There are many different views circulating about US presidential contender and real estate mogul Donald Trump, who seeks the Republican Party nomination for the upcoming 2016 presidential election in November. You may see Trump’s meteoric rise in the political world as an aberration. His popularity is something that will pass in time, as the voting US will no doubt become sensible about choosing more experienced and well-groomed candidates who can do the job without the loose cannon rhetoric and vitriolic flair that has marked Trump’s candidacy so far. Sound familiar? Or, like the recent Trump rally protesters in Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City, you may view his candidacy as a serious threat to US democracy — replete with hate speech that has violent real world effects we can not afford to ignore. (And, clearly, many makers have not been ignoring politics lately…)
Regardless of your specific views, there’s a strong argument to be made that Donald Trump is stressing people out across the political spectrum. (He obviously has a stressful effect on his supporters as well as his opponents.) Why not take that stress out on a 3D printed replica of Trump’s infamous, toupee-d head?
Stress balls are small plastic objects usually kept around the house or office to be squeezed when someone feels the need to relieve some physical tension caused by forces possibly outside of the individual’s control. And what better inorganic form than a stress ball in the shape of Donald Trump’s head could there be for stressed out witnesses to current political events? Here, Ricardo Salomao does us the honors of providing the design and the .stl file for this timely political de-stressing device.
It is interesting to note that Salomao is not a US citizen. He hails from Lisbon, Portugal and currently makes his home in London. But this is also a very good reminder that US presidential elections are not just a national issue only watched and discussed by US citizens and residents. If you have ever traveled, you’ll be quick to notice that many people can name the US President faster than you can name the President or leading politician in the country you are traveling in. One explanation for this (that goes well with this need for a Trump Stress Ball) is that although you may not like them, everyone knows the schoolyard bullies’ names, right? Hence, a UK-based 3D designer is just as likely to come up with a 3D printable Donald Trump Stress Ball as anyone: US elections tend to impact the entire world.
Salomao does not make it a secret that Trump’s candidacy is stressing him out. On his MyMiniFactory page, he firmly states:
“Does Donald Trump stress you? Every thing he says makes you mad to the point of no return?
Look no further! The Trump Stress Ball is here! Print it in NinjaFlex and enjoy!”
As if it is unclear exactly how to enjoy this very well-designed perfect Trump likeness of a stress ball, Salomao has included a brief YouTube video of a hand squeezing and then throwing the Trump ball (see below)! If you’d like to do the same, it takes between 280-300 minutes to 3D print the ball, which is 61.5 x 85 x 80 mm and printed in NinjaFlex (2 shells, 10% infill, slow speed print) on a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) machine.
If you choose to print one, you should tag the creator @salomaoric, and maybe even film your own version of a Trump stress ball squeeze, hammer, and toss session. The design is available to download for $9.99 from MyMiniFactory. (On Salomao’s Twitter page, he tags Stephen Colbert, asking him if he needs one!)
And remember, the ball’s creator states that: “For best usage hammers, walls, vises and spikes are advised.” See photos if you have a hard time envisioning these activities! Would one of these stress balls help you out? Talk about it in the 3D Printed Trump Stress Ball forum over at 3DPB.com.
