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Stacey “The Balloon Kid” Schmude
September 2000
Summer Shows/Pattern – Chicken
I don’t know about all you other twisters out there, but I had a busy summer! One or two shows a day, all summer… it gets to be a lot of work! Monday was the first day of school for me. Because I was gone this weekend taking my sister back to college, I didn’t see the mail that arrived while I was gone. As I waited for mom to drive me to school, I found this note addressed to me:
Dear Stacey:
Thank you for coming to my birthday party. We had an
excellent time watching you twist the balloons. My sister
and I have been playing “Balloon Kid” all week!
Love,
Abigail
That did it. If I ever wonder why I started and continue to twist balloons, it is for each and every child like this who will gives me a smile or kind word. I can think of nothing that I would rather be than a role model as these kids grow up. This letter made every moment on the road this summer more meaningful and enjoyable to me. While I am happy to be back at school, I’m anxiously looking forward to a busy fall season twisting balloons, too.
Among the most popular balloons I did this summer are those listed as follows in the Top Ten Twists requested:
1. Butterfly
2. Dragon (Pattern Given in July 2000 article)
3. Dog
4. Cat
5. Chicken
6. Maze (ball in balloon)
7. Snake
8. Sword
9. Lizard
10. Horse
During this summer, I also managed to invent a couple more balloon figures, including a chicken… which was in the Top Ten Twists requested. The one heart-one round-two sixty challenge on the Balloon Entertainers Club List was what inspired me to make this. And here it is.
YOU WILL NEED:
2 white 260s, with about a six inch tail on each.
- One round yellow, blow up halfway and twist into two halves. (Do not use a heart.)
- One red heart, uninflated.
- A small portion of a red 260, bent at a 45º angle
- One yellow 260, blown up _ of the way.
- A marker
Take the first white 260 and make an apple twist, forcing the hole to the bottom. Then take the yellow round and wrap the twist around the base of the apple twist, creating a pair of eyes. (first picture below)
Take the remainder of the white balloon and make a two-inch bubble, then an ear twist, and a large lock twist. Measure the edge of a lock twist and make two bubbles, each half the size of the lock twist, and attach the end of the second bubble to the back of the lock twist. (second picture in above row)
Next, take the other white 260 and make three loops, one of them bigger than the other two, and shove the edges of the loops into the larger one, making a fan-like tail. Then attach it to the back of the chicken. Cut off any ends and wrap them around the back of the chicken and the tail. (third picture in above row)
You have two choices… you can either do the head next, or the legs. Since I like to go head to toe, I’ll start with the head.
Take the inflated red piece and wrap it around the beak, or first bubble you did, then position it between the eyes so the bent part faces back. Then take the uninflated heart and wrap it around the beak also, but position it so it hangs downward. Then draw on the eyes. That’s it. (see picture below)
Now take the yellow part, and make a large ear twist, then a small one. Do the same at the other end and then devide the balloon in half with a twist. Shove it through the bird-body and wrap it around the twist in the middle of one of the parts you made earlier. Wrap it a few times and face the large ear twist toward the head. Hold it back and examine your handiwork! (see last picture)
This was a very popular figure for me and I hope it will be for you, too. Take care and until next month . . . keep on twisting.