We were approached by Blue Diamond to help them create a giant inflatable replica of their Almond Breeze almond milk to use at travelling trade shows and road shows to promote their product with the public. 

They thought that having a jumbo inflatable milk bottle version of their product would be a great way to attract some attention to their stand, and boy did we agree. Creating a custom inflatable for advertising your brand is a very cost effective way to draw a large amount of attention, and we always get excited by new projects we are presented with.

After some discussions, we settled on a concept and a design and went ahead and produced the inflatable milk bottle for them. 

We think it turned out great in the end and received some very positive feedback about it from the client, Blue Diamond. 

Inflatables Are About Scaling Up

A lot of our projects actually start with real versions of products that we are tasked with copying, which we recreate into a much larger scale than the original retail product. 

As simple as this inflatable milk bottle would seem, there were actually some quite complex considerations that needed to be included otherwise the final product would not turn out as required. 

Inflatables Want To Be Round

The first major consideration was that this giant inflatable replica had to have flat sides. By nature, inflatables want to be round, like balls, due to pressurised air trying to expand every corner of the inflatable's fabric.

In order for the surface to be flat, you will require some internal frame work to prevent the unit from actually inflating out into a rounded shape. Typically, this can affect the surface of the unit as you either need internal sheets of fabric to pull the unit back together, or ropes inside which give the surface a puckered appearance once set up. 

However, a lot of the time this is at odds with the appearance of the final product, especially when you’re trying to replicate a retail product which consumers are very familiar with. We do however have a solution for this, is that we basically create a double layered product. The first part consists of an internal bladder, that is the inflatable part, and then the second part is an external sleeve, which contains the printing.

This means that what the bladder looks like doesn’t actually matter, and you can get a very nice surface finish on the final product as the sleeve is really only there to provide the final appearance and is not structural at all. 

This is our go to method when customers state that they are very particular about the final appearance of the inflatable. 

A Custom Inflatable for Advertising Multiple Products

A happy consequence of this is that we’re able to produce what we call “reskins” for the bottles / inflatables where in future to change the print, the customer doesn’t need a whole new bottle but rather just a new “skin”. This means you can actually remove the bladder from the inflatable milk bottle and just insert it into the new skin. 

This was particularly appealing to Blue Diamond because they have multiple milk brands that share the same size packaging, but are just marketed to different audiences and also have different milk alternatives as part of their product range.

The client was very happy to hear about the direction we were taking, as it allowed them to get much more value for their money in general from their giant inflatable replica and the amount of application it was suitable for just increased significantly. 

Finishing Up The Jumbo Inflatable Milk Bottle

After the original engineering of the inflatable milk bottle, it was all systems go to get the project finished in time for the client and their first upcoming event. 

As usual our expert team was ready to hit the ground running and smash out this project in record time. We had approximately 2 weeks to produce this giant inflatable replica, and thankfully everything went smoothly throughout the whole process.

After the unit was finished, we set it up for the quality control part of our process. We left it set up for 48h hours, as this is standard for us, and the unit passed with flying colours. So off to it’s new home it went, ready in time for the first event. 

A few weeks later we received some feedback from our client that they were delighted with their jumbo inflatable milk bottle, and that it had received plenty of comments at their first event, so much so that they were soon returning for a replacement skin for their other brand to use at a different show!

Are you considering a custom inflatable for advertising your brand? If you are looking for a unique way to advertise your products and engage with your audience at events, chat with us today about all the different possibilities a custom inflatable can offer. We are more than happy to run through price estimates and design concepts with you.

We’ve worked with the City Of Ryde several times over the years to create many different projects. We were contacted by their Events team for the upcoming Granny Smith Festival. 

They had seen an inflatable apple made for Goulburn Valley and had the idea to recreate their own apple for their event. The brief was simple and straightforward; the apple needed to be green in colour and they wanted to include smaller details, such as the stalk and the leaf of the apple too.

We had completed many projects prior that were similar replicas of real products. Recreating a Granny Smith apple was a simple concept, so we had no problems in jumping right in to this project!

Creating The Inflatable Apple

The size of the inflatable apple needed to be around 3 meters in diameter, and was going to be used on the back of a truck during a parade. Once the parade was finished, it was then going to be set up for the duration of the event in a fixed location. 

