Gruesome History of Balloon Art
Watching a balloon artist work is simply captivating especially if you are young at heart. It is even more exciting to play with the final creations of a gifted balloon bender. This entertainment is fulfilling for everyone but is particularly exhilarating to those who are full of wonder and curiosity. If you happen to be a fun and curious type, you might have at one time wondered how it all begun. Well, let’s take a trip back in time to find out how.
- It Might Have Been Very Gross at First
For many centuries before rubber was discovered and fashioned into balloons, our ancestors made balloons from animal entrails. Intestines and bladders were predominantly used to make balloons in the ancient days. Different animals would be used to provide balloons with different diameters. Back then, balloons were mostly water-filled since water provided better expansion than air. Air-filled balloons were nevertheless also used.
- Human Sacrifices Might Have Occurred
The Aztecs are believed to have made the first balloon animals using cat bowels. These balloons animals were however not for fun and entertainment; they were sacrifices presented to Aztec Gods. Aztecs would clean out the bowels, turn them inside out and then sew them intact using a unique vegetable thread. Through a special drying technique, the bowels would then be converted into an airtight balloon. There were times, however, when the Aztecs would run out of cats. During such unfortunate times, human sacrifices were performed to provide a fresh batch of bowels.
- Dead Animal Entrails Provided Lots of Entertainment
In the book, Swiss Family Robinson that was written in 1813, Jack asks his father to make him a balloon using the entrails of a whale. This alludes to the fact that in folks some areas in Europe, as well as the Jesters and Troubadours, often entertained themselves using the entrails of animals they had recently butchered. The people would use the intestines, bladder and even the stomach to model funny, entertaining shapes.
It is, therefore, evident that balloon modeling has come a long way from a very dark past. We can, however, sit back and enjoy the wonderful creations we have today. Our skilled professional balloon artists do not use bowels anymore. They use safe, clean latex balloons that are super-cool and super-fun.
