Pink-and-purple poofy-rated ping pong ball

So, there is a rich man, and he has a son. A month before his son's 5th birthday, he goes to his son and says,
"Son, your fifth birthday is coming soon. I am rich, so I can get you anything you like - money is no object. What would you like for your birthday?"
The son ponders this for a few seconds, then he says to his dad,
"I want a pink-and-purple poofy-rated ping pong ball."
The father is confused. He asks his son what that is, but his son just smirks bemusedly and replies,
"You will know it when you see it."
The father searches for it. He looks for it in every store around, but cannot find it, so instead he gets his son a teddy bear, and his son is happy. It still bothers him a little that he couldn't find the gift, but it was of no consequence.

Years pass. Now the boy's 10th birthday is a month away. His father goes up to him and says,
"Son, your tenth birthday is coming soon. I am rich, so I can get you anything you like - money is no object. What would you like for your birthday?"
The son thinks for a bit, then he says,
"Well, ever since I was little, all I ever wanted was a pink-and-purple poofy-rated ping pong ball."
The father is confused, as his son hadn't asked for that since his fifth birthday. He asks his son what that is, but his son just smiles and says,
"You will know it when you see it."
The father combs the internet, looking for hints as to what this thing may be. He looks through the stores as well, but to no avail. So instead, he gets his son an Xbox, and his son is happy. But that seed of doubt that was planted years ago kept growing, even if the father didn't acknowledge it.

Nonetheless, years pass. It is a month till the boy turns sixteen, and the father goes up to him, and says,
"Son, your sixteenth birthday is coming soon. I am rich, so I can get you anything you like - money is no object. What would you like for your birthday?"
The son thinks for a bit, then says to his father,
"I remember I first asked for it when I was five, but I never got it... I've always wanted to have a pink-and-purple poofy-rated ping pong ball."
The father is frustrated.
"Son, I've looked for that thing every year you ask for it, and I can never find it. Can you tell me what it looks like, please?"
The son shakes his head.
"It's not that difficult, dad. You'll recognize it when you see it."
The father goes on internet forums, asking antique toy dealers and the like if they've ever heard of this toy that his son is describing. Nobody knows what it is. Eventually the father runs out of patience and buys his son a luxury sports car instead. It's a very nice car, and his son is very happy, but now the father is doubting himself... what kind of man is he if he can't get his son exactly what he wants with all that money to throw around? He pushes the thoughts aside, and life continues.

A few months pass, and one night, while the son is out with his friends, the man receives a phone call from an unknown number. The woman on the line is a stranger.
"Is this the residence of Mr. Smith?"
"Yes, this is Mr. Smith. What is it?"
"It appears that your son... Bob Smith... was involved in a car accident about an hour ago. He's on life support. I'd advise you to visit him while he still has breath in him. We're doing all we can. I'm very sorry, sir."
The man wastes no time in getting to the hospital. He is by his son's bedside within mere minutes. He looks at his son, who is in great pain, as shrapnel has been embedded all over his body from the accident. The man, knowing that his son may not live to see the next sunrise, leans on the bedside and says to his son,
"Son, I know I am about to lose you, I know that you will die, but let me do what I can to make your final moments the best possible. I am rich, so I can get you anything you like - money is no object. Is there anything you would like?"
The son's voice is weak and choppy.
"Well... dad... ever since... I was... a boy... I've always... wanted to... be in possession... of a... pink-and-purple...poofy-rated...ping pong... ball... can you... get me...one...?"
The man is furious.
"Son, you've been asking for that for years, and not one time could I find it! Please, just tell me what it is!"
The son sighs, feeling his body weaken with every passing second.
"Okay...I'll tell you...what it...looks like...it's kind of...like a..."
The boy's eyes close as the void swallows him, his words trailing off into nothingness. The heart monitor stops. The boy is dead.