Basic Lion

The king of the jungle is pretty easy to make.  All you have to do is use a mane to grow a baby lion up!

Link O Loon Turtle

A little turtle with a golden shell.  Of course you could use other colors of link o loons, but I like the gold ones.

Simple Monkey

 A little monkey to climb any palm tree or swing from any vine.  

Link O Loon Ladybug

The 6 inch Link-O-Loon gives this ladybug a great shape.  Little stickers or a white marker can bring the face to life.

Easy Fishy

This little fishy uses more than 260s, but that doesn't make it hard.  adding a couple of rounds gives him some personality.  

Dinosaur

A basic dinosaur for all your t-rex fans!

Big Kitty

An extra big kitty cat!

Simple Bee

A basic little bumble bee - uses Qualatex 321bs.  They come in so many colors now that you don't have to make your bees only yellow.  Mix it up and have some fun.

Little Turtle

Ladybugs and turtles are very similar shapes.  6 legs instead of 4, different markings, but for this style, that's about it.  I sometimes get so busy talking that I forget which I'm making and end up making a green ladybug or a turtle with spots.  lol

Mouse

A cut little mousie - balloon mice are so much nicer to find around the house than the real thing!

direction after the break

Basic Giraffe

Giraffe's are always popular, even though the basic one is little more than a dog with a long neck and pinch twisted ears.  Keep a brown marker on hand for making spots.  I like to use goldenrod balloons for my giraffe and the brown really pops against that background.

Bendy Snake

A bendy snake.  For days when you can't make a spiral for kids who want a longer snake.  

Animals on Hearts

A pretty common request is "I want a (animal of some sort) on a heart."  Here are two ways to make it happen.  It's not difficult at all, but adding the heart to a basic animal makes all the more special. 

Make a Swan

Swans are wonderful one balloon birds.  They look great paired with hearts or you can place two face to face to make a heart shape from their necks.

Inflate a 260 leaving a 2- inch uninflated tail.

 On the knot end, twist a 1 inch bubble.

Next make a large loop with all but about 9-10 inches of the rest of the balloon.  

Secure this loop using the 1 inch bubble twisted at the knot end.

Find the midpoint of the loop.  Bring this point to the base of the loop twist.  Twist together.

Tuck the end of one loop partly through the the second loop.  Frequently one loop is slightly larger than the other.  If this is the case tuck the larger loop through the smaller one.

  

Fold the uninflated tip down over the straight part the balloon.  Hold this in place and squeeze air up to the uninflated portion.  This will create a bend and form the head.

To hold the head upright you will need to tuck it slightly between the wings.  Lightly pull apart the area where the loops join and pull the neck back between them.  Let go and friction will hold the neck in place.

How to Make a Balloon Bunny

Inflate a 260 balloon leaving a 3-inch tail.

Make a (3 inch) bubble followed by 2 (5 inch) bubbles.

Lock twist the two (5 inch) bubbles together.  This forms the head and ears of your bunny

Make a (1 1/2 inch) bubble followed by 2 (4 inch) bubbles.  Lock twist the (4 inch) bubbles together to form the neck and front legs.

For the body make a (4 inch) bubble.

This rabbit is sitting down, so you don’t need to make two back legs.  One large loop twist will do the job.  Make a (1 inch) bubble at the end of the balloon.  Twist this bubble at the end of the (4 inch) bubble, locking it in place.

Tuck the front legs into the large loop made.  The friction will keep the bunny in a sitting position.  Use a marker to give you bunny a face.  Don’t forget the whiskers!

3 Fold Dog

The simplest dog.  Not the most attractive, but good for when you're first getting a feel for twisting balloons.