not-go-on-family-weekend-away

Yabvu it's hilarious every time

But anyway, inside jokes and references are as old as forums themselves. What distinguishes a forum from fast food social media like Twitter is its history and particular community, which lives on through jokes like Balonz. Not everyone who joins in need have been there, it's a stand in for what's distinctive about a place. In this case, one of the things that's distinctive is once a day someone comes on suggesting ridiculous baby names like they're normal, and people chiming in with jokes.

Quite so.

So, OP - YANBU that 'balonz' isn't particularly funny, but YABU that it should fade into obscurity.

How did I miss Balonz ? I've been here over 15 years 😱

It might fall by the wayside eventually — I haven't seen anybody talking about quiches for a long time (unless they're in the recipe section).

Some of the classics threads are still very funny. The Least Professional Moments of My Illustrious Career is very good, although a lot of the best posts have gone. (Even thinking about The Civil Liberties Lobberty still makes me chuckle.)

"It was for those of us who were there.

Ledge."

Nah. Was boring

See, I’ve gone back and read that thread (the unmasking of the people from the other forum makes me laugh) and I find it funnier laughing at it now, knowing you hate it.

But yes, you’re better than me.

The darked on and spider willy thing is worse. So cringy.

Nope, it was funny. Really funny.

@ShirleyPhallus Maybe I've been living under a rock but what is balonz and what is snapped and darted?

I miss the bat, it was the original rickrolling lol

I have no idea what balonz is so must just look at totally different threads

It's a fine old Surrey name....

Boswell says no

It's a fine old Surrey name....

That bit was one of the absolute peaks of the whole thread for me. Somebody asked where OP's friend Balonz was from, expecting to hear somewhere like Marrakesh, Bhutan or Guadeloupe and then came the answer: Surrey! proper tipped me over, that did

Boswell says no

Did we ever reach a fair conclusion to that thread? Either a solution to the 'riddle' or, failing that, the cast-iron guarantee from the authorities that the OP would be banished to Rockall for the rest of their natural life?!

@Autumn54

Sparklingbrook posted the link to Balonz upthread.

This is Snapped & Farted: www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/3277729-Embarrassed-by-boyfriend

This is Sistine Chapel - another one that some (like me) found (and still do) hilarious but others wave away as utterly pathetic and lacking in any hilarity at all, so make up your own mind!:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3178898-DH-embarrassed-by-my-sensitivity

YANBU

'Balonz'+obligatory MN grinning face/tilted crying laughing emoji is beyond tedious at this point. The people who still find it hilarious are the sort to have an 'I'm Mad, Me!' mug on their desk at work.

I feel the same way about darked on and spider willies..

If a thread is funny I don’t really care if it’s made up. I don’t know the people involved (or not) so it makes no difference to my life whether it’s genuine. But it is always nice to laugh.

The only thread I think that ever really annoyed me was the stupid post office steps riddle one. I hated that thread in the end!

I think if it makes someone chuckle to themselves to write “is it Balonz” then good for them! It’s brought a bit of humour to their day, if not anyone else’s! Always easy enough to scroll past.

I think people starting baby name threads and then being coy about the bloody name is far more annoying than the well-worn in-joke used in response.

Almost as irritating as the ‘How old am I’ threads.

I just spat Special K at Sistine Chapel!