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Log InJon Pessin, Licensed Goof-Off
- Libertyville, IL
- Balloon Twister
- Travels up to 1.5 hours
- $125 and up
Overview
Jon Pessin is a clever, creative character who's completely content to create a collection of custom creatures and a bunch of balloon beasts for your celebratory convocation!
Performing all around the Libertyville area, Jonathan makes balloons, runs games, and otherwise entertains children ages 3 and up with a friendly, goofy persona which is perfect for any event from business openings to birthday parties, from company picnics to school assemblies. With reasonable rates and occasional discounts, Jon is the perfect performer for your party.
13 Reviews
Jon was fabulous! Our 6 year old daughter had a pirate themed birthday party. Jon held all 30 kids attention while playing games and doing balloon art. It was a very memorable party and Jon made it super fun! Would absolutely recommend him for any gathering. He was on time (early!!) and managed his time well during the party between games and balloon twisting. Easy to talk to and communicate with as well prior to the party. We would for sure use Jon again!
Children’s Party Entertainment, Pirate Entertainment, Balloon Twister
Jon came to our photography studio as Santa and was absolutely amazing! His personality and character was perfect and he truly made our event magical! He knew exactly how to interact with the kiddos and was incredibly patient with the littles who were nervous. He gave us great opportunities for smiling photos looking at the camera and then interacted with the kids to give us amazing in-the-moment images as well. We will be booking with him again this year and can't wait for another amazing event! Thank you so much, Jon! You are the BEST! :o)
Santa Claus
Jon is as professional as they come. He is on-time, respectful, and extremely great at his job. We recently worked with him for a Santa gig and he was so good with the children. He is kind and patient. We will definitely call him again!
Santa Claus
Response from Jon Pessin, Licensed Goof-Off:
Thank you very much! Please call me if you need Santa again in the future!
We all loved Santa and plan to have him back! He was amazing, good with kids and adults and was just overall great with the kids. Thank you Santa you made my daughters birthday wonderful.
Children’s Party Entertainment, Santa Claus
I appreciated his positivity and jovial mood at our event. He was clearly a great act for our 7 year old and his friends. They loved the balloon swords. Thanks again, Jon!
Children’s Party Entertainment
Photos from this event
Santa Jon was the whole package!! Highly recommend ....!!
Santa Jon was on time, easy to work with and great personality. He brought tears of joy to adults eyes as his words flowed like magic in a theatrical tone. Between reading a story, singing (amazing voice) and sharing Santa secrets of how his sleigh flies he captured the attention of 8 small children. Their eyes never left him!
His jolly laugh made us all wonder.... "did we just meet the real Santa?"
Santa Claus
Jon did an excellent job as Santa! All my daycare parents were very impressed. He was in character the whole time and made the children feel comfortable around him. Loved having him as our Santa! It was a great experience for everyone!
Santa Claus
Response from Jon Pessin, Licensed Goof-Off:
Thank you very much, Lisa! I’d love to come back next year to read to the children again sometime!
Photos from this event
St. Clare Parish was pleased to have the balloon twisting entertainment provided by Jon Pessin, Balloonatic & Licensed Goof-Off for the kids and kids-at-heart attending the St. Clare Street Fair Sept. 20, 2015. We are keeping him in mind for our next event.
Balloon Twister
I was looking for a real bearded santa...and Joe filled the order perfectly. He voice was in character and he spoke directly to the small kids. He entertained them (and the adults) while he made balloon animals. I'd recommend him to my friends.
Santa Claus, Balloon Twister
Response from Jon Pessin, Licensed Goof-Off:
Dawn,
Thanks a ton!
...Even though my name's Jon. :-)
Jon was easy to do business with, showed up on time, and did a great job at our community event.
Balloon Twister
• Upon his arrival he immediately began to approach the children and create balloon hats for all
• Very friendly and accommodating
• Never sat down continued to approach both adults and children during the whole time
• Mr. Pessin had a very friendly and gentle appearance which enabled the children to approach him with their requests without intimidation
• To sum up my perception of Mr. Pessin is that he was professional ,punctual , accommodating, friendly , great with the children and talented.
Children’s Party Entertainment, Balloon Twister
Jon entertained all the kids with his ballon twisting! Would definitely have him again!
