Balloon Review Things That Go Pop In The Night by Don Caldwell DVD
Available from Tmyers, LaRocks Fun and Magic Outlet $30-$35 When in stock

Most of Don Caldwell's early work was converted from VHS to DVD and rereleased.  This DVD was released in 2006 and has some added features.  Despite being filmed in a room (not studio) and remastered for DVD, the video quality is surprisingly good.  There is a good variety of types, difficulties, and sizes of balloons.  The DVD says it is intermediate to advanced, however, that was 6 years ago and compared to Don's more recent material, these models are straight forward and intermediate.

Now a blast from the past...

Ooga Booga Spider
Kit List: 3 Black 260, 1 Gray 260, 1 White 5in, 2 Spring Lilac 260
The easiest model on this DVD and by far, the most popular!  This simple little guy is a heavey hitter and if you like Halloween balloons, do not over look this one because of its size and simplicity.  One thing to remember, pack extra black 260s for the legs, this one eats them up quickly.
Note: This model can be found on Don's YouTube Channel

The Raven
kit List: 2 Black 260, 1 Golden Rod 260, 1 Lime Green 5in
When introducing this model, Don says that it is not impressive, but gets good reactions... he was right.  This simple raven is fast enough for line work.  It is also an excellent accent to a scarecrow sculpture and looks good on a pumpkin too.  Simple and versatile.

Little Ghost
Kit List: 2 White 5in, 1 White 260
This very attractive ghost is not as easy as it looks.  With two side wall bubbles on the rounds, it can be challenging to the inexperienced.  Don's instruction typically leaves out precise sizes and it can be frustrating with this model.  If you do it like he says, the end result is a head that is bigger than the body of the ghost, be sure to inflate one round less than the other.

Haunted House
Don does a good job teaching the,  flat weave technique that he uses to create the house.  Positioning the ghost on the spiraled clear 260 takes a little time to get it facing forward.  Most people that I have made this for try to stand it up, but it is too top heavy to stand up without considerable modification.

The Toad
Kit: 2 Lime Green 5in, 1 Pink 260, 1 Lime Green 260 & 160, 1 Yellow 5in
Don's classic toad, it is also featured in an issue of Balloon Magic.  The head is a round that requires a fair amount of twisting and can be challenging if over inflated.  The rest of the model is very quick.  The legs were not well thought out, they look strange and the toad cannot sit unsupported.  In spite of that, it is very popular.

Shrunken Head
This is a creative use of an alien imprint.  It is incredibly easy and quick.  However, I presonally never make it and probably only make it if someone tries to stump me.

The Vampire Bat
Kit: 1 Gray 260, 1 Chocolate Brown 260, 3 Chocolate Brown 160, Tip of Balck 260, Scrap Yellow 260
Here is where it gets good!  This is the second most time consuming and difficult model on the DVD.  Do not be discouraged if you have to work this one several times before getting it just right.  Don knows it is difficult and does a more thorough job explaing it.  To get the shape just right, the balloons need to fit together tight and be positioned just right.  This one is worth the practice, best bat on the market.

Bad Kitty
Kit: 2 Gray 260, 2 Lime Green 260 Tips, 1 Yellow 260, 2 Oragne 260, 1 Scrap Green 260, 5 black 260

The Bad Kitty is worth the cost of the DVD alone.  You can tell that this is a personal favorite of Don's and he takes great care in explaining how to make it.  Thw twisting is straight forward, but careful sizing is required to have a nice finished product.  The eyes are challenging and require patience and a gentle hand.  Don warns that this is when people pop part of the head, he was right.  The body is unimpressive, but it is hidden by the pumpkin.
Switch the pumpkin with a fish bowl, change the colors, and you have an excellent model for anytime of the year.

Many of the easier sculptures in this series Buster actually put out on his YouTube channel.  You can find them at //https://www.youtube.com/user/busterballoon.  They are in his ITwist series.

Just thought you'd like to know.  I love them!!

Witch Head
Kit: 1 6in Lime Green Geo, 1 Sping Lilac 260, 1 Lime Green 260, 1 Yellow 260, 3 uniflated black 260
This model starts with an inverted geo blossom to form the jaw and cheeks.  Don does an excellent job explaining how inverted geo blossoms are used.  Making the nose can be tricky if you cannot reverse inflate the 260.  The eye structure is very basic and looks really good with an extra bit of tweaking.  Don uses uninflated 260s for the hair, a nice detail.  He does not teach a body for this, he prefers to put it on a hat.

Frankenstein's Monster Mask
This is the first of four masks that Don will finish the DVD with.  All use the same basic structure with varying details.  Many will recognize the base from his later work, as well as the works of others.  One thing that I like about the measurements that Don uses is that there is extra balloon for the head ban, in case you have a subject with a large head.
There is nothing challenging of complicated about this design, very straight foward and can be completed in 5 minutes with practice.  Missing from my picture is the tongue, flat stuff 260 into a 646, mine popped.  My favorite part of the mask is the forhead, Don's design adds a lot of character without needing to add another balloon.

Wolf Mask
Kit: 4 Chocolate Brown 260, 1 Blush 260, 1 Black 260, 2 Yellow 5 in, 1 White 260, 1 Pink 160, 1 Pink 350
Many of the thoughts from the previous mask apply to this on, straight forward and can be done quickly with practice.  I am not a fan of the ears being so large, when I make it, I inflate the balloon little more than half, rather than all the way.  Not as impressive as his newer wolf masks, but much much faster.

Mummy Mask
Kit: 4 White 260, 2 Golden Rod 5in, 1 Blush 260
built slightly different than the previous two masks, it is still fairly fast as long as you know how to flat weave.  I like that Don uses a blush for the teeth rahter than ivory silk, give them a more decayed look.  The eyes are my favorite part, they add a lot of character to this model.

Witch Mask
Kit: 2 Spring Lilac 260, 2 Lime Green 260, 1 White 260, 1 Yellow 260
The final mask.  It works, but I like my other witch masks.