Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 10:13:32 +0100
From: Jan Lissens W 51737 <lissensj@access.bel.alcatel.be>
To: ddawson@us.oracle.com
Subject: Re: Pooh Jokes

Hi, everyone,

This is Jan the Trekkie Twister. I`ve been awfully quiet these last months, because I`ve been extremely busy with lots of stuff, and work.

Something about the Pooh-themed party...I think cap`n Denny made a point in stating that it is good to go back to the story. perhaps not many children will know the books, but they will certainly know the animated films. If I were to do such a party, I`d choose one of two options: either tell a story using balloon figures as cast, or tell the  story using the children as cast and dressing
them up as the characters. To find inspiration for the story, I suggest consulting Pooh-books for small children and first readers. There stories have simple plots, and can easily be adapted to fit a balloon routine. (I`ve done so with other stories).

Whatever option you choose, costumes or balloon figure characters, it is advisable to make the more complex ones beforehand. This will keep the story in pace. Remember that, to keep the children interested in the story, the action has to pass at a sufficiently fast rate.

If you check out the BHQ, you`ll find lots of suggestions for Eeyoor, Piglet, Tigger, Pooh and the rest of them. Make some balloon trees as a backdrop for the Thousand Acre Wood. The rest of the accessories will depend on the needs of the story.

You may want to have both alternatives at the  ready, because if you have rowdy (do they still use the word rowdy?) children, using them as actors may be a tad too exciting for the little dearies.

The rest depends on your storytelling abilities....


At the end, the kids will either have balloon costumes to wear, or have one of the characters or props as their own. If necessary, make some more to give each kid an equal share of balloon, and do something extra for the birthday boy or girl.

BTW, I`ve used a similar setup, but with a different story (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) at my niece`s kid`s birthday, and it worked like a charm. There were only about nine kids, which meant I had to have some kids play different characters, but it did give each kid a more or less equal part in story participation. The kids were between nine and eleven. I played the wicked witch myself
(with a witches hat on and a broom made of balloons. I had a basket with real apples, which were distributed to the kid, but the poisonous one was a balloon apple. Although It was hard to kee4p the kid`s attention to the story,  I think it was a successs. At least, I`ve had no complaints.

Hope this helps,



Jan The Trekkie Twister