5 years later, the Balloon Boy family is still trying to get into the spotlight
It's hard to believe, but it's been five long years since the Balloon Boy story captivated America for all of 15 minutes. After the stunt — in which the parents of a Colorado 6-year-old said their son floated away in a weather balloon — was proven to be a hoax, the Heene family moved to Florida and decided to try to gain fame through a heavy metal band and various inventions.
The Coloradoan was easily able to track the family down, thanks to their extensive internet presence. The three Heene children — Falcon the Balloon Boy, Ryo, and Bradford — have formed the "world's youngest metal band," called The Heene Boyz. The trio has released three CDs and a video for their new song, "Balloon Boy No Hoax." They also sell Heene Boyz merchandise and comic books.
Meanwhile, their father, Richard Heene, has decided to try his luck as an inventor, and some of his latest creations include the $19.99 Bear Scratch, a back scratcher that sticks to the wall, and the aptly named YourShakeDown, which gets the last bit of ketchup and mustard out of bottles and goes for six payments of $29.99. With all of the yelling Richard does in his infomercials, it's enough to make you wish a balloon would come and take you away. --Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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