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What does a Balloon Maker do?
A balloon maker is someone who inflates balloons and then bends and ties those balloons into various shapes. The shapes often resemble animals, toys, vehicles or other objects that children would enjoy playing with and be entertained by. Such shapes are popular because balloon makers are typically hired to perform at parties or events centered on children. As such, a balloon maker is often seen as being similar to a clown.
While what a balloon maker does may seem simplistic or juvenile, the ability to create anything using simple balloons is in fact quite complex. Though some basic shapes or traditional things such as balloons shaped like dachshunds may be easy to learn, to create more complicated or unique shapes is the sign of a true master of the craft. Just like any other form of sculpted work, making balloons into recognizable forms is an art and requires a great deal of training and practice.
Typically, a balloon maker is someone who enjoys entertaining children and finds himself quite at ease around many loud and energetic kids. In some respects, a party balloon maker needs the patience of a teacher and the craftsmanship of an artist. To make complicated forms such as merry-go-rounds or larger animals like elephants and dinosaurs, a balloon maker will usually have spent long hours perfecting the ability to craft simple balloons into such intricate shapes.
Consider, also, that a balloon maker needs to be able to blow up many balloons quite quickly while also talking to and joking with his audience. While some people use small pumps to quickly inflate their balloons, others still inflate the balloons from their mouths. Just as a singer must be able to control her breathing to be able to sing a song while moving or dancing around a stage, a talented balloon artist must also be able to inflate numerous balloons and continue a dialogue with his audience.
To become a balloon artist, a person might find local classes that teach the craft. Similarly, a person might find several books on the subject and learn through reading and practicing the shapes for many hours. There are also a number of websites with diagrams and videos to create some of the simpler balloon shapes.
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![Some clowns are also trained as balloon makers.]()
By: banannaSome clowns are also trained as balloon makers.
Discussion Comments
@croydon - There are some cool pictures online of sculptures made out of balloons, although I'm not sure if it's really the same as what a balloon maker does. Once you get past a certain size, you aren't really twisting the balloons into shapes so much as just layering them on top of each other as if they were bricks.
@pleonasm - I've never really thought about the link between balloon animals and origami before, but I guess they are essentially the same thing, even if balloon instructions would be completely different.
This prompted me to have a look online at some of the more extraordinary balloon-based creations out there and there are some really fun ones based around different characters.
I wouldn't mind learning how to make a few simple shapes, like the classic dog shape, because it's always nice to be able to make one of those for kids if you're at a family function or something.
But you would have to be really dedicated to be able to do anything more complicated and I know I'm not good at remembering complex instructions like that.
I've made about a thousand origami cranes, for example and I still have to look up the instructions to make them and refresh my memory every time I want to do it. With balloon twisting you're always doing it in front of an audience so you don't have the leisure of being able to look up instructions.
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