For this reason, we recommended going with a sewn unit, which requires constant and regulated air flow. Contrary to common belief, this makes inflatables easier to use, and it helped this particular festival inflatable to stay looking amazing for the whole duration of the event. Sewn units also give us more flexibility with perfecting the finer details, in this case,  the apple stem and leaf, as requested by the client.

In general, we knew the shape and appearance of the apple was not going to be a challenge. It was basically a ball, but we had to put some internal structure inside the unit to give it it’s distinct apple shape, and allow us to do the stem and leaf in a more realistic fashion. 

Our designer got to work on making the 3D model of the apple, and managed to complete it rather quickly as the clients deadline was fast approaching. 

With no specific images to replicate, we had full design freedom with the festival inflatable. The client was mainly concerned about: the colour accuracy, the stem and leaf, and also having the writing on the side of the apple to advertise the festival. 

We managed to nail the 3D shape and design on the first go, which then enabled us to move to the next phase; producing the template to print and cut the materials to make the inflatable apple ready for assembly. 

Facing Challenges Head On

When an inflatable is made, the 3D shape is converted into divided sheets of fabric that can be assembled into a final product. 

It is not as straightforward as it may seem, to print writing on ball shaped inflatables, as there are many pieces that go together to make the rounded appearance. 

Below you can see what the cut pattern for the inflatable apple looked like. 

As you can see, the text is split across multiple panels. It takes a good eye and a lot of fine tuning when it comes to assembling the unit; making sure all the text edges line up to ensure it flows consistently across the entire apple. 

Fortunately for us, we have some of the best inflatable manufacturing employees in the world. We were able to perfect this fine detail that many other companies would simply reject and tell you that you’d have to shrink down the text, or drop it all together. 

Making The Inflatable Apple A Reality

We were given the green light to start on this apple around the middle of June, with the client’s event being in the middle of August. 

We would normally tell a client in this circumstance that more time would be required, but because we’ve worked with the City Of Ryde several times, we didn’t want to let them down and said that we would be able to shuffle some things around to make it happen for them. 

Our cracking team got on it right away as soon as they received the job sheet. We managed to complete this festival inflatable in what we would consider record time! As always, we send our jobs into QC to get checked and it passed with flying colours, then on to our packaging department to be prepared for delivery to the customer. 

The inflatable apple was delivered to the client ahead of their event with a bit of time to spare (phew!), giving them enough time to do a trial run with the apple and ensure that everything was clear before their event. 

We always recommend to our clients to test run their inflatables before their events, so that they know exactly what to expect on the day of their event. It also allows us enough time to be able to assist them with any questions or queries before the day of use, ensuring that our client is confident and knowledgeable on installing their inflatable safely.

Glad to say, the event went off without a hitch and the apple was extremely well received by the public and acted as a great talking point and symbol for the festival. 

We’re excited to work with the City of Ryde in future again and look forward to the next challenge they can give us!

If you have any upcoming events and want to throw some ideas around for something new and completely bespoke, have a chat with our team today!

We were contacted by Bryony, from King Performance, a great client of our’s who had been a client for a number of years. King Performance had purchased a custom inflatable arch 3 years prior though Bryony and her team had recently come up with some challenges with their existing arch for WITP which the council were imposing on the event.

Why Another Inflatable Finish Line Arch Was Needed

The local council where the events had previously been taking place had recently changed requirements and because of these changes, their previous arch was too large (500x300cm internally) to fit the space. After some consultation and confirmation from the council, we worked out the inflatable finish line arch could be no larger than 400cm x 250cm. 

Costs and lead times were confirmed, both of which lined up with budgets and the time frame leading up to the event. With details regarding the new size confirmed, as well as engineering requirements and all the details ticked off, we moved to making a start on the design changes and sent this over to the client.

Fine Tuning the Artwork

Since we already had the artwork from the previous order, the process from here was very straight forward. One thing that can slow down the production of inflatable arches for sale, is artwork. If we do not have suitable format logos, the end result will likely suffer and lead to poor results, or potentially cause huge delays until they are available. 

Safety First

A newly supplied requirement was that the inflatable finish line arch MUST have Regulation 126 certification to pass safety for the council and be smaller to fit in the new space they had been confined to. With the location where the arch being used the area also had a maximum load rating , and due to the weights required to keep an arch set up safely, these fine details needed to be carefully calculated by our Engineer and solution found to ensure the custom inflatable arch could be used safely. 

