The Bumble Ball is a motorized children's toy made by Ertl toys

Ertl Company

The Ertl Company is an American toy company best known for its die-cast metal alloy collectible replicas of farm equipment and vehicles. The company is based in Dyersville, Iowa, home of the National Farm Toy Museum...

. They were popular in the early 1990s and currently come in many different colors, including a see-through light-up one and a mini version. Some are also available in key clip

Keychain

A keychain or key chain is a small chain, usually made from metal or plastic, that connects a small item to a keyring. The length of a keychain allows an item to be used more easily than if connected directly to a keyring...

 form under the name Bumble Ball Jr. Variations were produced by Ertl such as the Bumble Ball Bolter, a colorful insect-like toy with several long legs, a head with synthetic blue hair, and a Bumble Ball torso.

The toy is powered by a motor box with batteries mounted eccentrically. Its power switch consists of a knob that starts the motor when pushed in and stops the motor when pulled out. This causes it to vibrate and bounce about, some play music such as the wipe out song, appealing for both infants and elder toy enthusiasts. The core of the Bumble Ball is hard plastic while the knobs are a more rubbery texture.

Silver

Silver (color)

Silver is the metallic shade resembling gray, closest to that of polished silver.The visual sensation usually associated with the metal silver is its metallic shine. This cannot be reproduced by a simple solid color, because the shiny effect is due to the material's brightness varying with the...

 Bumble Balls were seen in Michael Jackson's

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

 1995 music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for his hit single, "Scream."

Scream/Childhood

"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...

  Despite fan requests, this special Ball was never made available to the public.

Since their early popularity in the '90s, the Bumble Ball concept has been used by Fisher-Price

Fisher-Price

Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...

. This has led to a series of products more directly aimed toward toddler

Toddler

A toddler is a young child, usually defined as being between the ages of one and three. Registered nurse, midwife and author, Robin Barker, states 'Any time from eight months onwards your baby will begin to realise he is a separate person from you...

s such as a Mr. Potato Head

Mr. Potato Head

Mr. Potato Head! is an American toy consisting of a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with a variety of plastic parts that can attach to the main body. These parts usually include ears, eyes, shoes, a hat, a nose, and a mouth. The toy was invented and developed by George Lerner in...

-like toy and animal variations. These small versions use a pull-string to activate the vibration rather than a switch as featured on larger models.

As recently as 2006 on Animal Planet

Animal Planet

Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...

, footage of a dog (possibly an Irish Setter

Irish Setter

The Irish Setter , is a setter, a breed of gundog and family dog. The term Irish Setter is commonly used to encompass the show-bred dog recognized by the American Kennel Club as well as the field-bred Red Setter recognised by the Field Dog Stud Book....

) with a Bumble Ball in its mouth has become a running gag where the host Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key is an American comic actor best known for his roles as a cast member on MADtv for six seasons. He has also had recurring roles on Reno 911! and Gary Unmarried. He used to be the host of The Planet's Funniest Animals...

or the announcer would call it a "Jowl Jiggler."