Bulldog

By Ralph Dewey

In this month’s column I’ll show you how to make bulldog. This is a multiple balloon creation that
uses #260, #350 and #321 balloons. Since bulldogs are used as mascots for a lot of schools, this
may come in handy for you in your area. One way to personalize any balloon is to use the school
colors. I’ll use blue and white in my example.

Begin by making the dog’s head. Inflate a blue #260 fully except for about 4″ and tie off the
nozzle. I start by making one of the ears. There are two ways to make it. The simplest way is to
twist off a soft 4″ bubble. One way to make the bubble soft is to use one hand to squeeze the
balloon then release it. That forces the balloon to advance a little. Then twist the bubble. The
bubble will be a little softer than normal. You will need a soft bubble because it will be a lot
easier to bend and shape into the curve that is needed for the ear.

The second method requires making a deep 4″ apple twist. A long apple twist bubble can easily be
made into a nice curve. I’ll assume that you know how to make one. If not, search the Balloon HQ
for instructions. After making the ear, continue by twisting off a 5″, 6″, 4″ and a 6″ bubble.
Twist-connect the last four bubbles. Twist off a 4″ and a 3″ bubble. Twist-connect the end of the
3″ bubble between the 3rd and 4th bubbles. Make a 1″ ear twist and discard any excess balloon.
Inflate another blue #260 balloon fully except for about 5″ and tie off the nozzle. Make the second
ear (a 4″ bubble) by either method and twist-connect it between the 2nd and 3rd bubbles. Twist off
a 4″ and a 3″ bubble. Twist-connect it between the 4th and 5th bubbles. Make a 1″ ear twist and
discard any excess balloon.

To make the mouth area, inflate a white #260 balloon about half way and tie off the nozzle. Twist
off three soft bubbles, a 4″ and two 5-1/2″. Tie the three bubbles together and discard the excess
balloon. Bend and curve the two 5-1/2″ bubbles as shown. Connect the 4″ bubble of the mouth to the
4″ bubble of the head by rolling them together.

To make the eyes, inflate a white #321 Bee Body balloon (if you have them) to about 4″ and twist off
two equal bubbles about 2-1/2″ in diameter. Tie each end to the base of the ears. (As an
alternative you can use a section of a white #350 balloon for the eyes in place of the #321.)

Make a 2″ bubble from the nipple end of a black #260 pencil balloon. Tie a knot and leave a 1″
piece of balloon of uninflated balloon. Tie the eyes and the top of the mouth area together. To
make the pink (or red) lining of the mouth, make a 5″ long pink bubble from a piece of a #260
balloon. Wedge it inside of the mouth area and tie the end around the ear twists at the corners of
the mouth.

Notice the back view of the bulldog. There is an “X” shape in the center. This is where the neck
will connect later.

To make the body of the bulldog begin with the front legs. Inflate a blue #350 fully except for
about 4″ and tie off the nozzle. Twist off two 11″ soft bubbles. Tie off the end of the balloon
and discard any excess. Be sure to leave a little bit of uninflated balloon so the foot can be tied
on later. For the body and rear legs inflate another blue #350 fully except for about 4″ and tie
off the nozzle. Twist off four soft 8″ bubbles. Tie off the balloon and discard the excess
balloon. Twist-connect the 2nd and 3rd bubbles.

The third balloon is a white #260, which is inflated fully except for about 4″, and the nozzle tied
off. Twist off a 1″ ear twist, a 3′ bubble (the neck), a 9″ bubble, a 1″ ear twist and a 4″ bubble
(the tail). Tie a knot at the end and discard any excess balloon. Attached the front legs between
the 3″ and 9″ bubbles of the #260. Attach the body to the same spot. The rear legs should be
attached to the end of the 9″ bubble on the #260. Shape and arrange the legs and body of the
bulldog.

Attach the back of the head (where the bubbles form an “X”) to the 1″ ear twist on the #260 (neck)
of the body assembly.

Make each foot from a section of a white #260 balloon. You will need to make four of them. Twist
off a �” bubble, three 1″ bubbles and another �” bubble. Twist-connect the three 1″ bubbles. Make
ear twist of the two �” bubbles. Tie the foot to the end of each leg. Mark the face with a black
Sanford Expo� dry marker. That completes the balloon bulldog.

Here are some other views of the bulldog.

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