Completing the Custom Inflatable Arch in a Tight Timeframe

Usually inflatable arches for sale take around 2-3 weeks production after finalising artwork and approval, though with the event fast approaching, time was not on our side. This was no fault of anyones, sometimes life throws you a challenge. Being that this was a return client we put this job on our priority production list, as we didn’t want to let them down.

After confirming costs and working through the challenges, we were approximately around 9-10 days out from the event and production had only just got the green light. Our production team worked through the weekend to get the custom inflatable arch printed, and then sewn together ready for final testing late Tuesday afternoon. A feat within itself considering it was peak production time. 

After these checks, the completed unit was approved and shipped to our Warehouse ready for collection. The inflatable finish line arch arrived late Thursday afternoon, a mere 36 hours before the event. As always, we did a final test to ensure that everything was as per the design, ensuring it met our high standards. Once thoroughly checked, we got this delivered to the site where the King Performance Team were already getting set up for their event the following morning. We had done it in the nick of time!

Another Job Well Done

The inflatable finish line arch has now been used for a number of events each year, with the client returning to refresh banners as different sponsors come and go. Whilst this may have been one of the fastest Productions, it was only made possible by the organization of our team and the client. If things such as artwork were not available and it took 2-3 days for these to become available or payment was delayed, this job deadline would not have been met. 

If you are looking for an inflatable archway, get in touch with our expert team today to discuss your event and we’ll be sure to work with you to incorporate a custom inflatable arch into your next event.

For this exciting and exclusive project, we were contacted by celebrated Sydney artist Todd Fuller. Todd wanted our assistance in the manufacturing of an inflatable dugong for an art installation. After looking through much of Todd’s work we could see where the inspiration of this project was coming from. 

Todd had spent hours online trying to figure out where to buy an inflatable dugong, which he would then paint with his intended design for the exhibition. After hitting brick wall after brick wall, he stumbled across us.

Todd provided us with a rough idea of what he had planned and we had a big brainstorm as to how we can make this work.

Having never made an inflatable dugong before, we were up for the challenge and the end result really speaks for itself.

From Paper to an Inflatable Art Replica

Many of our projects start from replicating real products, though as you could imagine, getting a dugong into the office to measure up was simply neither possible nor ethical. After some googling, we found a fantastic 3D scanned drawing of a real Dugong, which we used as inspiration and for us to take our measurements from and to get up close, without having to even get wet!

Conquering Challenges Like a Boss

In this instance, Todd was open to ideas and feedback. His first wish however of having no blower was not going to work, as this means the inflatable art replica would likely require constant maintenance and monitoring of the unit’s internal air pressure. This wouldn’t be at all practical for this kind of installation.

Many inflatables you see use a large air blower, similar to those that you see on jumping castles. For Todd’s unique project, having one of these blowers was simply going to be too loud to use within the space he had. With that in mind, we recommended an internal blower. This would make set up a breeze and ensure the blower did not overwhelm other patrons at the exhibition, while providing enough air pressure to stay inflated. 

After working through challenges like blower placement and how to secure the inflatable in a way which would give the look to the entire project, we began discussing the design and artwork that was to be printed. 

The Artist’s Inflatable Dugong Design

With all the construction details like blower placement, tethering points and overall shape, now it was time to work on the printed design.

Many people get caught up with “What do I print on my inflatable?”, where others have a very clear mind on what they want. Due to the print process we use, what you print doesn’t impact costs. A basic colour vs full colour; it’s all the same. 

With Todd’s hand painted artwork, which he scanned in on a wide bed scanner, we were ready to start turning the inflatable dugong from a plain black and white design, into a vibrant colourful creature. 

We took the 3D design and turned this into a cut sheet, or template. This breaks every little panel into its own shape, which the artwork is then laid on. 

In this instance, the dugong itself still needed all its features, whilst still showcasing the artist's design. 

We worked on this and did a couple of print samples to ensure the end result was to meet Todd’s expectations. It is definitely worth taking the extra time to make sure it’s done right the first time.

Finalising the Inflatable Dugong

After Todd’s final tweaks to his design, he gave us the green light to begin the construction of his inflatable dugong.

