Balloon artist again floats to top of Guinness Records

By Kathy Lauer-Williams | Of The Morning Call

When Montgomery County balloon artist John Cassidy broke the world record for balloon sculpting last November by inflating and twisting 747 balloons in an hour, he earned the right to be considered for Guinness World Records. But, through previous experience, Cassidy knew breaking the record doesn't automatically get you into the book.

Although the pile of balloons at Cassidy's feet easily surpassed the previous record of 722, the record isn't considered official until Guinness World Records verifies it, a painstaking process that can take as long as six months, according to Cassidy's wife, Jennifer.

But now it's official. On Monday, Cassidy, 46, received the unassuming but all-important certificate that verifies he broke the record.

''This is so great,'' says the Mont Clare resident. ''There are so many rules that if one isn't met, Guinness can disqualify it. They're very serious about it.''

Cassidy, who has broken the balloon sculpting record three times before, doesn't take any chances.

When he broke the record Nov. 14 at Bucks County Community College, a video camera recorded the entire event. It also captured a clock set prominently in the foreground and two volunteers independently keeping count of the balloons. The video and signed affidavits from the two counters were sent to Guinness World Records for the verification.

Cassidy, who recently was the headliner at the DaVinci Science Center's inaugural New Year's Eve party in Allentown, also holds world records for inflating 717 modeling balloons in an hour, fastest balloon sculpture at 6.4 seconds and most balloon sculptures in one minute with 13.

Breaking a record isn't as simple as it seems, says Cassidy. For balloon sculpting, there are many rules. All the balloons have to be inflated by mouth, and he has to make at least 30 different designs. To break the Guinness record, he did the 30 different balloons because under the rules, he cannot do the same sculpture two times in a row. Cassidy says he also had to make sure each sculpture touched the top of the table before Jennifer pushed it out of the way and onto the floor.

Cassidy, whose previous record of 654 balloon sculptures in an hour is in the 2008 Guinness World Records book, now is qualified to have his record of 747 balloons included in the 2009 edition.

Earlier this year, Daniele Bottalico of Italy broke Cassidy's previous record by inflating and twisting 722 balloons in an hour. Cassidy had until the end of the year to reclaim his title and be included in the 2009 book.

''I hope I don't have to do it again,'' Cassidy says. ''I don't know how much faster I can go. But I said that the last three times.''

At this point, the only way to be faster, he says, is to streamline pieces of the process -- things like adjusting the height of the table on which he puts the finished balloons to help make his time a little faster.

If he hears Bottalico or any other balloon sculptors have beaten his record, he admits he will try again.

''No one wants the second fastest balloon guy,'' he says. ''Everybody wants to feel they have something special about themselves. This is my thing.''