How to Blow Up Animals: A Beginner's Guide to Fun With Balloons [Paperback]

Lon Cerel (Author), Henny Youngman (Contributor)

Book Description

Lon Cerel, the "world's fastest balloon animal maker," has written a how-to for all of us who wish we could make poodles, elephants, and such out of balloons the way Lon and some of his fellow artists do.

Here, in a highly-illustrated book that captures the fun of Cerel's standup comedy-with-magic-and-ballooning act, are step-by-step instructions covering everything from how to correctly inflate the balloon without inflating your cheeks, through numerous rubber creatures, all the way to a few hats you can actually wear if you don't mind being made fun of.

Featuring a "Forewarned" by the inimitable Henny Youngman, Cerel's book comes with a coupon for 20 free balloons to get you started.

The book also features easy-to-understand illustrations cover to cover for all of the balloon sculptures.

Lon Cerel's How To Blow Up Animals: A Beginner's Guide to Fun with Balloons makes a great birthday gift, anniversary present, or the perfect gift for that person who has everything!

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (August 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419678469
• ISBN-13: 978-1419678462
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Toymaking
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Crafts for Children

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How To Have Fun and Amaze People, October 31, 2009

By 

Robert Colonna (Providence RI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Blow Up Animals: A Beginner's Guide to Fun With Balloons (Paperback)

Rhode Island magician and all-around entertainer Lon Cerel has published a charming and funny little book with the intriguing title, "How To Blow Up Animals." No, it's not for sadistic children; it's a manual on making your own animals and other interesting objects out of balloons.

Lon himself says, "I make over 300 animals. They all look like dogs." There is a small element of truth in this, since nearly everything in his balloon menagerie uses a basic dog-like form to begin with. But from there he stretches them into giraffes, swans, elephants, even swords and crowns.

As far as learning Lon's skills for oneself, this book is helpful. What's going to happen is, kids are going read this, to ask their parents for help, and then they'll never get the book back because Dad will be in the den every night making inadvertently flatulent noises by twisting balloons.

A friend took a look at the book, and had two comments. First, the instructions are primarily for right-handed people (she's a lefty). Second, she believes that Lon's ulterior motive is to get people so frustrated they will pay him to come over and make the darn balloons for them. She may have a point.

All this aside, if you have the capacity to read and follow instructions, you can indeed learn to make some wonderful balloon animals, and , as the back cover says, "Amaze Your Friends." I myself just made an elephant.

It looks a little like a dog, but I love it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed, October 26, 2009

By 

Leatherosi "Student" (Antioch, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Blow Up Animals: A Beginner's Guide to Fun With Balloons (Paperback)

I've been a amateur magician for years and always struggled trying to make balloon animals just right. They either popped from too much air, or didn't stay together correctly or looked like something completely different than what I was going for. Lon's book made it very easy for me to follow, and even better - easier to make the balloon animals come out just right.

If you've never done this before and want to try it or get good at it, this is the book to buy! Lon's book can make you a whiz at it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book really helped me!, November 22, 2009

By 

lovemy2Ks "Nancy" - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Blow Up Animals: A Beginner's Guide to Fun With Balloons (Paperback)

Have attempted these before with no luck. I got this book and it made it very easy!! All the kids at my daughters birthday party loved them!!