We were under a little pressure, as this exhibition was starting right at the beginning of the year,  though as always, we were incredibly confident we could not only have it produced, but also delivered 2000km away from us in time for the Art Exhibition. 

After the unit was finished, we set it up and ensured that it was ready to use and that no details were missed. This was going to be viewed by thousands of people over many weeks and we wanted to ensure it was perfect for Todd. We installed the tethering ropes for Todd to hang the inflatable inside the exhibition space and we got it on it’s first flight north. 

Making custom inflatable animals is so much fun, and being a team of animal lovers, everyone was in awe of this colourful beauty.  Working with creative talents such as Todd gives us an exciting opportunity to make something so unique, and it also helps us to expand our knowledge on highly customised inflatables.

An inflatable art replica such as this dugong may present a lot of first-time challenges, but the end result makes it all worth it. It blows our minds, knowing the inflatable dugong would have intrigued and potentially inspired thousands of art lovers.

Let us help you make your creative idea into a reality for your next event! Whether it is custom inflatable animals or turning your creation into an inflatable art replica, there is nothing we can’t do.

We were yet again approached by Wyndham City Council to work together with them on a new event inflatable project. 

The project was a collaborative effort of the council and a local artist who had passed away, so the idea was to develop it from photos of a smaller sculptural work he made. The inflatable art sculpture was to be used at a special event to celebrate the artist’s life and completed works.

One interesting challenge was that we had to recreate the tail, as the original sculpture’s tail had been partially damaged previously.

Anyway, once again, we got cracking on another great project. 

Getting the Basics Right

This project started off with a small scale art sculpture that was created by the late artist.

The sculpture was made from clay and hand-painted. Being such an invaluable custom piece, we had to work from photos and build the 3D shape around the model and colours in the images we were supplied. 

We received a good selection of photos of the camp dog, with photos from all directions to give us a great idea of what the final shape should look like. 

Going 3D

The great thing about creating this inflatable art sculpture was that it lent itself really well to being inflatable because it was crafted into a smooth-surfaced, rounded off shape. Inflatables naturally tend to round out due to air pressure causing the material to expand. 

Once we received all the different photos, we started on modelling the shape itself and focused on the artwork at a later stage. The first priority was just to get the general shape right, including the rebuilt tail, and only after that was approved we would move into the next phase which was to create the artwork. 

Our 3D designer spent quite a bit of time here to try to get the shape as true to life as possible, to respect the work of the artist. 

After some revisions, we were able to lock down what the shape of the customised inflatable camp dog would be and the client went ahead and approved it. 

The next step was to design the artwork, and align it onto the 3D model.

We used the photos of the physical sculpture to inspire us for the surface printing, and then went ahead and applied that pattern to the customised inflatable camp dog 

Manufacturing the Event Inflatable

Now that the shape and the surface printing had been approved, the next step in the process was to start moving on the manufacturing of the inflatable art sculpture. 

Our expert team was ready to get going and we went ahead and started the manufacturing. The first step was to print the fabric according to the pattern that was output from the 3D model.

Once the material was all printed, we moved to the cutting phase and cut the unit to shape ready to pass onto the sewing team to assemble the final product. 

The team jumped on this job as soon as it landed with them as they wanted to make sure that we had plenty of time to get this project perfect due to the important role it was to play to commemorate the artist. Safe to say, we had no issues finishing the project and then preparing it for shipping to the customer. 

Inflatable Art Sculpture: Event Ready

We are always manufacturing several inflatables at the same time and our team has extensive experience in working with highly customised inflatables.

As is typical with us, we finished the project ahead of schedule which gave us plenty of time to do some testing on the unit and ensure it was in 110% working order for the client when they received it. 

This unit was particularly simple to use as it was a constant power unit so all that was required by the customer was to connect it to the blower, and turn it on, and it would basically just inflate itself. 

This client did opt for an engineering certificate, a “Regulation 126”, where the engineer specifies what types of weight is required to install the unit in a safe manner according to the building code of Australia. This is an optional offering for an event inflatable and is generally is supplied when the event organisers request it specifically. 

We’re very proud to have worked on such a meaningful project with Wyndham City, and we look forward to the next project!

If you have any ideas for a customised event inflatable, no matter how crazy, contact us today to get started on pricing and artwork.

