Go fly a kite CNN, this Balloon Boy is the real deal.

Meet Mitch Belfry, the GTA's own and the world's original Balloon Boy.

Six-year-old pretender Falcon Heene, of Colorado, captured the world's attention last Thursday when his family claimed he was trapped aboard a homemade-inflatable flying saucer.

Belfry -- owner of Balloon Boys for almost six years -- watched the balloon drama unfold and saw his company name become a North American buzzword.

"I didn't even think twice about it but now that they've dubbed him Balloon Boy, I thought that was kind of funny, that is my company name," Belfry told the Sun yesterday.

Belfry's Milton-based company sells big advertising balloons -- those giant rooftop inflatables you see on businesses -- from coast to coast.

While he doesn't have a balloon shaped like a flying saucer, Belfry does have inflatable apes, Santa Claus and even Frankenstein for those "Monster Sales," he jokes on his website.

That website, balloonboys.com, is where the life of the real Canadian Balloon Boy and the Colorado kid intersect, at least in cyberspace.

As the U.S. drama was unfolding and deflating into a massive hoax, people were searching the Internet for Balloon Boy information.

"I was just checking my (website) hits ... I usually get around 400 to 500 a month, and when I went on the website to check and I had 497 hits in one day," Belfry said. "I put two and two together and I turned to my wife and we had a good laugh about it."

He continues to get as many as 500 hits daily thanks to the notorious Balloon Boy family, which could face charges for trying to fool the world.

"My brother-in-law said I should make a replica of that balloon and put a banner on it that says, 'Prices so crazy you'll think it was a hoax,' " Belfry said, adding he's still thinking about it.

His brother-in-law with the big ideas even suggested if that doesn't work out he could always "sue CNN for bad coverage of my company name."

He hopes the great Balloon Boy hoax won't deflate his good corporate name, adding, "I think people are smart enough to see there is no real connection there."

DON.PEAT@SUNMEDIA.CA