A Tribute to Marvin Hardy

I recently learned of the death of Marvin Hardy. To the average person, that name doesn’t mean a whole lot. But, to those of us who engage in balloon twisting, whether for fun, to earn money, or both, we can’t look at a bag of balloons, especially Qualatex balloons, without thinking of Marvin Hardy. For many years, Marvin was Pioneer Balloon Company’s (the manufacturer of Qualatex Balloons) balloon ambassador to the world.

I met Marvin Hardy at the Laugh Makers Variety Arts Conference in Aurora, New York in 1987. I had been performing as a clown for about 8 months, doing little comedy sketches with my two young sons, Brian and Joey (he prefers Joseph these days) and twisting dogs and swords at nursing homes and a few birthday parties. Marvin was teaching balloon sculpture and balloon decorating and he had a table in the dealer room. Being the gentle giant that he was, Marvin asked me my ambitions and what kind of balloon figures I was already making. Then he hooked me up with his standard balloon kit . . . a hard-backed copy of his book, Balloon Magic, and hand pump, and my first ever bag of Qualatex balloons (There were 144 in a bag back then).

I was hooked. I couldn’t believe all the designs that could be made from balloons. And, with a bit of practice, anybody could do it. I took my new balloon kit back to Granville, Ohio and everywhere I went. I practiced twisting balloons at home and at work (what can I say, it was a government job). When my wife and sons went to a restaurant, I would twist balloons for the servers while my wife pretended she didn’t know me. While standing in line at grocery stores, I would twist balloon animals and give them to the cashier or to kids.

And it wasn't long before I incorporated balloon twisting into the comedy magic shows I did for children at birthday parties, corporate events, fairs, festivals, daycare centers, and libraries.

That is just a sampling of the fun I have had with balloons since I met Marvin Hardy nearly forty years ago. In fact, I'm still doing them and learning new creations (or designing new ones of my own) and am now offering balloon twisting coaching for children, young adults, and the young at heart.

Over the years I have seen hundreds of balloon twisters using Qualatex, largely due to Marvin's influence. Some of them have worked their way through college by twisting balloons at parties, restaurants, festivals, and even on street corners. Some people have toured the world using balloons as a universal means of communication and to help pay their traveling expenses. I’m betting most of these twisters were influenced by Marvin Hardy or by someone who was influenced by Marvin Hardy.

Marvin’s book established balloon twisting as a legitimate art form. In his song. Leader of the Band, Dan Fogelberg refers to his father, Lawrence, who had been a high school and, later, college band leader as his role model. When it comes to the arts of balloon twisting and balloon decorating, Marvin Hardy will always be the Leader of the Band to me and millions of others. You are missed, Marvin. But, the legacy you created will live on for generations.