Marina Mirage is a well known and highly successful shopping centre located on the Gold Coast in Australia. Their marketing team contacted us with an idea of using a giant inflatable bunny for a maze activation inside their shopping centre for an upcoming Easter promotional event.

The brief was that they needed an inflatable product replica of a Lindt bunny that was to be set up inside their shopping centre for a whole month. This activation entailed having people walk through a maze, creating a sense of curiosity and fun. They were met with a giant gold bunny at the other end for social media posts and photo opportunities. 

We are happy to have had a chance to work with them on this, and there’s no denying what the inflatable looks like (delicious)!

An Inflatable Product Replica of a Lindt Bunny

As with many of our projects, this custom printed inflatable was replicated based on a real life product.

We bought a Lindt rabbit from the supermarket and went to work on taking measurements and dimensions from it. This way, we are able to scale it up in our 3D design phase to get it as close to the real thing as possible.

An important aspect to replicate was actually the bow around the next of the rabbit, but there was a request to change it from the recognisable red ribbon to a blue ribbon which tied in better with the theme of the client’s activation.

Modelling the Custom Printed Inflatable in CAD

Now that we had the measurements from the real life product, we were able to get to work on the 3D mock up, which is the first step in bringing the giant inflatable bunny to life.

Our 3D designer started to work on this project and after some time they were able to produce the below concept. 

As there was no ambiguity on the shape of the inflatable bunny, it was clear what needed to be done from the very start. It was no surprise that this order was then quickly approved and went into production without hassle. 

Bringing The Giant Inflatable Bunny To Life

We have been manufacturing custom inflatables for over 15 years now and have extensive experience in producing a huge range of different types of inflatables, so we were confident we’d be able to meet the client’s expectations for this inflatable product replica.

Our team of craftsmen got to work in our warehouse and started to produce the custom printed inflatable as soon as the project was signed off on by the client. 

We were able to complete this project in a few short weeks, having it ready well before the client’s use date of Easter. 

After the manufacturing was complete, we moved to our quality control and review stage where the giant inflatable bunny was set up for a period of 3 days and tested for leaks and performance. Fortunately, there were no issues with the inflatable holding air for that period and it was therefore approved for shipping and prepared to send to the client. 

Getting the Bow Right

The client was very specific in requiring a bow that had some volume to it. 

The way we achieved this was by using the bow design and making a seperate inflatable section that was attached to the main body of the giant inflatable bunny to give it some 3D effect when set up.

Rather than just having a fabric that was going to drape around the neck, the bow was inflatable and gave the bunny extra definition, which is what the client wanted.

The Giant Inflatable Bunny in Action

Easter rolled around and the client set up the bunny at their maze activation. 

The giant inflatable bunny was installed after we provided some over the phone support to the client to ensure that it was set up correctly, and safely. 

After the month-long activation, the inflatable product replica was featured across all social media platforms and the client considered the whole activation a resounding success. They were very thankful to us for being able to produce this custom printed inflatable on time and on budget.

We love working on these types of projects, as there is an endless list of possibilities to get creative with. We get excited seeing our inflatables being used all over Australia at all kinds of events and activations. If you have a project of your own and are looking to include a custom printed inflatable, we’d love to discuss it with you.

We were approached by the team over at Lacteeze because they were looking for a way to make an impact and an upcoming trade show they were attending. 

The thought was that having a large inflatable ice cream replica of their mascot would be a good way to attract attention to their trade show stand, along with providing a photo opportunity for them to post on their social media accounts. 

They contacted us to discuss the idea and straight away we knew that we would be able to help them take their concept from just that, a concept, and bring it to life as an inflatable.

Starting With a 2D Drawing

The first step was to take their mascot and change it up a little bit to be more cartoon like. Their original mascot did not have the arms and feet, but we added them for the concept design. 

This hit the client brief and they were happy to proceed with an order and move on to the next stage. 

Modelling the Inflatable Ice Cream in CAD

Once the general concept was confirmed it was time for our designer to work on turning the 2D drawing into a 3D design that could then have artwork applied and be made into an inflatable. 

The general shape was worked out first before any art was applied to it. We had some back and forth between us and Lacteeze to get the shape correct and hitting the mark as to what the client was looking for. 

