Viva Las Vegas for balloon artist Darren as ‘Chucky' costume scoops top awards
He said: 'The theme this year was 'Summerween', so I made Chucky.
'I thought it would be really cool to do the iconic character.
'He's instantly recognisable and when the crowds on Freemont Street saw it, they just went nuts.'
Originally from England, Darren has lived here with his wife and children for more than 30 years.
He started balloon modelling after stepping in to help his neighbour when a performer hired for an event failed to show up.
Darren wanted to challenge himself to create elaborate balloon pieces. Soon he was addicted.
His work has gained attention all over the world.
This is the second year in a row he has entered The Bling Bling Jam in Las Vegas.
Last year he received the entertainers award.
'It was extra special winning this because it was the only year that they ran the award,' he said.
'This year it wasn't running, so I decided to go for the costume competition because I had made a few wearable balloon costumes in the past.
'I had made a pair of dungarees before for Blue Peter presenter Lindsey Russell.
'She was able to dance about the set and even sit on the couch wearing them.
'So I figured I'd be able to make something similar for the Chucky costume and I knew it would be able to stand up to the elements.'
It took Darren over 10 hours to create it using over 400-plus balloons.
'I basically stayed up all night before in my room creating the costume,' he explained.
'It took about three hours for the dungarees themselves, then I had to make the hands and feet, the longest was probably the head.
'The hair all had to be woven in together and then the nose and eyes and eyebrows.
'I designed it in a way that I had a good range of movement wearing it, so I could dance and run around and swish the 'knife', which really helped with the character of it.
'I needed to have the hands and head all oversized because it worked well as an entire piece and I think the judges were impressed by the complexity of it all.'
The latex balloons Darren uses are 100% biodegradable and made from a sustainable source.
Heat was a slight issue, however, in Nevada.
'On the day of the parade it was about 50C,' he said.
'The trick with balloons is to keep them cold, and normally when I create something for delivery, I keep it in a big chest freezer for 24 hours to preserve it. It was impossible in the heat, but I made it work.
'I just love the creativity when working with balloons. They make people happy and you can create absolutely anything with balloons and start from a blank canvas — within reason, of course.'
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