When Water Balloons Changed Everything
Copyright© 2026 by Jackstoryteller
Chapter 11
Monday, June 21
Yesterday felt unreal. Meeting Ron Popeil. Hearing him say he wanted to mentor me. Feeling like the world had cracked open and light was pouring through.
But basking in it? Yeah — keep that up and you’ll make a fool of yourself by Thursday.
So, I exercised, got dressed, and got to work.
I’d made a carry case for my sketches out of a cardboard box, duct tape, and twine. Ugly, but functional. I wanted to deliver the sketches myself and see how the print shop would turn them into presentation props. And I had a pitch rehearsal with Jim — something I’d been thinking about all morning.
I rode to Rubbermaid with Mom. Walking through the front doors gave me a small thrill — like I belonged there now. I signed in, clipped the visitor badge to my shirt pocket, and felt strangely official.
The print shop was its own world — chemical smells, humming machines, trays of metal type. I watched as technicians photographed each sketch and transferred the images onto printing plates. My drawings were becoming real.
Jim met me outside the print room. “Ready?”
I nodded.
We went to a small conference room. Jim folded his hands. “Let’s hear it.”
I took a breath and began.
Two Presentations:
Option 1 — The Product Story
I started with the tricycle — how the blow‑molded frame made it lighter and cheaper, how the design opened the door to other products. The mailbox followed naturally. Then the patio set. Then the fort. Then the castle.
A chain reaction. One idea sparking the next.
Option 2 — The Rubbermaid Strategy
Then I shifted gears.
To me, Rubbermaid wasn’t only in the container business. It was in the plastics business, and plastics could become almost anything.
I explained that expanding into multiple categories could diversify revenue, stabilize seasonal fluctuations, and position Rubbermaid as a leader in consumer goods. My sketches weren’t just ideas — I presented them as a roadmap.
Jim listened carefully. When I finished, he leaned back.
“Jack ... I corrected almost nothing. You’ve done your homework.”
I felt a warm rush of pride.
“Jim,” I said, “the board has already had consultants tell them they need to expand. If I act like I’m the first person to ever suggest it, I’ll sound naïve.”
Jim nodded. “Go on.”
“But if I acknowledge they’ve already been told this — and then show how my ideas fit exactly into the direction they’ve been advised to go — I’m aligning with them. I’m saying, ‘I know where you’re heading, and here’s how I can help you get there.’”
Jim smiled. “That’s the best way.”
We adjusted the opening and rehearsed twice more.
Finally, Jim said, “You’re ready. Thursday morning at nine, we’ll rehearse once more. At ten‑twenty, I’ll come get you. The easel will be set up. Then it’s all yours.”
“Thanks, Jim. I’ll do my best.”
I called dad to pick me up and on the way home, I quietly said, “My suit doesn’t fit anymore. I think I grew.”
Dad didn’t hesitate. He turned toward downtown. “Then we fix it.”
The tailor confirmed it — I had grown, not too much, the suit could be let out. Dad told the tailor, “We need it by Wednesday afternoon.” They had to buy sweatpants for me to get home.
Back home, I barely tasted lunch. My stomach was tight. My mind kept thinking about what would happen Thursday.
Dad called me into his office. “Jack, I am concerned. Can you tell me why this presentation is so different than the one you gave to Ron Propeil?”
“I keep thinking about the boardroom, the suits, the future of the employees and stockholders.” I replied.
Dad softened his voice. “Jack, I know this matters to you. You’ve worked hard, and it’s natural to be nervous. But the company’s future isn’t yours to carry.”
He continued, “Businesses will turn down opportunities for any number of reasons, no funding, timing, wrong mindset or just don’t like your idea.
He paused to let that thought sink in. “Your job is simply to share your ideas as well as you can.”
Another pause. “Whatever the board decides, you’ll still be an inventor, there will be others that will welcome your ideas—and I’ll still be proud of you.”
“Thank you” I said sincerely. “Any thoughts on how I can keep this from happening in the future?
Dad sat back in his leather chair and looked up at the ceiling. After 30 seconds or so he replied, “Develop a mantra, a saying that will remind you of this moment. I suggest, I can only control how well I prepare, not how they decide.”
I nodded. “I want to think on this. It has been helpful and I don’t feel as anxious as I was this morning.”
Dad said, “Go enjoy the afternoon. Tomorrow, we will have to look at your filing system, catch any stray ideas and start preparing them for mailings.”
I noticed that there were trade magazines about dad’s former business stacked on a shelf, “May I have some of these to read?”
That is what I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening doing, reading Logistics Today and Inventory Fulfillment, devouring the knowledge.
Preparing for bed, I was wondering what other trade magazines I should be reading as there were many articles that could be beneficial in the future.
Tuesday, June 22
I woke energized, my talk with dad made an impression. Prepare! Prepare the paperwork for mailings. Prepare for presentations. Prepare for the possible rejection. And most of all repeat the mantra, I can only control how well I prepare, not how they decide.
After my morning exercises and breakfast, I worked with dad to catch the stray ideas.
I sorted my notebook pages into separate piles for the different ideas. We were surprised by the count.
It started with the toys I had already under contract. Splash-Pak, Hot Wheels, missions and control room for Mattel’s new action figure.
All of these already had file folders, so they were easy to process.
Nerf Ball was next, we had previously made up sell sheets and mailed them to potential companies, so we had folders for each company, but none of them had called us to ask for information.
I asked, “Should we have a folder for each company or one for just the idea with every letter we send to all of the companies?
It was a simple process if you only had 1 idea in the process channel. But keeping track of where each idea was in the process and who you called and when and what was said to each different company if you were presenting multiple ideas to multiple companies required some thought. This is what was decided;
NEW IDEA Section
a folder for each idea
PENDING SECTION
Folder moved from NEW IDEA (Product)
Add a form that lists each company that was mailed a sell sheet with two extra lines to record the date of when a call was made or received.
COMPANY SECTION
Log sheet – notes of conversations -1 per Pending Idea
Log sheet listing ideas sold
UNDER CONTRACT
Folder moved from Pending
Log sheet of notes of conversations from Company folder
This took most of the morning and part of the afternoon to figure out.
The next project was creating sell sheets for each of the action figures in the marketplace today.
Hasbro - G.I. Joe - Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, and Action Marine,
Louis Marx & Co.
Stony Smith, the Paratrooper —
The All-American Fighter / “Buddy Charlie”
Johnny West
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. action figures - A. C. Gilbert Company
I worked to create the drawings of the mission control rooms unique to each figure.
Late in the afternoon the doorbell rang, and I signed for a special delivery envelope. When opened, it was the contract from Ron. Dad and I reviewed it and dad ran it down for the lawyer to review.
While dad was gone, I put everything away before fixing supper and later, I took a walk. When I went by Vicky’s house, I saw everything closed up, so I continued and ended up walking with many of my friends.
Wednesday, June 23
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