After several revisions of the customised inflatable, we were happy with the shape and it was time to move onto the next stage which was to apply the colours and artwork to the 3D model.

Adding the Artwork to the Model

Once the shape was confirmed and approved, we took the information from the 2D drawing, the colours, tones, shadows, and all other finer details to apply them to the 3D model and really bring it to life. 

Once the artwork was applied to the model, that was the final stage before the client signed off for us to start manufacturing the inflatable ice cream. We received the signed off and were ready to move onto the next stage which was manufacturing.

Manufacturing Starts & Finishes

We have a lot of experience when it comes to making customised inflatable mascots and this was another case where our expert team was able to deliver a great result that represented the concept and design exactly. 

In what felt like no time at all, the team had printed, cut, sewn, and assembled the unit in a ready-to-test final product. 

Prior to delivery to the customer, we set the unit up in our warehouse and tested it to ensure it would perform as expected. Everything appeared to work perfectly and the unit was then packaged ready for dispatch to our customer.

The Trade Show Inflatable in action

The upcoming trade show was approaching quickly and the customer received the inflatable ice cream prior to their event with enough time to test it before the event. 

The unit was set up at their stall and they were able to use it for the trade show which they originally purchased it for. 

The trade show inflatable was a great way to draw people into the stand and a great photo opportunity for both attendees and Lacteeze.

Post Sale Modifications

One thing that was overlooked by both parties was that the inflatable ice cream would sometimes need to be used freestanding in a field, and due to the nature of the design of the unit it was top heavy meaning that it required some types of support behind it to stand up. 

For this particular trade show, setting this up was not an issue, because there was a wall behind that the unit could be rested against, but for outdoor field days and events a different solution was required to allow it to free stand in a field. 

To address this new request, we went ahead and developed a pole and base solution that utilised the D rings that were originally built into the unit for ropes, but fitted poles to them with metal bases that allowed the unit to stand by itself in an open field. 

This is an example of where every inflatable is completely custom, and from the very beginning all use cases and applications need to be considered because otherwise they will not be designed into the unit. In hindsight, it’s pretty clear that the inflatable would have been a support / base at the bottom if it needed to free stand, but this was not a consideration at the design phase and was therefore not included. 

This is why we require detailed briefs from clients so that we can ensure units can be made exactly as required for all uses. 

Organising a Customised Inflatable for Your Next Event

We really enjoyed being a part of this project for the trade show inflatable ice cream. Each job we do is unique and it expands not only our portfolio, but our experience with the different needs and requirements of our clients. We do our absolute best to think of everything, so you don’t have to!

If the inflatable ice cream has inspired you to think big for your next event, speak to our team today and we can take your ideas to the next level.

We have done a lot of work with Wyndham City Council designing custom inflatables that are used for their ongoing annual events. Australia is a very multicultural nation, and Wyndham City Council have done a great job in promoting the different cultures and community groups based in their region.

For this particular project, the council were after an inflatable babushka doll replica that was to be part of their annual Fromage A Trois event and were going to be used on display to promote diversity in the community. 

They ended up going with three, with each inflatable babushka doll replica needing to be 3.5m high. They were also going to be lit up externally to give a really amazing effect at night events. 

Conceptualising the Inflatable Babushka Doll Replica

We often tell our clients that at this stage, there is no real design required as there is more conceptual work to do than anything else. 

We usually request a concept draft or sketch, regardless of how simple you may feel it is, as we need to understand the general idea of what you’re trying to achieve, rather than the exact fine details. 

Along with the general “shape” concept, we were also sent artwork that would be printed on the final dolls. Because all of our projects are bespoke, and we use digital printing, we were able to print the artwork exactly as provided in all it’s incredible detail.

After seeing the artwork, we were actually quite excited to get started on this project because it was a really impressive design and we knew it would look absolutely amazing when the printing was finalised.

Finalising the Inflatable Doll Character Designs

The order of the inflatable event dolls was approved the the client and we got everything together and began creating the 3D designs of the custom inflatable as a starting point. 

Once we got the basic shape together, the client prepared the artwork on the 2D cut sheet for the design. 

The design was then confirmed and applied to the 3D model of the custom inflatables. At this point, it was more in line with what the final product would look like, bringing each inflatable doll character to life!

