How to Combine Balloons to Make Animals and Characters

Combining balloons to create elaborate shapes is a great way to take your balloon characters to the next level. Your imagination gets free reign to create crazy combos that touch the hearts of your audience. You'll be the hit of any gathering.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Twist and Lock Balloons

1. Blow up 2 pencil balloons. Leave a small amount uninflated at the end, so that the air can go somewhere when you start twisting and connecting. Do this by pinching off a portion of the back of the balloon while you blow it up.

2. Grab an end of a balloon in one hand, and use your other hand to hold on to a spot about 2 inches from the end. Twist your hands in opposite directions to make a bubble. Do the same with your second balloon.

3. Twist the bubbles around each other to connect the balloons. This maneuver is called twist-locking. The result is a "V" shape with the bubbles at the bottom.

Dolphin Hat

4. Blow up 2 balloons, but leave an inch uninflated at the end. Twist a 1-inch bubble at one end. Twist and lock the two bubbles together, connecting the 2 balloons.

5. Fold the end of the long balloon in just a little less than half and twist it to create a smaller loop. The resulting shape is a long section of balloon with one large loop at one end and a small loop at the other.

6. Bend the large loop in half and push it through the small loop, so that about a third of the large loop is pushed through. The remaining portion of the large loop is the opening for your head and you can adjust it to fit.

7. Inflate 2 more balloons and twist-lock them together at one end. Wind them around each other like the stripes on a candy cane. Leave a small section of each balloon unwound for you to work with. Once wrapped, twist the ends together to make a loop at the end of the twist.

8. Take the loop at the end of the twist and fold it in half. Twist at the top of the loop to make the dolphin fins. Attach the twisted end to the end of the balloon hat you made in Steps 1 through 4.

9. Create the dorsal fins for your balloon character by blowing up another balloon. Wrap one end around the hat and twist it onto itself, creating a loop. Repeat this at the other end to make the other fin.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add eyes to your balloon character combo by twisting on eye balloons above your dolphin's nose.

[TSBalloons]

on 9/29/2008 I am an advanced balloon twister and I am unable to follow these directions. Terminology such as "nozzle" (i.e. where you put the air) and "nipple" instead of 'end' would be more clear. Photos are essential.