Ballooning Brilliance: The Greatest Special Shape Balloons of All Time (Part 3 of 3)

Welcome to Part 3 of our blog series celebrating the most extraordinary special shape hot air balloons ever created from all around the world. From intricate structures to jaw-dropping creativity, we’re diving into some of the most incredible flying works of art ever to grace the skies. Get ready for our grand top five finale…

Hang on! If you haven’t seen the first two editions, check them out first - part 1 and part 2.

And if any of these five came to mind before we even began part one, well done - you truly are a dedicated admirer of special shapes.

5. T. rex

Reg: C-FDOG / G-BOGD (second version 1994 N457D / C-FFRS)
Type: CAMERON DINOSAUR-90
Year: 1988

Roooarrrrring into the top 5, we begin with the enormous T. rex!

Based in Canada, the giant green T. rex special shape is a jaw-dropping sight, with its tail, fierce claws and feet hanging down beneath the basket and on the ground. Each tooth alone is half the size of an average person. It’s a very lifelike balloon and even quite scary for kids when he stands up during hot inflation at festivals he attends!

Credit: Ballooning Pictures UK

4. The Grand Illusion

Reg: G-MAGC
Type: CAMERON GRAND ILLUSION
Year: 1995

Abracadabra! At number 4 is the Grand Illusion, featuring a playful rabbit perched atop a black top hat covered in silver stars, with cards in its pocket, holding a carrot and wearing a red-lined suit finished with black bow tie.

The Grand Illusion was designed and is still owned by Linas Mastis, an American special shape collector with 50 shapes in his private collection including the Superbike, George Bear, Bradford & Bingley, and other greats of the ballooning world.

It turned out to be much bigger than expected and before finalising the characteristics of the rabbit, many, and some extensive, design changes took place. This included the rabbit firstly holding a pack of cards and white can, which was changed to a carrot, and artwork changes to the pink of the ears and feet, outline of the teeth, and enlargement of the eyes.

It is also extremely heavy, virtually all built from hyperlast fabric. Forget magic trick, this balloon is one of sky’s real wonders.

Credit: Cameron Balloons

3. Suleiman the Magnificent

Reg: G-TURK
Type: CAMERON SULTAN-80
Year: 1988

Suleiman the Magnificent was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, ruling from 1520 to 1566. He is regarded as one of the greatest Ottoman rulers and a key figure in world history. Over 400 years later Malcolm Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine, also owner of the Harley Davidson and Chateau de Balleroy earlier in the series, placed an order at Cameron Balloons to build Suleiman in hot air form to represent Turkey. It would end up being one of the most mind-blowing special shape balloons ever created.

Forbes took the approximately 150ft tall balloon, depicted with a large turban, long robe, and staff, to Turkey in 1988 as part of the Forbes Magazine Friendship Trip to Turkey. Ten years later, as Suleiman was nearing the end of his flying life following many international appearances, it appeared at Belgium’s Sint-Niklaas festival on Grand Market beside another great; the Piper. Amazingly, Suleiman was built almost 10 years earlier than the Piper with much less knowledge on how to build tall character special shapes.

He is truly a masterpiece of history and imagination in flight.

Credit: Ballooning Pictures UK

2. Canadian Mountie

Reg: G-BXSW
Type: CAMERON MOUNTIE-120
Year: 1998

Taking the silver medal in our top 25 list is the Canadian Mountie, complete with the iconic red serge uniform, wide-brimmed brown hat, and black riding boots. The Mountie is mounted on a large black horse, fitted with a bridle and saddle that include fine detailing. The balloon's size and detailed design capture the commanding presence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

As one of the later builds in our 3-part series, this allowed Cameron Balloons to call on their extensive shape knowledge in constructing the Mountie, and it certainly shows. Wow! It still blows our mind that something this intricate and complex was even possible to build and display tethered, let alone be structurally sound enough to free fly. The Canadian Mountie stands out as one of the most remarkable special shape balloons ever.  

Credit: Ben Bläss

1. Disney’s Castle in the Sky

Reg: G-WALT
Type: CAMERON FLYING CASTLE
Year: 1991

Here we go then, the number one spot goes to… Disney’s Castle in the Sky.

The 145ft high Cinderella castle special shape is truly a marvel of design, perfectly capturing the magic and grandeur of Walt Disney’s iconic castle. The design features a series of blue and golden spires, detailed towers, and carefully crafted arches that give the structure an authentic fairytale feel. The castle rises from a cloud-like base, which adds depth to the design and creates the illusion of the castle floating in the sky.

Every part of the balloon, from the white cloud, textured brickwork to the vibrant pops of colour on the rooftops, demonstrates incredible attention to detail. This masterpiece is a testament to how special shape balloons can transform imagination into reality, earning its well-deserved place at the top of the list and our greatest special shape balloon of all time.

Credit: Cameron Balloons

Other close contenders for the list were: Levi Jeans, Safeway Trolley (built earlier than Tesco), G-HEAD, Bertie Bassett, Michelin Man, Forbes Macaw, Minar-e-Pakistan, George Bear, Papi the Pharamacist and the Monster (Trump), which would have been at number 26.

Enjoy a selection of additional images of our greatest 25 special shapes thanks to Ben Bläss and Ballooning Pictures UK. Look closely at the incredible detail.

And so, we reach the end. It’s been a fun project looking back at the best special shapes in history and I think our list is a very strong one. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.

Of course, you may disagree with a couple or have a balloon in mind that you think is worthy of the top 25 - if you do, let us know! For me personally I have been interested in special shape balloons from a very young age and been documenting and writing about them since 12 years old! The top 4 are pretty solid.

I hope we’ve managed to get across that this blog series was never about personal favourites or balloons you have fond memories of from your childhood, but purely from a design perspective and shapes which have the most complicated structures and details. If this list was based off popularity, it would be a completely different picture.

We are thinking of doing a similar series of greatest add-on round “special shapes” (special shape in the loose sense of the word) next - could be interesting, right?

Next time you’re looking up into the sky, don’t forget the enchanting, magical tower of wonder; Disney’s Castle in the Sky, that once graced it.

Until next time, thanks for reading! - Matt