Having twisted balloons for a number of years, it was a great honor to have the Wall Street Journal call me up and request an interview in person. When I found out that the reporter wanted to fly in from Chicago to spend the weekend with me so, I was ecstatic. It was an awesome feeling. Soon after, however, I began to get nervous and then sick. I had never had someone so important want to follow me around for any length of time, let alone a weekend. I called every mentor I had. I called balloon artists, family, friends, and business owners. I tried to stick with people I knew had dealt with the press, but I could use an encouraging word from anyone I could get a hold of.

Below is one of the excerpts from the over 1,000 word entry.

“Finally he handed the birthday boy the finished product – a portrait of Luigi, a character from the Super Mario Bros. video game, complete with twisted brown mustache, green body, and white gloves. The boy smiled and asked him to autograph it.”

In addition to the written article which appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, there was also an article online, a photo gallery, and a video which I’ve posted below.

You can see the full Wall Street Journal Article Hyperinflation: Balloon Twisters Stretch Limits of Latex Art on the Wall Street Journal website.

That’s right! Your Balloon Man, Mr. Fudge has been asked to teach at the International Twist and Shout Balloon Artist Convention this year in Chicago. Esteemed as one of the best (if not the best) balloon artist conventions around, it is a great honor to be asked to teach in the first place.

In order to teach at Twist and Shout, one must first be asked to fill out an application. Furthermore, each application goes through a grueling and scrutinizing process of review from each member of the Twist and Shout staff. When they are finally done going through their application forms, they must settle on an exclusive number of teachers for the event. They can only choose 12.

Below is the email I recieved from Twist and Shout this morning:

     Well, its been a grueling task!  We had over 35 people with over 80 class ideas vying for only 12 spots.  There were heated arguments, hard choices and lots of compromise, but we have finally made our decisions on this year’s Twist & Shout Instructors!

      YOU MADE IT!!!   Whoo Hoo!!!

      In the coming days we will be sending you more info about which classes you we would like you to teach, as well as forms to fill out and details to get squared away.

     In the meantime, and as soon as possible, please send us a photo /headshot for the website so we can start updating that as soon as possible.

     Now that DJ is done, we can promote T&S to out heart’s content.  Feel free to let people know that you will be teaching, and start getting the excitement going for the best Balloon Convention around.

      Thanks for being a part of the Twist & Shout Team, and let me know if you have any questions.

      Patty & Royal Sorell
      J Hubbard
     Twist & Shout Balloon Convention

 
So, Needless to say… I’ll be leaving good onld Tampa, Florida that week and I will be joining some of the top professional party entertainers in the world.

Striving always to be better for you,

Your Balloon Man,
Mr. Fudge
813-310-5900

My NEW hours:

Los Vallartas, Land O’ Lakes, from 6-9 on Friday Nights!

If you would like to come and visit, I will be at Los Vallartas this week only for Friday AND Saturday. Please stop by and visit. If you would like to call ahead for large parties, you can do so at the Los Vallartas Phone.

Come see Your Balloon Man, Mr. Fudge, twist balloons at your favorite Mexican restaurant!

What’s your favorite dish at Los Vallartas?
I’m curious. Please leave a comment on my Los Vallartas Page with what you enjoy the most at Vallartas!
          “I enjoy the enchiladas, but I must recomend to EVERYONE that comes in the Mocoljete. It is AMAZING! It is 100x’s better than the fajita and it’s a fantastic dish to share with friends, family, and neighbors.”

Lower Prices!

I’ve lowered my prices for my parties and events! Be sure to check out my Birthday Packages for more details!

In this post, you’ll get to see a lot of new things:
-Photo of the Day
-Twitter
-Appearances
-What’s New
-Jokes

Photo of the Day
This is probably the most obvious. I have a photo on my main site now. In fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret. It isn’t really a Photo of the Day. I have my balloon photos on rotation, showing all kinds of balloon sculpture. So, if you want to see more twisting, click on the refresh button or just visit another page. Every time it loads, you can see a new photo. (Right now, there are 45 photos on rotation and I’m planning on adding another 20 within the next couple of days.)

