How to Make a Butterfly With Twisting Balloons

Party clowns often use balloon animals to entertain children.

Balloon animals are created by taking one or more twisting balloons, inflating them and then twisting them until they resemble a familiar animal. Creating a butterfly using twisting balloons is a basic balloon animal which can be created using a pair of balloons. Using two balloons of the same color creates a one-shade butterfly, while using two colors enables you to make a butterfly with one half in each color, or even a butterfly with one color on the top half of one wings, and the same color for the bottom half of the second wings.

Things You'll Need

• 2 twisting balloons

Instructions

1. Inflate each balloon to approximately 30 inches of inflated balloon with a 5-inch tip that is not inflated, then tie the balloons off individually.

2. Hold the balloon side by side and grab both balloons in one hand, on the end they are tied, and twist two full revolutions to create 1-inch-long knobs. These knobs will later serve as anchors.

3. Twist both balloons together 8 inches from the knobs.

4. Fold the twisted ends of the balloons down, so the twists at either end of the-8 inch sections align, then twist the both folded halves of both balloons together to secure the fold. The folded section will be the lower wings.

5. Grab the other end of the balloons, 2 inches from where the inflated section ends, and twist together.

6. Bend the the twist you just made down to meet the twist used to form the small wing segments and twist to secure the fold which creates the top half of the wings. If using two colors, add a half twist here, so the long side of each balloon aligns with the short end of the other balloon if you desire two-tone wings.

7. Tuck one knob between the short two halves of wing, and the other knob between the two long halves to secure the wings in place.

8. Grab the non-inflated section of one balloon and stretch the section so a 1-inch section remains unstretched at the tip.

9. Squeeze the inflated section of the end being stretched until the air is forced forward into the tip, creating an antenna that is not inflated but ends in an inflated knob.

10. Repeat for the second antenna.

References

• Balloon Animals; Balloon Twisting Instructions: Two Balloon Butterfly