At the Colorado Springs Balloon Glow, where the evening light fades and burners ignite with steady flame, one balloon stood out for more than its bright colors. Its name? Voluntold.

With deep blues, golds, and reds, and a trio of sculpted animals—a sheep, a duck, and a rooster—Voluntold blends humor with historical reference. It’s not just a crowd-pleaser. It’s a nod to the very first hot air balloon flight.

Echoes of 1783

In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers launched a balloon in Paris with three passengers: a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. They were chosen to represent land, water, and air animals, and their flight marked the beginning of human aviation.

Voluntold brings those original passengers back—not as scientific specimens, but as playful characters. The sheep looks calm, the duck wide-eyed, and the rooster slightly confused. They’re sculpted into the balloon’s lower panels, visible from the ground and instantly recognizable. It’s a clever tribute to the roots of flight.

The Satire of Civic Participation

The name Voluntold adds another layer. It’s a familiar term for anyone who’s been “volunteered” for something they didn’t sign up for—helping at a school event, joining a committee, or leading a neighborhood project. The balloon’s trading card leans into this theme, showing sheep parachuting through the sky, one clinging to the balloon like it missed the signal.

It’s funny, but it also hits close to home. Because most of us have been that sheep.

Still, Voluntold doesn’t mock participation—it reframes it. It suggests that even when we’re pushed into action, we might discover something worthwhile. The sheep may not have chosen the ride, but it’s smiling anyway.

A Balloon That Carries More Than Air

For Jeannette and me, Voluntold sparked a deeper conversation. About the roles we take on, the expectations we navigate, and the humor we find in the tension between choice and responsibility. It reminded us that history isn’t just about inventors and royalty—it’s about everyday people, caught in moments they didn’t plan, finding meaning as they go.

So here’s to the sheep, the duck, and the rooster. To the ones who go first, who test the winds, who float into history with wide eyes and uncertain wings. And to the balloon that reminds us: sometimes, being voluntold is how we rise.

©️ The Rocky Mountain Dispatch LLC. 2025