Twitter
The most exciting part for me is the new Twitter Stream on my site. I’ve linked my home page to my Twitter account so that you can actually see any live updates as soon as I type them into Twitter. So, if you’re not a follower on Twitter already, find YourBalloonMan or Jonathan Fudge and add me to your list. I’d love to share some of my interesting and unique stories with you. And, to be honest, writing in Twitter is a lot easier than updating a full post on here.

What’s New
Well, this morning, I woke up and jumped out of bed ready to get started on my day. Unfortunately, I completely forgot about stubbing my toe yesterday and I felt the immediate shock of pain running up my leg and into my gut. A stubbed toe can be a real issue when you’ve got to perform on your feet.
Last night I did all right, but tonight I’m going to do my best to avoid the crazy foot movements I do while sharing my “list” of all the crazy balloon shapes I make and offer for the children.

Apearances
As every week, this month I’m going to continue to be at:

Cody’s Roadhouse off Bearss and Bruce B. Downs from 6-8 pm every Monday and Tuesday night. Remember: Kids eat free on these nights! So, be sure to bring your entire family!

Los Vallartas off 54 and Collier Parkway in thy Kmart shopping plaza on Saturdays from 5:30-8:30. If you go, be sure to try the Mocajette if you haven’t already. (I can’t promise I spelled that correctly, but ask about it. It’s great!)

At this point, I may have someone covering for me at Los Vallartas at the end of the month. I may or may not be in Orlando competing in the 17th Annual Southern Chess Tournament. I’ve been studying chess for a while now and I have started teaching in schools. So, I will be going in order to win a prize and build credibility for our training system. I’ll try and leave an update either on this post or in my twitter feed so that you can see where I’m going to be.

I also will be working a number of private and local events. Please call for availability. If you have an event on one of the days I’m scheduled to work a restaurant, please feel free to call me anyway. I have other artists that can sometimes fill in for me at the restaurants.

Jokes
Okay, this isn’t a list of the best jokes in the world, but I thought they were great and wanted to share a few. I’m hoping I can continue to add jokes to my column every month as well. So, we’ll see how that goes.

What do you call a worm in an apple?
                                -A Teachers Pet.

What did the plant do in math class?
                                -It grew square roots!

Why did the Oreo go to the dentist?
                                -Because he lost his filling!

Riddle: Where can you find an ocean with no water?
                                -On a map!

In addition to the Jokes and my twitter feed, I’m also working on adding sections where I’m constantly sharing links to places to save money, print coupons, view birthday party ideas, and to find great recipes.

As always, I appreciate your comments. If you have any good jokes to share, or great links for ideas on what sites to link to, please let me know. I’d love to have your input.

Thanks everyone! And I look forward to sharing again with you next month!

Your Balloon Man,
Mr. Fudge

As far as balloons, I ended up making a large donald duck, a mickey mouse, and a large assortment of other interesting things as well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that I can get some photos up here soon.

If you can make it, Cody’s Roadhouse on Bearss and Bruce B. Downs is offering a LOT of free stuff Tuesday the 16th of June. You’ll have a chance to win $1500, Rays tickets, and if you order an entree you’ll receive a coupon of equal value for your next visit. That’s practically a buy one, get one free scenario! I love it! And even better… There will be a LOT of balloons! They are having not one, but TWO balloon artists there. So, please come out and visit. And let them know Mr. Fudge sent ya!

For those of you lucky enough to be a part of the Mr. Fudge Fan club, be watching out for something cool and crazy coming your way! And if you want to be a part of the fan club and receive discounts and special offers, send the following information to me via email (info@yourballoonman.com)

Your Name, Email, Phone Number, Birthdate, and favorite balloon shape you’ve ever seen!

Well, I’m off to get ready for work tonight.
Best wishes!

Your Balloon Man,
Jonathan Fudge