Tonight at Anthony’s Italian Restaurant, a six-year-old asked me (Tony the Balloon Guy) to make him a menorah out of balloons.
“Are you Jewish?” I asked him.
“No,” he said. “My friend, Seth, is Jewish. I wanted to give him a balloon menorah for Christmas.”
Have a fun day!
If you’re one of the folks who comes to Anthony’s Italian Restaurant in Trinity Thursday nights, 6-8pm, to see Tony the Balloon Guy and Face Painter Phyllis, yes, we’ll be there on 12/24/09 and 12/31/09. Come have a delicious dinner and some fun before you go to bed so Santa can visit.
Speaking of Anthony’s, the owner, Rich, couldn’t wait to tell us a story tonight…
Seems he was having breakfast at a new restaurant (part of a pancake chain you’ve heard of) in Trinity, and there was a balloon artist there, and a young boy asked her for something, and she said she didn’t know how to make that. The boy told her about the balloon artist at Anthony’s, and then there was a five-minute conversation about how great Anthony’s was, and how great the balloon guy was. The owner didn’t speak up – he just smiled and thought to himself, “YES!”
Rich said he has run into that kind of thing before. Once, late at night, he stopped at an Austrailian-themed steakhouse, and heard staff members talking in the bar about taking their kids to Anthony’s on Thursday nights to see the balloon guy and get their faces painted. Again… YES!
After all, that’s what he’s paying me for!
Have a fun day!
Quite often, I (Tony the Balloon Guy) get e-mails from companies that say something like, “We really like your webpage, but we can show you how to make it so that more people find your webpage.”
I want to write back to them and say, “If YOU found my webpage, why do I need help?”
Have a fun day!
Sunday night while I (Tony the Balloon Guy) was doing balloon entertainment (more like keeping up with a HUGE line of kids!) at Hanukkah on Ice in Clearwater, they announced that they had The Largest Jelly Bean Filled Menorah in the Southeast.
Now THERE’S a title!
What with that and the skating (and the balloons), a lot of fun for the kids on a special night.
Between you and me, one of the kids told me that they saw the candy being prepared for the menorah, and it was actually Mike & Ikes, not jelly beans. But I can’t confirm.
Have a fun day!
In case your local paper didn’t run this story, I’m posting it here:
BROOKSVILLE, FLA – Well known family variety entertainer Tony the Balloon Guy has announced that he will not be seeking the spokesman services of Tiger Woods in 2010.
“I’ve never used him before,” said Tony the Balloon Guy. “Seems silly to start now.”
Tony the Balloon Guy’s business – balloon entertainment, face painting, pony rides, juggling, magic, and so on – is aimed at a family market, but he said his decision had nothing to do with the golfer’s current scandal.
“What scandal?” asked Tony the Balloon Guy, who might be considered The Greatest Entertainer in Human History, Past Present and Future, by both Time and Cat Fancy magazines, although neither pubication has said so in those exact words. “I just don’t have a business that has anything to do with golf.”
Tony the Balloon Guy also expressed surprise to learn that Tiger Woods is not an actual tiger.
“But the Frosted Flakes guy is, right?” asked Tony the Balloon Guy.
Tiger Woods did not comment for this story.
Sunday, I (Tony the Balloon Guy) was introducing a magic show that I was doing at a birthday party. I told the kids that, following the magic show, I would be entertaining with balloons, and Phyllis would be painting faces.
One youngster, about 4 years old, got up and started walking away. “Call me,” he said, “when the magic show’s over, and the face painting starts.”
!!!
Good news: The grown-ups brought him back, and he turned out to be one of the most involved kids in the magic show!
But his original exit brought the house down.
Have a fun day!
At Saturday’s breakfast with Santa in Safety Harbor, I made some joke about how air can’t hurt you, to a youngster who seemed startled by something that a balloon did.
“That’s not quite true,” a seven-year-old boy said, in a quiet, polite voice.
“No?” I asked.
“Air pressure can hurt you,” he said.
“Hmmm. Hadn’t thought of it that way. You’re pretty smart.”
He smiled modestly. “No, I’m not SMART. But I’m LEARNING.”
He’s my new role model.
Have a fun day!
It’s a holiday weekend for Tony the Balloon Guy!
Saturday morning I’ll be doing balloons while kids have breakfast with Santa at the Safety Harbor Resort. Fancy! That’s where my sister got married, and it’s very nice. Good job, Santa.
Saturday night, Face Painter Phyllis is doing face painting at a company Christmas party. Actually, a prison Christmas party, but for the families of the employees, not the prisoners. (Can you imagine if it WERE the prisoners? “Rainbow butterfly, Mister?”)
Sunday afternoon Face Painter Phyllis and I do a few hours for a company Christmas party. Then down to Clearwater for “Hanukkah on Ice” at Countryside Mall.
And of course there are all the usual birthday parties and regular-Saturday-night restaurant (Denny’s in Brooksville) in between!
Have a fun day!
I (Tony the Balloon Guy) had a great time at Sears in Crystal River Sunday. It was the end of a long day (Face Painter Phyllis and I had started doing birthday parties at 11am), but the 6-8pm hours at the Sears VIP Friends & Family Sale flew by and were a lot of fun.
I did my balloon stuff, of course. The staff was dressed all Christmasy, including a bunch of elf hats. Santa was there. Good times.
One of the managers had seen me a lot when I used to drop by Cici’s to do balloons, and he had actually had face painter Phyllis at his daughter’s birthday party a couple years back.
I’m glad we had this opportunity – thanks, Sears! (And Gary!)
Have a fun day!
Tuesday morning, we (Tony the Balloon Guy, Face Painter Phyllis, and the three junior partners of our family business) got up at 4am and drove down to Clearwater.
At Oak Grove Middle School, sixth-grader Justin Austin had won the NFL Play 60’s “Bring an NFL Player to School” sweepstakes, beating out 90,000 other kids. JC Penney hired us to build a big balloon arch on the stage, and then we stuck around and watched Tampa Bay Buccaneer wide receiver Michael Clayton stand under our arch and talk to the entire sixth-grade class about hard work, entrepreneurship, and the specialness of each person. He was very inspiring. Then JC Penney donated $2,000 to the school.
Thanks, JC Penney. And congratulations to Justin!
Have a fun day!
