The "Mystery Men bowling ball" is the weapon of The Bowler, one of the would-be superheroes in the 1999 comedy Mystery Men. It's a clear bowling ball with a skull inside it, and it's one of the most memorable props in the film.
Who is The Bowler?
The Bowler is played by Janeane Garofalo. She's the daughter of Carmine the Bowler, a crime-fighter who used a bowling ball as his weapon. After he's killed, she takes up his mission, and his skull rides inside her translucent bowling ball. She throws the ball at villains and it returns to her, and her father's spirit appears to have some say in where it goes, which leads to running jokes as he "advises" her from inside the ball.
Mystery Men is built around a team of misfit heroes with unimpressive powers. The cast includes Ben Stiller as Mr. Furious, William H. Macy as The Shoveler and Hank Azaria as The Blue Raja, and the film is based on characters from Bob Burden's Flaming Carrot comics.
Can you buy one?
Clear bowling balls with objects inside are real. Pro shops and specialty makers produce translucent polyester balls with a skull, a rose, dice or a photo embedded in the center, and some fans have had Bowler-style balls made. They're usually built with a specific weight block arrangement so they still roll true, and most are polyester, so they go fairly straight.
See clear bowling balls with objects inside and skull bowling balls for what's available and what to check before you buy.
Other famous bowling balls in film
- Roy Munson's ball in Kingpin. See the Roy Munson bowling ball.
- Jesus Quintana's purple ball in The Big Lebowski.
- Ernie McCracken's flashy ball, also in Kingpin. See Ernie McCracken's bowling ball.