Today's art form of modeling animals out of narrow balloons
was probably invented at a magic convention in 1939
by Herman Bonnert, a magician from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Only two things are needed to make a balloon sculpture-
a narrow balloon and a method to inflate it.
You can, of course, use your lungs, but to avoid
getting lightheaded,
you probably should use a balloon pump.
Jeremy Telford of Utah set the record in 2015
for the largest balloon sculpture by an individual.
He sculpted a massive weiner dog, probably the most iconic of models.
The sculpture measured 65 feet by 32 feet, and used almost 9,000 balloons.
And for a great example of
blending magic with balloon sculpture,
check out the website of our longtime friend, Christopher Lyle.
Chris built on his career as a professional magician by creating a character,
a balloon guy dressed in an iconic big-shouldered yellow suit and fedora,
and immersing himself in learning to model some really
complex
and creative sculptures.
Thus he is a very busy performer, with TEN different show offerings!
