South Shore Joeys
Educational Video Tape Reviews


"Balloon Twisting for Fun and Profit"
by Keith Johnson

© KMJ Educational Programs. This is a great tape with a little something for everyone, Keith is a former Barnum and Bailey clown. The balloons that are taught are relatively simple and aimed at the beginner, for the more advanced balloonist there is an example of a birthday party and working a restaurant. This is the second time I've watched this tape. When I was starting balloons a few years back I found it helpful for the technique, this time I found it useful to watch the presentation and business aspects.

He also has a website at http://members.aol.com/Keithbooks/index.html.

Reviewed by Randy “John Q” White,  October 2002

This is available from the ABLE Public Library system. The call number for this tape is J VCR 282 from the Norton Public Library.


"How to Play the Spoons, music from the kitchen" by "Spoon Man" Jim Cruise

(c) 1998 Spoon Man, Inc. Did you ever wonder what to do with that back to back spoon thing jammed in a block of wood you got at the last convention, yard sale, auction? Well, this tape will teach you how to play it! Two methods of holding the spoons are demonstrated, how to select a set of spoons, the basic techniques, and seven basic rhythms are demonstrated. The end is a presentation / performance of several different music types and examples. I got this tape on a lark and it's been worth every minute. We ran out of renewals and had to take it back to the library :-(. In summary this tape is a lot of fun and well worth the 30 minutes invested to watch it (I'll bet you'll watch it more than once).

It is available from Richards Memorial Library, call number J vt 786.873 H83. I'm putting this one on my to buy list. Video and more info available at www.getspooned.com


"Magic with Zippo the Clown", a magic teaching video.

He goes through some very basic magic tricks obviously targeted at teaching young children. But the presentation style leaves a lot to be desired, not particularly entertaining and by the third time he says "and here's another fun trick..." we had pretty much had it. We watched the whole thing hoping it would improve but alas... no luck. Well they can't all be winners. Avoid this one, it get's the big zippo on my rating scale.


"Balloon Sculpture 101", this is a video by T. Myers.

As the title suggests this is a beginner's video, so if you're already comfortable with balloons then check out some more advanced balloon videos. However, if you're just learning balloons or are not yet comfortable with them, this video is for you. The presentation is smooth and easy going through all the basics.


"Let's Start Juggling", video by Bret Wengeler

(c) 1997 MVP Home Entertainment. The first half of this tape concerns learning the cascade with balls followed by a short performance demonstrating different styles. The second half goes over simple tricks, eating an apple, four and five balls, club basics followed by club demonstration with tricks. If you are just a beginning juggler or lookgin to improve your skills and expand your juggling then you should find this tape helpful. If you are a beginner then start at the beginning; if you already know how to juggle the cascade then skip the first twenty minutes or so and move on to the next level. Helpful hint from Bret, use the slow motion setting on your VCR so you can really watch the pattern and techniques being used. I spotted a few mistakes I have been making by watching this way. I recommend this tape if juggling is something you want to add to your bag of tricks. Also if you teach juggling there are some good ideas here for teaching methods as well.

This tape is only 52 minutes long and is available from Richards Memorial Library, the call number is: J vt 793.87 B755