August 20 - Chucky

"Hi, I'm Chucky.  Wanna play?"

~ Child's Play (1988)

A doll with the knife.  Wearing OshKosh B'Gosh.   "Should we run or should we punt him?"

I feel like Chucky was from an age before we tried very hard with horror movies.   An animated soul of a serial killer, simple - neat, motivation accomplished with lazy writing.

We deserve something more.  This could be wonderfully "Dark Pinnochio", there is moral compromise - there is evil with purpose.  Nope, they gave us a girl doll with a knife for a sequel.

I don't think I've ever seen a Chucky movie.  If I'm honest, I kind of hope to keep the streak going.

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This was another design taught by Sam DS at Bling Bling Jam this year in his class - Getting Over Over-alls, not to be confused with the class - Getting Under Underwear, which might be awkward.  "Vegas"

(view other fish)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Twistin' Sam:

August 19 - Gramophone

"Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart."

~ Pablo Casals

Do you brew your own kombucha?  

Have you used the word "mi'lady" conversationally?

This might be for you.

78 RPM. Pure, unfiltered, acoustic glory.  A brass horn bigger than grandpa's old hearing aid no need for that new fangled electrical nonsense.

Because music should be a hand cranked experience - and not everyone is worthy.   Huzzah to you good sir!  You simply deserve the best!


(view other record players)

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August 18 - Ghost Wands

I don't believe in the stars or the planets
Or angels watching from above
But I believe there's a ghost of a chance
We can find someone to love
And make it last

~ Ghost of a Chance - Rush

Joe Mock showed how he builds a quick ghost wand at Bling Bling Jam this year, but honestly a big takeaway might have been how solid these two and three-color flower bases look.  They've got a polished, layered feel - you could use a plain round on top and literally drop it like a mic.

I've decided that wands are better than bracelets.  Wands are a display with a handle built in.  They're interactive, they demand motion.  They're built to be swung and pointed and bonk the next kid on the head.  (*Disclaimer: no kid party experience.)

Also, if you squint - it kind of looks like a little magical tornado swirl pushes these guys in the air.

Lil' Devil and the Hampire felt like appropriately creepy wand mates.

(view other ghosts)

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Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers (Joe Mock):

August 17 - Tuftex Cocoa

"I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!
 I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!"

~ Sonny the Cuckoo Bird

Brown is an important color in a balloon bag, it's one of those colors used almost everywhere but there is a big range of colors in the group - and when you call something "cocoa", is that like a mocha or chocolate or toffee or ... is that fudge .. and all the sudden I'm hungry.

Cocoa is pretty dark actually, kind of halfway between Mocha and Chocolate (chart on website)

These balloons feel great, Tuftex should try and get every color texture dialed in to match this - great elasticity, durability and color.   

Overall opinion of Tuftex Cocoa - they're fantastic, they really hit it out of the park on balloon texture, easy enough to inflate, super durable, milk chocolate colored.  Delicious.
 

... what do you mean three pig skins?

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Other "color day" balloons:

August 16 - Yip-Yip Martians

"If we in public television can make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we'll have done a great service for mental health."

~ Fred Rogers in defense of PBS funding

"Bah."  "Nana?"

"Nope nope nope nope."

"Bah."  "Zooka?"

"Nope nope nope nope."

"Bah- loon?" ... "Balloon."

"Balloon!" "Balloon!"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh."

"Yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip!"
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This is trying to copy one of the awesome things that were just littering the floor of the Twist & Shout 2025 jam room one morning, I took a picture with the intention of ... today I suppose, yip-yip-yip-yip-yip!
(view other aliens)

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Other balloons inspired by Sesame Street:

August 15 - Tulip

"Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower."

~ John Harrigan

Flowers are one of the most obvious thing to build with balloons - yet I spend very little time making them.   

I suppose part of that is not knowing where or how to photograph them.  The outdoor tray, being visually stunning itself, ends up distracting from the flowers in this case.

These tulips are something Isopresso demonstrated on his main channel, simple and sweet.   Another one to check off the list, gotta twist 'em all!

(view other flowers)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

August 14 - Yellow Submarine

In the land where bacon's king,
Lived a purple pig, who loved to sing,
But the rent was far too steep,
So he sailed away into the deep.

We all live in a purple submarine!
A purple submarine! A purple submarine!
We all live in a purple submarine!
A purple submarine! A purple submarine!

So now he leaves that life behind,
The dead-end days, the broken grind,
Purple peace in ocean's glow,
He sings his song now, down below.

 

There is always a bunch of random stuff strewn around a balloon convention jam room, but occasionally you'll see a cluster of similar somethings.  The experienced conventioneer knows that's like finding balloon scat, someone's been teaching something off menu. 

This was something Darren Mortiboy had showed some people, I was able to assemble from the scat..tered pieces the next morning.

(view other vehicles)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Darren Mortiboy: