Sky Dancers

Hilarious Inflatable Wind Art!

Sky Dancers are hilarious tall hollow figures which constantly move around in semi-realistic ways. We've seen them here and there around Adelaide, our home city in South Australia.

Sky Dancers at the Adelaide International Kite Festival in South Australia.So random, so funny!

These wind-art creations are actually sold as attention-getters for businesses and large events.

Yes, I'm going to call them "wind art," since the best of these have obviously had some talented design input. Don't be surprised to see one or more of these things at a kite festival near you!

Some of the more expensive products have built-in lighting systems too, so at night the show gets even more spectacular.

How do these dancing puppets work? It's pretty simple. There is an air blower sitting on the ground, under each "leg" of the inflatable. Some have only one leg, as in the photo. Air pressure keeps the shape inflated most of the time. In combination with a breeze, this also causes constant erratic motion. The fabric is ripstop nylon and is attached to the blower using Velcro flaps.

I don't think anything else has been invented that catches the eye of so many so quickly!



 

The BIG MBK E-book Bundle!

On this site, there's more kite-making info than you can poke a stick at :-)

Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?

The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.

Every kite in every MBK series.


 


Sky Dancers ... Or ... ?

The popularity of these randomly moving tubular figures seems to be on the rise, with many manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon.

Other names in use for these or similar products include:

  • SkyDancer Puppets
  • Sky Tube Guys
  • Puppet Guy
  • Wavy Man
  • Air Dancers
  • Air Dancer Man
  • Flailing Tube Man
  • Fly Tube Guys
  • Dancing Sky Men
  • Stick Men

Some of these inflatables are huge, at 18 meters (60 feet) in height. At this size, they are visible to the entire crowd at a large public event. Others are just several meters high and thus suitable for parking in front of a shop or other small-business premises. These are the kind we have driven past on many occasions. At this size, they tend to be a little simpler, sporting just a tubular body plus a couple of arms.

Check out this smile-inducing image of a dancing tube-man!

 


 


As mentioned earlier, there's more kite-making on this site than you can poke a stick at :-)

Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?

The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.

Every kite in every MBK series.