Balloon Twister
Response from Jon Pessin, Licensed Goof-Off:
Lori,
Thanks again for hiring me! I enjoyed myself, and I'm glad the kids did, too.
-Jon Pessin
Balloonatic & Licensed Goof-Off
Jon is funny, friendly, and likeable, and he loves working with kids. He can make so many different kinds of balloon art and it's obvious that he has fun doing it. I would recommend him to anyone who needs a little something special to brighten up their event!
Balloon Twister
Response from Jon Pessin, Licensed Goof-Off:
Thank you, Ali! It was a pleasure twisting at your party. Here's hoping you have me back for 2013!
Booking Info
Price Range: $125 and up
Gig Length: 60 - 480 minutes
Languages: English
Insurance: $1,000,000 - Insurance provided by the World Clown Association. Additional Insured status available upon request for an additional $35 fee if contacted 2 weeks in advance.
Unions: World Clown Association
What to Expect
You can expect Jon to arrive at your event on time (or up to fifteen minutes early, if requested), in costume and fully supplied and prepared. You can either hire him to wander at your event and make balloons individually for children and other attendees or to give a short (half-hour) performance of balloon creation, followed by balloon twisting for attendees. During his "free range ballooning" time, Jon will make jokes and otherwise entertain attendees, in addition to making balloons.
If hired to run games for your party, Jon will allow you to choose a selection of games from a list for him to run. He will appear at your event 20-30 minutes before his start time in order to set up. He will provide all necessary supplies in order to run the games requested, and will run games for the requested amount of time.
Jon generally makes relatively simple one- or two-balloon creations for general attendees, with more involved and complicated options available for VIPs such as the birthday child.
About
Jon Pessin has been twisting balloons for more than twenty years, both in costume as a clown and in plainclothes. In this time, he's performed for church picnics, birthday parties, restaurant openings, family reunions, and holiday gatherings. With a BA in Theater and extensive experience working with children, Jon is eminently capable of entertaining youngsters ages 3 to 12 (or even older, if they're interested). His current balloon persona isn't a clown (in order to avoid frightening anyone with a phobia) but is a colorfully dressed, wacky character.
Additional Booking Notes
When hiring Jon, please try to have an estimate of the number of people you're expecting at your event, so that he can make sure that he's got enough balloons for everyone (plus a little extra to account for popping).
Jon can accept payment in advance through Paypal or Square invoice, or payment on the day of the event through cash, credit card, or certified/corporate checks made out to "Jon Pessin".
Services Offered
Past Booked Events
| June 10, 2023 • 11:00am - 2:00pm | Festival |
| January 14, 2023 • 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Children’s Birthday Party |
| December 23, 2022 • 6:00pm - 6:45pm | Christmas Party |
| December 04, 2022 • 10:00am - 12:00pm | Christmas Party |
| November 30, 2019 • 2:00pm - 4:00pm | Corporate Event |
Set List
Balloons I can create:
Puppy dog
Poodle
Pregnant poodle
Dachsund/weiner dog
Mouse
Tiger
Lion
Giraffe
Brontosaurus
Stegosaurus
Horse
Moose
Anteater
Alligator
Teddy Bear
Bunny rabbit
Hat
Tulip
'Dr. Seuss' Tulip
Elephant
Koala
Monkey
Jonah in the Whale
Rocking Horse
Bat
Swan
Kissing lovebirds
Butterfly
Parrot
Sword
Broadsword
Hammer
Palm tree
Heart
Star
Koala or monkey in a palm tree
Sword belt
Daisy hat
Dragon
Teddy bear holding a tulip
Teddy bear holding a *bouquet* of tulips
Octopus
Bicycle
The Pink Panther, riding atop a black motorcycle
Daisy
And even more!
Influences & Inspiration
When Jon was in third grade, he went to a kid's retreat. At that retreat, in addition to way too much junk food and games, they had a balloonist. During the first gathering, that balloonist made a balloon sculpture of the Pink Panther riding on the back of a black motorcycle.
Jon was *enthralled.* He went right up to that balloon twister and asked how he learned to do that. "I practiced," came the reply. "I got some balloons, read some books, looked up some designs on the internet, and I practiced.
Well, when Jon get home, he got some balloons, read some books, looked up some designs on the internet, and he practiced, too.
Setup Requirements
A small amount of space to store extra balloons as needed
Somewhere to ply my trade.