Ben Decker

BenDecker2Ben Decker is an American comedy juggler who first learned to juggle
in 1976 while in high school. He did his first street show in 1977
and went to his first IJA convention in 1978 in Eugene, Oregon where
he won the Juniors Championship. After graduating from the University
of California, San Diego with a degree in Computer Science, Ben opted
to become a professional juggler instead. He honed his skills in the
then vibrant street scene of San Diego’s Balboa Park and then moved
on to stage work including cruise ships, casinos and comedy clubs.
Ben was also a co-editor and writer for the tongue-in-check juggling
publication, “Two Ply Press” that was in circulation from 1988 to
1999, and he was known for making “Ben Decker Boxes” — cigar boxes
that were quite popular with professional jugglers at the time.

BenDeckerBallsThese are Ben Decker’s Fly by Night lighted juggling balls. Donated by Ben Decker. These glow balls were created by Fly By Night Juggling in the 1980’s
and were the only light-up balls one could purchase at the time. They
retailed for $50.00 each and were hand made by splitting translucent
dog balls in two and then installing tiny incandescent bulbs,
rechargeable NiCad batteries, switches and receptors for the
cotter-pins from the power supply into them. They were then glued
back together with copious amounts of silicone glue. Because of their
expense, limited availability, and fragility, they were quite novel
and a sure-fire crowd pleaser.

The balls had a run-time of about 20 minutes and a charge time of 12
to 18 hours. The white stands contain magnets that switched the balls
off when properly positioned in them. When picked up, they would
immediately turn on. The balls had to be in the stands for charging
and it was very important not to mix up the charging pins when
inserting them into the balls (the batteries would be permanently
damaged) or shorting the pins (which would permanent damage the power supply).

Ben performed a three and four ball routine with them for many years,
accompanied by a live band playing Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire”.