The Balloon Man

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Before he was known by children as ‘The Balloon Man’, Gary Robinson was an experienced martial artist and third degree black belt.

But since trying his hand at magic and balloon twisting three years ago, he hasn’t been able to put the inflatable decorations down.

“Martial arts isn’t my passion any more,” he said. “The magic, and more so the balloons, is my new passion and children love it. When I pull out a balloon they are captivated. They look on and their eyes are wide, it’s priceless.”

Mr Robinson can currently make around 100 different balloon sculptures a braided hat took him three hours to complete; he can also create a 4ft superhero, a space alien and a mermaid.

He creates his masterpieces at children’s birthdays and corporate events and has even used balloons to recreate children’s stories from the Bible.

He told The Royal Gazette: “I get personal satisfaction as well and I just love performing and blessing the children.

“My motto is ‘Smiles don’t make noise’ because I’m an uncle 28 or 29 times over and I don’t like seeing children crying. What I found is balloons inflate smiles,” he said.

Mr Robinson was inspired to start with magic six years ago, after watching a show at City Hall.

The show’s organisers announced their plans to hold a magic camp Mr Robinson was the only person who signed up for it.

Canadian master magician Ken McCready taught him how to do slight-of-hand tricks using simple objects like paper and pencils. He was immediately hooked.

“As a kid I, like most boys, was fascinated with watching magicians on TV, but it’s something I never pursued,” he said. “I was more interested in sports and martial arts, they were my passion in my younger days.

“But when the announcement was made for the camp I just put my hand up and said I am going to start something new.

“I was 43 years old at the time. Most people start when they are young boys so I started late, but I took to it and spent hours practising each night.”

After tackling the basic principles of magic for a few years, Mr Robinson stumbled on some DVDs at friend’s house.

He believes it was fate that led him to pick up one about magic tricks instead of others on juggling and Chinese yo-yoing. He started off with performances at the Children’s Ward at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, and eventually moved to other wards and gained a following with the staff as well.

At that time he was mostly doing the basic balloon sculptures dogs, teddy bears, flowers and swords. He has since mastered more than he can count.

One of the reasons for his success, he believes, is the fact he is one of only three or four people on the Island who have such skills. He said local children don’t really grow up seeing it too much, but balloons have a very big appeal.

“It wasn’t something I went looking for. It found me and I truly believe God has given me this gift to share with others,” he said. “I would like to continue until my dying days.”

Balloon making does have its challenges. Summer heat and humidity can soften the latex, making it difficult for Mr Robinson to make his sculptures.

For this reason he rarely carries balloons around with him in the hotter months.

However, when the temperature cools down he is known to keep them in his pocket for impromptu shows in grocery stores and restaurants, wherever they are children.

That’s likely why these days he is recognised almost everywhere he goes as ‘The Balloon Man’.

Mr Robinson said: “I have had people come back to me and say ‘You made a balloon for my daughter two years ago and they told me not to take it off the dresser because you made it special for them’.

“I never thought a balloon could touch someone in that way, but I get so many reports from people coming back and telling me how much their child loves that balloon.”

Mr Robinson has credited people local magicians like Marshall Weller, Mr Magic, Mr Slick and Smooth Lou for their support and encouragement. He plans to travel to Las Vegas next year to attend a magic and balloon-making convention and hopes to come back with even more insight into the craft.

He is available for parties and events by calling 537-6210; he also entertains customers at Kentucky Fried Chicken each Sunday from around noon. For more information visit www.bermudamagic.com .

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