Tony the Balloon Guy

Why aren’t I (Tony the Balloon Guy) better at fixing things???

I can MAKE a lawn mower out of balloons, I guess, but it won’t cut the grass.

*sigh*

Have a fun day!

www.TonyTheBalloonGuy.com (Please visit for testimonials, more info and photos/pictures)

(352) 796-1125

email: Tony at TonyTheBalloonGuy.com

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Consistently named “The Best Balloon Person I’ve Ever Seen,” balloon artist/balloon twister Tony the Balloon Guy (”Tony Balloonguy” on Facebook) and family provide special-occasion balloon delivery/balloon deliveries and also entertainment (party packages that can include balloon twisters/balloon man/balloon animals, face painters/face painting – chiefly Face Painter Phyllis, glitter tattoos, pony parties, princess parties, piano music, an upbeat and entertaining fortune teller, a magic show magician, etc.) for birthday parties; family reunions; family picnics; trade shows; school parties, fairs, carnivals, festivals, assemblies and other events; church parties, picnics, festivals, outreach events and holiday events; grand openings, corporate/company picnics, parties, employee appreciation days and such; holiday parties; kids’ parties/children’s parties; civic association picnics, parties and other events; and more, throughout the Tampa Bay area (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Seffner, Tarpon Springs, Polk City, Holmes Beach, Feather Sound, Northdale, Bushnell, Lakeland, Brooksville, Leto, Redington Shores, Lake Wales, Westchase, Brandon, Davis Islands, Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Sun City Center, Palmetto, Ybor City, Pinellas Point, Sarasota, Winter Haven, Old Hyde Park Village, Egypt Lake, Bradenton, New Port Richey, Pinellas Park, Plant City, Town N Country, Bloomingdale, Mango, Madiera Beach, Treasure Island, Lutz, Oldsmar, Odessa, Shore Acres, Tavares, Trinity, Thonotosassa,  Bayboro, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Temple Terrace, Belleair Beach, Ridge Manor, Harbor Island, St. Joe, Largo, Seminole, Bartow, Channelside, Riverview, Cheval, Haines City, Gibsonton, San Antonio, Dade City, Zephyrhills, Floral City, Spring Hill, Clearwater Beach, Coquina Key, Homosassa Springs, Carrollwood, St. Petersburg Beach, Dunnellon, Inverness, Citrus Park, Crystal River, Kenneth City, St. Leo, Gulfport) and the state of Florida, including the Central Florida/Orlando/Kissimmee area (Poinciana, Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, Longwood, Wildwood, Leesburg, Groveland, Oviedo, Clermont, Casselberry, The Villages, Maitland, Masaryktown, Darby, Deland, Deltona, EdgeWater, Daytona Beach). Balloon decor/decorations, too (arches, columns, canopies, centerpieces, etc., for weddings, baby showers, grand openings, dances, golden anniversaries and more).

Tony the Balloon Guy’s work has been covered by and photographed for the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Tribune, the Orlando Sentinel, and smaller newspaers like the Gulfport Gabber and The Laker of Pasco County. He has also appeared on Emmy-award-winning Charely Belcher’s “Charely’s World,” a “Good Day Tampa Bay” feature on WTVT-TV Fox 13.

Someone called us (Tony the Balloon Guy and Face Painter Phyllis) a couple days ago to ask about booking a pony party.

The lady didn’t book right away (she’s shopping around right now, which is always smart), but she did chat on the phone for a bit with Face Painter Phyllis, and mentioned that one of the companies she had checked with told her they would bring a pony to the party and drop it off for a few hours, then be back to pick it up later.

Just a pony.

No attendant, just a pony.

WHAT???

To her credit, the lady told that company she didn’t need to hear any more. After all, what did she know about walking a pony? How could she keep it from hurting a kid? What would she do if it got loose and ran away?

From the other side of the business (although protecting the children is very important), I thought, “Who would be protecting the PONY???”

Kids don’t know how to act around horses without someone to teach them.

Even grown-ups often don’t know. I’ve been to parties and events where grown-ups encourage a kid to kick a pony hard in the ribs, to make it run, even if it is being hand-led or is on a carousel, and CAN’T run.

