World Record
Fastest Balloon Dog Made Behind The Back

Surrounded by friends, family, and the citizens of Zilwaukee, MI, on October 31, 2004, Nate the Great broke the World Record for Fastest Balloon Dog Made Behind the Back at their annual Holloween party. On his third attempt, Nate managed to defeat the old record of 9.26 seconds with an impressive 7.47 seconds.
The target shape
Checking the length
The old record of 9.26 seconds was set by Craig 'Blink' Keith. Nate saw the record on a World Record website and decided he would try to break it. Nate had always been told by audiences and fellow balloon twisters alike that he was one of the fastest they had ever seen. To prepare, he practiced every night before bed with a stopwatch. On the day of the event, he practiced a few times by making balloons for the children at the party before making his official attempt.
Beating the time wasn't the problem. What proved to give Nate the hardest time was actually the specific measurements of the balloon itself. The record came with many very specific details (shown below) that Nate had to follow. Among them, Nate had to have witnesses including someone who is an expert in the field and someone who is of some standing in the community. Nate asked friend and fellow balloon artist, Joel Tacey and the Mayor of Zilwaukee to be his expert and witness respectively. The measurements had to be as follows:
The record has now been set
Ready and go
The balloon should be a 260Q (measuring 31.75 – 33 cm (12.5 – 13 in) prior to inflation)
The balloon's inflated length: should be between 35.5 cm(14 in) and a maximum of 45.7 cm(18 in).
Nose: 4 – 6 cm (1.5 – 2.3 in) long
Head: 7 – 9 cm (2.7 – 3.5 in) long
Neck: 0.5 – 2.5 cm (0.1 – 0.9 in) long
Front leg (left): 4.5 – 6.5 cm (1.7 – 2.5 in) long
Paw (left): 1.5 – 2.5 cm (0.5 – 0.9 in) long
Front leg (right): 4.5 – 6.5 cm (1.7 – 2.5 in) long
Paw (right): 1.5 – 2.5 cm (0.5 – 0.9 in) long
Body: 5 – 7 cm (1.9 – 2.7 in) long
Back leg (right): 4.5 – 6.5 cm (1.7 – 2.5 in) long
Back leg (left): 4.5 – 6.5 cm (1.7 – 2.5 in) long
Bottom of tail: 4 – 6 cm 1.5 – 2.3 in) long
Deflated tail: 5 – 7 cm (1.9 – 2.7 in) long
Tail tip: 3 – 5 cm (1.1 – 1.9 in) long
Nate's first attempt was not a success. Even though the time was good at 8.23 seconds, the nose was too long by half an inch. On the second try the last bubble in the tail deflated after calling stop. Finally on his third try Nate successfully made the balloon dog in 7.47 seconds with all measurements checking out.
Sucess is sweet!!

Click here to check out the
newspaper articles about it!!

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