Everything Will Be Ok: Three (Amazing) Companies Selling Joy Right Now
By: Rhonda Purefoy
Tags: Balloons, Joy, 2021 Trends, Pibborafi, Pixabay

We need this. Desperately. I took it upon myself to sacrifice a weekend to wander through the back alleys of the web to find joy. Not the artificial kind of trans-fat, celebrity-endorsed joy that McDonald’s will have you believe you need, or the sugar-saturated joy-in-a-cup from Starbucks (although there is nothing wrong with that kind of joy), nah, I’m talking about as close to the real thing as you can get. Something so close to the emotion of joy that you feel it with no crash at the end. I purposely avoided the usual suspects such as Louboutin (guilty), or a PS5, everybody writes about those. I wanted to venture off the beaten track. Perhaps reveal something that may surprise or elate. The following gems are from such strange secret realms. So niche that they have huge followings yet somehow (so far) have escaped the mainstream spotlight. This is a peek into the private worlds that thrive just below the surface of the chaos we know, and knew, as 2020.

Pibborafi

If you happen to be cruising Instagram and stumble across endless snapshots of toddlers, kids, dogs, and even adults posing with goofy looking doggy plushies with yellow tags, you have just discovered Pibborafi. Parents are trading them, kids are collecting them, and your pooch is probably coveting them. The joy they sell is the marvel of seeing your very own pup done up as an exclusive plushie for free… if your pup is a rescue and if they select you. Plus, the bonus of knowing sales of your little plushie goes onto help real rescues. These pandemic-era toys have been featured on hundreds of newscasts across the nation including a shiny feature in People Magazine’s Pets section. With all that hype you may be wondering, “How did I miss this?” I know I did. You can find them online but Pibborafi officials keep production to a minimum and restricts which countries can buy them, so they are not easy to get. But landing one does provide the kind of joy you feel as if you were a member of a secret club. Cute squishy doggos; what better joy can there be? (Pibborafi.com)

Balloon Monster

Balloons? Need I say more? This wonderful service is a multi-year Thumbtack Balloon Award winner and the artistry shows. The joy they sell is the surprise and awe of exquisite balloon art for a reasonable price. And during Covid, they have increased incentives and removed all minimum orders to make balloons easy to enjoy. The business grew from a one-man show to a collaborative company using a creative team to consult with new clients, be it a huge corporate event to a small family birthday party. A very cool “hi-float” option is offered which apparently makes the balloons last 2 to 3 days (a typical balloon lasts 12 hours). I am imagining an amazing balloon display still standing after three days would be sublime. As with most balloon artists, there usually is a location limit that they can travel and it’s no different with Balloon Monster — about 20 miles from their Los Angeles office but it’s still enough to get to a great many clients. The bonus is the cleanup. No one wants to be saddled with the unjoyful chore of dismantling an elaborate display after the fact, so they take care of that. Balloon monsters with the clean up? Love it. (balloonmonster.com)

Pixabay

Free images, videos, and music you can use anywhere. That is the mission statement that greets you on their website and what could be more joyful? Pixabay is a vibrant community of creatives, sharing copyright free images, videos, and music that you can use virtually anywhere. The joy they sell is simply existing as an alternative to the highly restrictive (and expensive) libraries of the well-known iStock and Gettyimages services. If you have a company — or even a personal project — and find a beautifully photographed picture perfect for what you need, that you don’t have to pay for, is stunningly joyful. You can even use their images on social media. Now you can become a superstar in your social circle by punctuating your posts with remarkable pics. But how do they make money? Sponsored images (images you must pay for) are shown to finance Pixabay and to provide a choice of professional photos. Those images are marked with iStock so you know which ones need to be paid for. And you can donate to Pixabay which also adds to their revenue. A joyful win/win for all involved (pixabay.com)

In the last days and hours of 2020, fun is the name of the game to carry us over into 2021 and these three jewels are a great way to have some.