What if a kid pulls the pony’s mane? What if a kid pokes the pony’s eye? What if a kid tries to feed the pony something dangerous? Is someone who doesn’t own the pony really going to pay that much attention?

And what if a 125-lb kid wants to ride on a pony that’s not big enough for a kid that size? Or what if a grown-up wants to sit on the pony, even just for a picture, and hurts the pony’s back?

YES, we have been asked for these things to happen, and said no. But what if there is no one there to say no? What happens to the pony then?

I’m getting worked up all over again, just thinking about it!

If someone drops a bounce house at your home for a few hours, and you promise/sign an agreement to watch the kids so no one breaks their neck, that’s one thing.

But PLEASE don’t treat a living thing that way!

Lecture over. Thanks for listening. Er, reading.

Have a fun day!

www.TonyTheBalloonGuy.com (Please visit for testimonials, more info and photos/pictures)

(352) 796-1125

email: Tony at TonyTheBalloonGuy.com

Read More from The Blog

Balloon Artist/Balloon Twister Tony the Balloon Guy (”Tony Balloonguy” on Facebook) and family provide special-occasion balloon delivery/balloon deliveries and also entertainment (party packages that can include balloon twisters/balloon man/balloon animals, face painters/face painting – chiefly Face Painter Phyllis, glitter tattoos, pony parties, princess parties, piano music, an upbeat and entertaining fortune teller, a magic show magician, etc.) for birthday parties; family reunions; family picnics; trade shows; school parties, fairs, carnivals, festivals, assemblies and other events; church parties, picnics, festivals, outreach events and holiday events; grand openings, corporate/company picnics, parties, employee appreciation days and such; holiday parties; kids’ parties/children’s parties; civic association picnics, parties and other events; and more, throughout the Tampa Bay area (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Holmes Beach, Feather Sound, Northdale, Bushnell, Lakeland, Brooksville, Leto, Redington Shores, Lake Wales, Westchase, Brandon, Davis Islands, Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Sun City Center, Palmetto, Ybor City, Sarasota, Winter Haven, Old Hyde Park Village, Egypt Lake, Bradenton, New Port Richey, Pinellas Park, Plant City, Town N Country, Bloomingdale, Mango, Madiera Beach, Treasure Island, Lutz, Oldsmar, Odessa, Tavares, Trinity, Thonotosassa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Temple Terrace, Belleair Beach, Ridge Manor, St. Joe, Largo, Seminole, Bartow, Riverview, Cheval, Haines City, Gibsonton, San Antonio, Dade City, Zephyrhills, Floral City, Spring Hill, Clearwater Beach, Homosassa Springs, Carrollwood, St. Petersburg Beach, Dunnellon, Inverness, Citrus Park, Crystal River, Kenneth City, St. Leo, Gulfport) and the state of Florida, including the Orlando/Kissimmee area (Poinciana, Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, Longwood, Oviedo, Casselberry, Maitland, Masaryktown, Darby, Deland, Deltona, EdgeWater, Daytona Beach). Balloon decor/decorations, too (arches, columns, canopies, centerpieces, etc., for weddings, baby showers, grand openings, dances, golden anniversaries and more).

Tony the Balloon Guy’s work has been covered by and photographed for the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Tribune, the Orlando Sentinel, and smaller newspaers like the Gulfport Gabber and The Laker of Pasco County. He has also appeared on Emmy-award-winning Charely Belcher’s “Charely’s World,” a “Good Day Tampa Bay” feature on WTVT-TV Fox 13.

Friday night, Face Painter Phyllis and I (Tony the Balloon Guy) and the junior partners of our family business were out kind of late, decorating for a birthday party that would occur Saturday (we weren’t entertaining at this one, but decorating ahead of time).

During that time, and a little bit after while we stopped for something to eat, the boys drew a manga-style picture of a fighting girl to enter a contest for the next day’s grand opening of The Character Box, a Spring Hill store that sells manga and anime books, costumes, key chains, and more. We dropped the pictures in the drop box at the store about 1am Saturday, barely within the deadline rules.

