The effort marked the second attempt by the mother of an autistic child to break the Guinness World Record to raise awareness for autism.
Isabelle Mosca of Ventnor had volunteers in 114 locations across the country, and as far away as Australia, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. They aimed to break the record of 34,529 set in 198 locations in England in 2007.
"People I'm never going to meet are blowing bubbles all around the world because they care, and that is so touching to me," Mosca said.
"We sometimes explain autism to people by imagining you're in a classroom and having an aquarium on your head," she said. "All these colorful fish are swimming around your head and past your eyes, and you're seeing all this and you're still expected to assimilate and behave and be appropriate. We should celebrate these kids."
When he was in preschool, her son Kyle had trouble interacting with his classmates, and during the often sleepless nights, his mom wracked her brain trying to come up with activities that he could share with them. One night, it hit her: Kyle loves blowing bubbles. She soon learned that other autistic children have a similar fascination with bubbles, and Kyle's school agreed to hold events each year for autism centered on a bubble theme.
Kyle is now 13, and he helped lead one of the events at the Ventnor school just outside Atlantic City.
"This is great! Great!" he exclaimed as more than 1,000 students ringed the athletic field and blew bubbles into a stiff wind that whisked them skyward.
"We have a perfect day for them to go all up to the sky," his mother said. "All our wishes are going to be heard now!"
Mosca got thousands to participate last year, but people at many events failed to properly document their participation as required by Guinness World Records Ltd. This time she took no chances, with detailed paperwork required, signatures checked and deadlines enforced. The attempt was synchronized across multiple time zones so that everyone was blowing bubbles at the same time.
The supporting documentation will be sent to Guinness. It will be several weeks before organizers know if they surpassed the total and whether Guinness will validate their attempt.
In nearby Atlantic City, hundreds of casino workers stopped what they were doing for a few minutes to take part in the event, including 100 on the boardwalk outside Resorts Casino Hotel, 79 in a fourth floor ballroom at the Tropicana Casino and Resort and a combined 441 at Caesars, Bally's Harrah's and the Showboat Casino Hotel.
In Morristown, New Jersey first lady Mary Pat Christie blew bubbles with her daughter Bridget's second-grade class at the Assumption School.
"Blowing bubbles is an activity that brings smiles to children's faces," Christie said. "I can't think of a more creative and fun way to raise understanding of this development disability and support families who experience the challenges of autism every day."
Other events took place simultaneously in Ohio, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
In Ventnor, Mosca's children read kindergarteners a book they wrote together titled "Adventure To Autism Planet." It's based on a dream that Kyle's twin sister, Isabelle, had when she was younger about traveling to a world where autistic people go when things get to be too much for them on Earth.
On this planet, Kyle's sister suddenly realized that she was the one who couldn't speak or communicate her thoughts and emotions.
"When she returns to this world, she realizes her brother needs to be appreciated more because of what he goes through," their mother said.
As his sister read the book aloud, Kyle held up the pictures - which he had drawn - for the students to see.
Mosca said she is "cautiously optimistic" they will have succeeded this time in trying to break the bubble blowing record.
"The first time we tried, it raised awareness for the whole country about autism, so I can't call that a failure," she said. "We're turning around opinions that are pretty well set, focusing on possibilities, not just disabilities."
