Couldn't find a DIY toy related forum so I am posting here. (I thought this was more relevant than "Outdoor Sports". Moderator please relocate the thread if appropriate.)

I have three Tupperware Popalot toys that my children used and now my grandchildren enjoy using. When you strike the red bellows, a ping pong size ball is ejected from the basket. Can be used for single- or multiple-person games of catch.

Two of the bellows sections (part # 943) have broken and replacements are not available. (Tupperware has declared the molds obsolete.)

Simple cracks at an external joint can be sealed with vinyl tape. But now some of the joints have separated completely and tape will not work.

I tried replacing the bellows with a plastic soda bottle. The threads are compatible and the bottle can be mounted on the yellow basket but the amount of air forced out of the bottle when squeezed is not sufficient to launch the ball far enough out of the basket. Also the bottle makes the toy very unwieldy.

Looking for any ideas you may have for repairing the bellows or a part that can be obtained or made to repair these toys.

Thanks.

 

Hi John,
Nothing great comes to mind but maybe the bulb on a bicycle horn. Or maybe the bulb on a turkey baster??

Bud

 

Those bellows look familiar.

While cruising around I found this. Maybe you can strike a deal....
tupperware-pop-lot-tupperware-toys-43003120

Many bellows available for sale if you can determine a size.....
google/image search=plastic+bellows

 

Thanks for those suggestions. I'll look further into them.

Does anyone have experience with liquid latex (used to coat tool handles, etc.)? I wonder if a coating of that inside and outside the bellows would seal it up and stand up to the flexing.