At this point everything was going great and the client was happy to sign off on the design on each inflatable babushka doll replica. So we got to manufacturing. 

Manufacturing Begins

Once we have the 3D model complete and the 2D artwork applied, the process after this point is straight forward for our team. 

We have manufactured hundreds of different custom inflatables over the years and know exactly how to turn what you see on the screen to something that’s very impressive in real life. 

This project took a couple of weeks to print, cut, sew, and test, and once that part of the process was completed the inflatable event dolls were ready to send out the client. 

Being in Melbourne, like ourselves, the transit time was not significant and Wyndham council had plenty of time before their event to test out the dolls and ensure the event was going off with a hitch. 

As these were constant power units, the blowers were running the whole time they were being used, which allowed the setup to only take matters of minutes, and then after they were inflated just required tethering as per the engineering report they received.

The Inflatable Event Dolls in all Their Glory

The client hired an external company to set up the inflatables and they followed our instructions in weighting requirements to set up the dolls in a safe manner. 

Each inflatable doll character was set up the morning of the event with plenty of time allowed to set up a perimeter around then to ensure crowd safety and also to ensure the safety of the dolls themselves.

As night came and the event started, it was as if each inflatable babushka doll replica took on a life of its own.

The babushka dolls attracted regular crowds, with people taking photos for posting on social media and promoting the council event. Safe to say our client was extremely satisfied with how they turned out, and the event went off without a hitch.

With quality results and high expectations, we have since partnered with Wyndham Council for a handful of their other events.

From the countless inflatable projects we have worked on across Australia, such as these babushka dolls, our capabilities know no bounds. If you have a similar idea in mind for your next event, and are unsure where to start, contact our team today to get started on a quote and organising a design concept.

The Australian National University team contacted us looking for an inflatable rubber duck mascot, to compliment their blue duck mascot that is so unique and well recognised by their students and alumni.

Every year when students graduate, each of them receives a rubber duck as a commemorative gift and it’s something that’s cherished for a long time by all the outgoing students. 

A fun idea they came up with was to create a giant inflatable duck replica for students to take photos with on their graduation days; not only to add a memorable element to the day, but also for something that can be posted on social media platforms to promote the university. 

They contacted us to discuss the feasibility of this, and after some consultation we were able to get going on a project together. This was not the first time we had worked together, which helped us get things moving quickly.

Starting With an Inflatable Rubber Duck Mascot as a Base

Whenever we create a replica of a real item, we always request the clients to send us physical samples so that we can take measurements off those samples and then use them in the 3D modelling phase of the build. 

In this case that was absolutely possible, and before we knew it, we had a little blue duck of our own.

The client, however, wanted to make some additions to the inflatable blue duck. One thing they wanted to add was the inclusion of some text on the scroll that more directly tied the duck to the alumni association. 

Their request was to have the duck as is, but to add the words “ANU Alumni” to the scroll. This was not going to be an issue for us and we were aware of it during the design phase of the job. 

Moving From Order Approval to 3D Design

All the measurements were straightforward and simple to take from the duck and all we had to do was scale them up to the finished size of the inflatable rubber duck mascot. 

The final target size of the giant inflatable duck replica was 2.5m, but there is something peculiar to consider when it comes to inflatables. Even though a size is designed to that size, as the shape inflates there is a possibility that it will either be bigger or smaller than the target size. In most situations this is not a concern, as everyone understands why it happens, but it’s always something that we’re sure to mention to clients proceeding with projects. 

The 3D design was knocked out by our team and we managed to replicate the duck in a CAD without much issue. The next step from here was to simply send it to the client and have them review the design, and approve it if they were happy with the proposed design. They were, so we were able to proceed to the next step: manufacturing the giant inflatable duck replica.

Construction of the Inflatable Blue Duck

Once the 3D design was completed and signed off on, the next part of the manufacturing is where to do our magic and turn what you see on the screen into reality. 

The 3D object was exported into a cutting pattern and then it was time for our manufacturing team to begin putting the unit together. 

Print samples were also created at the same time to ensure that the final colour would match the desired colour, and it did, which was great. 

Our team managed to produce the inflatable blue duck well ahead of schedule and the unit was tested and checked for quality, after this point it was packed up for shipping and sent to the client. 

The client received the inflatable rubber duck mascot well ahead of their first event date and it was ready to go on the big day!

