
An incredibly detailed balloon animal, iguana.
"Back in the day," the presence of a balloon artist was the sign of a truly over-the-top birthday party.
Remember those artists? It was pure magic watching these craftsmen and women take skinny, noodle-like balloons and, with a few twists and a few puffs of air, presto! You had your very own dog. Or sword. Or flower. And you could keep it forever and ever and ever (or, at least, until the air leaked out).
If this was all going down at a Chuck E. Cheese's, all the better.
But today? Parents are shelling out more and more money on extravagant birthday things, like bouncy houses, custom cakes, limousines, and more.
It definitely makes me yearn for a simpler time.
A Japanese artist named Masayoshi Matsumoto wanted to revive and elevate the decades-old art of balloon twisting though. And what he came up with is pretty incredible.
"I've liked creatures since I was small," Masayoshi told Upworthy in an email. It took him four painstaking years to learn how to craft perfect models of his favorite animals in balloon form, but the work speaks for itself.
When people tell him his art — made entirely from balloons, no markers or tape allowed — is incredibly lifelike, he knows he's done his job.
Here are 11 of Masayoshi's creations that are like nothing you ever saw as a kid, except maybe that they look like pure magic:
1. This eery frilled lizard.
All photos by Masayoshi Matsumoto, used with permission.
This lizard knows how to strike a striking pose.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
2. This scorpionfish.
A ballon animal scorpionfish placed against a black background.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
3. This angry-looking octopus.
Balloons crafted to give an eerie vibe.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
4. This phoenix I totally wish was real.
Balloons crafted together to create an elaborate phoenix.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
5. This bush cricket.
And crickets will consume the crops.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
6. This snake.
Not the typical snake found in the Arizona desert.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
7. This (standing!) ostrich.
An imposing standing ostrich.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
8. This intricately crafted horse fly.
Finally a non-biting horse fly.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
9. This turkey.
One of the turkeys to make it through Thanksgiving.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
10. This ant, complete with antennae.
There was a movie in the 70's about killer ants called "Empire of the Ants."
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
11. And this brightly colored hermit crab.
This hermit crab is chillin'.
Image pulled from Masayoshi Matsumoto's Facebook page with permission.
What does Masayoshi do with his balloon creations after he photographs them? "I usually pop them," he said.
It seems like such a waste. But then again, maybe Masayoshi knows there is always something new to explore, something new to create, something new to be in awe of.
If that's the case, then he's perfectly captured the spirit of what always made balloon animals so magical.
You can see more incredible balloon creations over at Masayoshi's Facebook page.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."