From balloon-request@cvs.rochester.edu Mon May 22 00:06:49 1995 Received: from swift.cvs.rochester.edu by mother.ent.rochester.edu with SMTP id AA06153 (5.65/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/local/lib/lists/balloon.archive); Mon, 22 May 1995 00:06:49 -0400 Received: by cvs.rochester.edu (4.1/MAIN-MX-1.4.3.2) id AA23584; Sun, 21 May 95 23:56:28 EDT Resent-Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 13:52:00 +1000 Old-Return-Path: X-Sender: srjames@postoffice.utas.edu.au Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 13:52:00 +1000 To: balloon@cvs.rochester.edu From: Simon.James@agsci.utas.edu.au (Simon James) Subject: Public appearance -- do it, it's fab! Resent-Message-Id: <"P2uwq2.0.Sm5.hj0ml"@swift.cvs.rochester.edu> Resent-From: balloon@cvs.rochester.edu X-Mailing-List: archive/latest/275 X-Loop: balloon@cvs.rochester.edu Precedence: list Resent-Sender: balloon-request@cvs.rochester.edu Hi guys, well I did my first public appearance yesterday and I'd just like to thank a few people and share the experience in case there are other public appearance virgins on the list. I say throw caution to the winds and *do it*, it's a lot of fun. It was a promotional BBQ, I scored the job by being friendly with my local party shop guy. I asked $30/hr(Aust). It was 30 kids for an hour and a half. I had butterflys (how do you make a butterfly? throw it across the room) but started off making an ostrich while running a guessing competition as to what it was going to be. The winner got the first model, the ostrich sat and watched... I had a mouse assistant that hide whenever I was making snakes or cats... It went like magic from there on :) I had a cheat sheet of models (in case I forgot) plus Dr. Dropo one-liners (in case I wasn't funny enough :). I'm glad I took some business cards as they were asked for a couple of times. The kids were lovely and polite.. perhaps I was lucky, or maybe as Army kids (it was an Army do) they were used to a little discipline. I'd like to thank the following for getting me this far; + Bruce Fife - "Dr. Dropo's Balloon Sculpturing for Beginners". Beginner book with hilarious text. + Marvin Hardy, "Balloon Magic", 1987. It's almost 200 pages of instructions and photographs. + ftp://ent.rochester.edu/pub/balloon/INTRO + Qualatex 260Q assorted colours. + The Qualatex AirInflator pump - $4 ($12 Aust.) from T. Myers Magic. + And a multi-pocket apron inspired by the INTRO text (plus a funny hat :) Some suggestions... well I'll be putting a tab of velcro on the apron pockets. The kids have very light fingers and it's only when you see one wandering off with a handful of balloons that you realise you've been got! When I have some kids, I'm going to teach them to go after valuable stuff -- what a bonus! I tied off all the ear-twists on hands, horns, wings etc; they just got too much _use_ to last very long. A little loss of detail but a lot more durable. Simply undo the ear -twist after the pop and there's enough balloon to tie off. Names went down really well... Getting the kids to spell their name as you write it on their model was good fun, "... then that one that's a line down then three more lines...", "E?", "Yes!". Threats. Hmmm, the only one I tried backfired. "Listen you menace, pop one more balloon and I'll draw a cat face on you with indelible texta.". All the other kids said, "ME! Me as well! *I* want a cat face..." Frogs. What is it with frogs? Do other people have one or two models that are very popular? I've seen "Simba Lions" and Seals mentioned as big sellers. The young kids wanted Dr. Dropo frogs... .()( )( )( ) bunny body \____/\___/ The twisted "eyes" squeeze up through the loop "mouth" and the first little bubble goes to the back of the neck to keep the head pointing forward. With drawn on eyes and *big* mouth it looks for all the world like a mutant ninja turtle. The adults all wanted Marvin Hardy frogs, they are very cute and compact and I won't draw it 'cause Marvin might get grumpy (?). Anyway gotta go but just to say.. getting paid to have fun and entertain kiddies? If it hadn't happened I wouldn't believe it. SimOn.