The Inflatable Rubber Duck Mascot in action

Wow! What an impact. The duck was a hit with all the students and it achieved its original goal of creating photo opportunities and providing a memorable experience for their students. 

We were over the moon to be able to work with ANU once again on another project and we think the giant inflatable duck replica turned out great. We couldn’t be happier with the result and we are excited that so many stories and memories will be made in front of this inflatable blue duck for many years to come!

If you are looking to produce a custom made inflatable mascot of your own, we would love to open up a world of new possibilities to you. We have made many inflatable mascots and replicas for businesses, schools, universities, and more across Australia. Contact us today to get the ball rolling on pricing and artwork!

Edith Cowan University is one of the largest and most renowned universities located in Western Australia. Their marketing team contacted us looking for a custom made inflatable photo wall to advertise their World Ready Campaign, a reflection of their growing world class research outputs and reputation. 

For their annual Open Days, they were struggling to find a consistent and effective approach to set up for their events. We discussed using something that was simple to install and could be used both indoors and outdoors when the weather was not suitable. 

The idea of a blow up photo wall was being thrown around, though after using alternatives to these in the past, the need for something with a much bigger “Wow-Factor” was needed. The motive behind the image printed depicts the “start of their journey at ECU, and beyond.

They contacted us to discuss options available, including size, print limitations and things leave ease of setup. After a short conversation, it was clear an inflatable media wall solution would not only be perfect to fill the space, but also provide a large enough background for larger group photos, with the ability to re-use it for future O-weeks and events.

Designing a Custom Made Inflatable Photo Wall

To start with, all we had was the graphics provided to us by the team at ECU. With the dimensions of their potential sites confirmed, we locked in a size of 5.18m x 2.5m finished dimensions, with a surface dimension of 6m, accounting for the curve in the wall for stability.

Due to the nature of air rounding out inflatables, it is sometimes difficult to get a “flat” surface, as the front and back faces try to separate as the inflatable expands. To make this blow up photo wall sit correctly and not lose shape, internal tethers were going to be required. One compromise is that it appears to have a “pillow” effect. The team at ECU understood this, though had one final request.

As this idea was fleshed out, the thought about using this for a wider range of events was brought up, of which some ran during early evening or at night. Being made from polyester, this lent itself well to being internally illuminated via LED lighting. This was added to the brief and confirmations were arranged. Due to the straightforward design process, no 3D design was required, saving time overall.

Approval to Production

With the final checks of dimensions and the curvature being confirmed to give the unit the stability it needed, we moved to generate final confirmation documents for ECU to sign off on. The confirmations included print type (CMYK), a flat version of the artwork scaled to 6m, as well as a top down shot of the construction showing finished dimensions. We also provided examples of the “pillowing effect”, so there were no surprises. With the Open Day just weeks away, the Team at ECU reviewed the design and approved the construction of the blow up photo wall and we got to work. 

Construction of the Custom Made Inflatable Photo Wall

With sign off done, our Production Team got to work printing the material for the front panel, and then cutting the material required for the back and sides of the inflatable media wall. One thing that was needed was the use of black material, to stop the light bleeding around the inflatable when the internal lighting was turned on, giving the inflatable a much cleaner look overall. 

Before we knew it, the Production Team had completed the unit and was already doing the final checks. Due to the nature of every custom inflatable being a little bit different, we always test every inflatable to ensure the blowers efficiency, and that they do not over-pressurise the inflatable. 

The Team at ECU got their wall 5 working days prior to the Open Day event, giving them time to have a practice run through, setting and packing the inflatable media wall up and down; this is something we always recommend to do so you are not scrambling on the morning of the event wondering, “How do I do this?” 

The Inflatable Media Wall in Action

The great thing about a custom made inflatable photo wall is that it provides multiple photo opportunities, making it an unforgettable experience for many event attendees. Such an impact is what many companies and organisations dream to achieve. 

So was the event a success? From seeing all the user photos shared online, we believe it speaks for itself.

There are many different ways we could have achieved a custom made inflatable photo wall, and the beauty of it is there is no right or wrong way, it is all about what works for you! We have developed many custom inflatables and deliver things just like the blow up photo wall Australia wide. If you would like to discuss designs and pricing, feel free to get in touch with our team of experts today.