Balloon Zombie

Balloon Zombies float gently over all of the player's plants and can only be targeted by the Cactus and the Cattail, or blown away by a Blover or killed by any instant kill. It is the 17th Zombie encountered in the game.

Suburban Almanac Entry
 Balloon Zombie 

Balloon Zombie floats above the fray, immune to most attacks.

Toughness: low

Special: flying

Weakness: Cactus and Blover

Balloon Zombie really lucked out. The balloon thing really works and none of the other zombies have picked up on it.

Overview
Absorbs 11 Normal Damage shots. Balloon pops after 1 Normal Damage shot. The Zombie itself absorbs 10 Normal Damage shots. Appearance changes upon absorption of 5 Normal Damage shots before dying at 10 Normal Damage shots. If its balloon pops over the pool, it immediately dies.

Strategy
Consider a Balloon Zombie a Pogo Zombie that cannot be stopped by Magnet-shrooms or Tall-nuts. Use a Cattail or a row of Cactus to pop their balloons, reducing them to the state of a normal Zombie. If they are popped over a Pool lane, they will die immediately as they will drop into the water and disappear as it's not equipped for aquatic travel. Alternatively, one could blow all of them away with the Blover; the player should wait as long as possible before planting a Blover in order to save Sun by blowing away multiple instances of them.

They cannot float over your Lawn Mowers, Pool Cleaners or Roof Cleaners, fortunately.

I, Zombie
The Balloon Zombie is only available in the Dead Zeppelin I, Zombie level. Use them in rows without Cactus. The balloons will pop at the end of each row so that the Balloon Zombies can eat the brain, so sending them is not pointless. If you really want to send a Balloon Zombie in rows with Cactus, they can be removed by a Bungee Zombie. Note that Balloon Zombies will not eat Sunflowers that they fly over. It is better to send regular Zombies or Buckethead Zombies rather than the Balloon Zombies. Also, gain a surplus of Sun before you send one, as they are 125 Sun, and one placed early on will bankrupt you, making you lose Dead Zeppelin quickly.

Trivia

 * While scrolling up where all the zombies you've killed in the leaderboards section, a lone balloon can be seen floating around the dead zombies.
 * Even a Tall-nut can't stop a Balloon Zombie.
 * Just like the Bungee Zombie, Zombie Bobsled Team and Zombie Yeti, when a Balloon Zombie with a balloon is hit by an explosive instant kill it does not crumble into ash but turns into a black silhouette and vanishes.
 * An inflating sound is heard before the Balloon Zombie appears. The Balloon Zombie, Bungee Zombie, Dolphin Rider Zombie, Zomboni, Jack-in-the-Box Zombie, and Pogo Zombie are the only zombies that make noises before entering.
 * The Balloon Zombie and the Bungee Zombie are the only zombies to appear both on land and in/above the pool.
 * The Balloon Zombie seems to have a hunchback.
 * This might be because of the balloon that it tied to it's belly and make itself curved.
 * The Propeller Hat slightly falls off of the Balloon Zombie's head when he takes a step.
 * The Balloon Zombie can be killed by explosives while in the air.
 * If a Balloon Zombie is hit by a Lawn Mower while still on its balloon, its balloon will pop and it will turn into smoke, just like a Gargantuar.
 * This is odd, as the Balloon Zombie is too high to be hit by the Lawn Mower.
 * The Balloon Zombie can be frozen while still floating if an Ice-shroom is used, but will only be slowed down.
 * This also happens with Pogo Zombies still on their Pogo Sticks.
 * The Balloon Zombie (while on its balloon), the Digger Zombie (while digging), the Ladder Zombie, the Gargantuar (and it's Giga variation), the Zomboni and the Catapult Zombie are the only zombies that can get past a Tall-nut by themselves without eating them.
 * The Balloon Zombie does not appear during the battle with Dr. Zomboss.
 * The Suburban Almanac entry for the Balloon Zombie does not list the Cattail as one of its weaknesses, though the Cattail's entry does.
 * Maybe because the Balloon Zombie is encountered first before being able to purchase the Cattail.
 * The Balloon Zombie is one of 9 zombies not allowed for Versus Mode, possibly due to two reasons: it can pass the player's plants without damage, and it only requires two to eat the brains (unless the Lawn Mower in that row has already been used, in which case it would only need one), which means that the Cactus must always be chosen.
 * The Balloon Zombie is the only non-Vaulting Zombie that can pass almost every type of plant without trying to eat it. Ballonzombie.gif
 * The Balloon Zombie is also the only zombie that can be killed by a Blover.
 * In fact, it is the only zombie that can be affected by a Blover.
 * The Balloon Zombie's balloon has an evil face-like drawing on it.
 * The Balloon Zombie and the Digger Zombie are the only zombies that lack a shoe.
 * A rake can't kill a Balloon Zombie, due to it floating over the rake.
 * Umbrella Leaves can't deflect Balloon Zombies when they drop directly at them.
 * Neither catapult plants or the Squash can damage Balloon Zombies, despite that they actually throw their projectiles in the air or jump higher than the Balloon Zombie respectively.
 * Despite being in the air, it can still scare a Scaredy-shroom.
 * Maybe the Scaredy-shroom is afraid that the Balloon Zombie will fall down on it.
 * Despite having the propeller hat, the hat doesn't protect it from damage. The other Zombies whose have headwear that doesn't protect them from damage are Zomboni, Target Zombie, Baseball Zombie, Catapult Baseball Zombie and Gatling Pea Zombie.
 * The Balloon Zombie is the Zombie with the second most visible teeth (7 teeth). The Zombie with the most visible teeth is the Zombie Yeti (8 teeth).
 * When flying, the Balloon Zombie is faster than a normal Zombie.
 * Balloon Zombie is one of the only four Zombies that can't damage your plants before losing his special item (Balloon). The other ones are the Pole Vaulting Zombie, the Dolphin Rider Zombie and the Pogo Zombie.
 * It is unknown how exactly how the Balloon Zombie floats above the ground without significant changes in elevation.
 * It is possible that there was more than one Balloon before the Balloon Zombie appears, however.
 * If a Balloon Zombie gets his Balloon popped and lands on the ground when an Instant Kill explodes, then the Balloon Zombie will be a black silhouette.