A Balloon Virtuoso

At just 25, Masayoshi Matsumoto is already a master of what has to be a niche art form: balloon animals.

Sure, you think you’ve seen balloon animals before because you saw a clown at a friend’s birthday party when you were nine. Matsumoto’s creations are on another level entirely. The detail he wrests from latex and air is jaw-dropping.

That’s right—he uses no markers, no adhesives, and no sealants to make these animals … just balloons.

Yet his owl looks stern, and his iguana has scales and spines and expressive eyes, and his hermit crab seems surprised.

He doesn’t do just animals. He also has a series of anime and video game characters, for which he will occasionally use embellishments with markers and accessories.

Seahorse

Mandrill

Peacock

Goat

Spider

Caterpillar

Iguana

Jellyfish

Hermit Crab

You can see more of his work on his Tumblr, Facebook, or Twitter