One son has been an artist his whole life, and the other for almost as long. The one who hasn’t been drawing QUITE as long was convinced that the other would win the contest. We all agreed that, no matter if either won, it was good that they entered.

We went to the store for the judging Saturday afternoon. The boy who expected the other to win actually came in third, and the one we kind of all expected to win (even the other son!) was not in the top three.

It’s an interesting time when more than one of your kids is in a contest, and not everybody does as well as everyone else.

In this case, the boy who is All About Drawing but didn’t place in the contest, insisted that he didn’t care, so we had to talk to him about how it’s OK to be disappointed. And we made an effort to make sure the other boy got the congratulations he deserved – his picture was GREAT – without “rubbing it in” for his brother.

We run into this with karate tournaments, too. Last time, two got a trophy, and the other didn’t. It’s quite a balancing act to recognize success while helping someone else deal with “not winning.”

Hopefully it all, as they say, “builds character.”

At The Character Box, we saw one dad get very in-your-face with the owner of the shop, as his daughter was so upset that she didn’t win that the family was convinced that her picture must not have even been judged! Yikes! That was very tense.

But although I wouldn’t have gone Out Of My Mind like this guy, I did understand his sentiment: “How is it my kid didn’t win – did you SEE what he drew? It looks exactly like the picture!”

But there will be more contests, and in a world as subjective as that of art, you need to have a thick skin to stick with it.

Parenting. It’s not always as easy as you’d think!

Have a fun day!

www.TonyTheBalloonGuy.com (Please visit for testimonials, more info and photos/pictures)

(352) 796-1125

email: Tony at TonyTheBalloonGuy.com

Read More from The Blog

Balloon Artist/Balloon Twister Tony the Balloon Guy (”Tony Balloonguy” on Facebook) and family provide special-occasion balloon delivery/balloon deliveries and also entertainment (party packages that can include balloon twisters/balloon man/balloon animals, face painters/face painting – chiefly Face Painter Phyllis, glitter tattoos, pony parties, princess parties, piano music, an upbeat and entertaining fortune teller, a magic show magician, etc.) for birthday parties; family reunions; family picnics; trade shows; school parties, fairs, carnivals, festivals, assemblies and other events; church parties, picnics, festivals, outreach events and holiday events; grand openings, corporate/company picnics, parties, employee appreciation days and such; holiday parties; kids’ parties/children’s parties; civic association picnics, parties and other events; and more, throughout the Tampa Bay area (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Holmes Beach, Feather Sound, Northdale, Bushnell, Lakeland, Brooksville, Leto, Redington Shores, Lake Wales, Westchase, Brandon, Davis Islands, Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Sun City Center, Palmetto, Ybor City, Sarasota, Winter Haven, Old Hyde Park Village, Egypt Lake, Bradenton, New Port Richey, Pinellas Park, Plant City, Town N Country, Bloomingdale, Mango, Madiera Beach, Treasure Island, Lutz, Oldsmar, Odessa, Tavares, Trinity, Thonotosassa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Temple Terrace, Belleair Beach, Ridge Manor, St. Joe, Largo, Seminole, Bartow, Riverview, Cheval, Haines City, Gibsonton, San Antonio, Dade City, Zephyrhills, Floral City, Spring Hill, Clearwater Beach, Homosassa Springs, Carrollwood, St. Petersburg Beach, Dunnellon, Inverness, Citrus Park, Crystal River, Kenneth City, St. Leo, Gulfport) and the state of Florida, including the Orlando/Kissimmee area (Poinciana, Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, Longwood, Oviedo, Casselberry, Maitland, Masaryktown, Darby, Deland, Deltona, EdgeWater, Daytona Beach). Balloon decor/decorations, too (arches, columns, canopies, centerpieces, etc., for weddings, baby showers, grand openings, dances, golden anniversaries and more).

Tony the Balloon Guy’s work has been covered by and photographed for the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Tribune, the Orlando Sentinel, and smaller newspaers like the Gulfport Gabber and The Laker of Pasco County. He has also appeared on Emmy-award-winning Charely Belcher’s “Charely’s World,” a “Good Day Tampa Bay” feature on WTVT-TV Fox 13.