Masayoshi Matsumoto (mahsay-OH-shee mat-suh-MOHtoh) makes animal sculptures using only one material: balloons! The Japanese artist works with opaque, metallic, and translucent latex balloons to create sculptures depicting a variety of creatures.

Matsumoto chooses realistic colors for each animal. Then he inflates the balloons and twists or folds them to craft each critter. He twisted blue and white balloons to make the hermit crab’s shell, above left, and he used dark orange curved balloons for the legs. To make the flamingo’s body, above right, he folded pink balloons and added longer balloons for the S-shaped neck and lanky legs.