Desktop Wacky Inflatable Man!

Have you ever seen those wacky inflatable tube men outside car dealerships and thought, “I want one of those on my desk”? In this Instructable, I’ll show you how to make a desktop-sized wacky inflatable man using simple materials and a 3D printer.

The base of the inflatable man is easy to 3D print, and the tube itself is made from old kite nylon, which is lightweight, strong, and perfect for inflating. When it’s finished, you’ll have a mini inflatable guy that flops, wiggles, and dances just like the big ones—only smaller and way cooler because you made it yourself. It is a little bit rushed because I really wanted to put it in the decorate it contest, but I started making it 4 days before the contest ended, so it is not the best, but I will update and make it better if there are any issues.

This project is great if you like 3D printing, DIY projects, or just building fun stuff. You don’t need advanced skills, just some basic tools, patience, and creativity. Let’s get started and bring your own wacky inflatable man to life!

Note: I highly recommend reading this especially the radial fan in the 3D printing section

To build your desktop wacky inflatable man, you’ll need a few basic electronic parts and some 3D-printed pieces. Don’t worry—none of this is too complicated, and most of the parts are easy to find online (Some of the supplies are a little bit different in the picture then what I have listed, because what I have parts that I reused that I could not find online i also don't have the exact motor their so just pretend it is in the picture).

Motor For Radial Fan (with sleeve as bearing)

1. This motor is what creates the airflow that makes the inflatable man move. It’s small but spins really fast, which helps push air up into the nylon tube. You will have to take the motor out of the fan to put in the 3D printed radial fan.
2. Link to Fan

2× AA Battery Holder

1. This holds the two AA batteries that power the motor. It’s simple to use and keeps the batteries secure inside the base. The size of mine is 34.5 mm × 70.9 mm × 23 mm, so it’s a little bigger, but the 3D-printed base will fit but it will have to be hot glued in to fit this one:
2. Link To Battery Holder

On/Off Rocker Switch (SPST)

1. This switch lets you turn your wacky inflatable man on and off. When you flip the switch, power goes to the motor and the dancing starts. You only need one (If yo don't want to buy 5 just make sure the switch y you find is the same size). My switch is 15 mm × 10.4 mm × 20 mm, so this is the closest one I could find:
2. Link to Switch

Nylon / Polyester Fabric (for the inflatable man)

1. This fabric is what the inflatable man is made from. Nylon or polyester works best because it’s lightweight and holds air well. You can find this material around your house, like from an old kite (best option), a broken umbrella, a rain jacket, or a reusable shopping bag. Just make sure it’s thin and doesn’t stretch.
2. To seal the fabric, you can sew it together, use fabric glue, or carefully use hot glue on low heat. The goal is to make the seams airtight so air doesn’t leak out. I will go more in depth when we actually make the inflatable man.
3. Link for if you can't find any laying around
4. You will need about 1/4 yard for a 2" diameter and 10" tall inflatable man and for the arms

3D-Printed Parts

1. These parts make up the base of the project. They hold the motor, batteries, and switch in place and help guide the air into the inflatable man. You can print them yourself if you have a 3D printer, ask someone who has one, or use a company where you upload the files and they send the printed parts to you.
2. Radial Fan/Housing: the 3D model for the base was originally designed by cimo on Thingiverse, used with permission / under CC license. Here is the link to that. I also put the files on this page. I printed the housing and the fan with supports, but you really only need them for the fan. I don't have the right motor, so look at the Thingiverse description if you need help with getting the motor in the fan. Make sure that it is printed with high quality, since it is going to be spinning.
3. The Base: If something does not fit in the base I am sorry because some of my parts are a little different and I could not find it, but it should for the most part all of the parts I linked should fit pretty well to the base. I also printed the base with supports (which I highly recommend), but it is really up to you.
4. Fan Adapter: To adapt the fan mouth to the Inflatable man I designed an adapter. Make sure to print it upside down or else it won't stick to the build plate during printing. You also don't need supports.
5. Everything I printed was at 20% infill which I think was a little much and you probably could go a little lower. I also printed everything with PLA.

Hardware

1. I used machine screws from Lowes
2. Link to screws
3. You will also need some wires
4. You can use nuts that come with the screws from Lowes but sometimes they don't fit so brass heat inserts also work

Tools

1. Soldering Iron + Lead-Free Solder (for connecting wires)
2. Hot Glue Gun or Super Glue (for sealing fabric or securing parts)
3. Fabric Glue (optional, for making airtight seams)
4. Small Screwdriver (for screws)
5. Scissors or Hobby Knife (to cut fabric and clean up 3D-printed parts)

First, get your switch and your soldering iron and solder (if wires were not already soldered). Since our switch has no wires simply solder the 2 wires to the 2 metal contacts. Once you do that you can feed the wires through the front hole and push the switch in until it clicks in the base. Then solder one wire to a wire on the battery pack and wait to glue the battery pack in. DO NOT ATTACH THE MOTOR TO THE CIRCUIT YET.

Next, it’s time to build the fan housing. Start by placing the motor into the housing, making sure to use the sleeve for the bearing (there’s more information about that in this link) and feed the wires through the hole above where the battery pack will go. Then put the top cover on and use the screws to hold everything together. Don’t tighten the screws too much since the parts are plastic. The screws should go through the housing and into the nuts (or brass inserts) on the sides of the base. Next connect the battery pack wires to the motor wires and go ahead and turn it on. If you don't feel any air flow then print and use the reverse fan blade.

For this step, just add a small amount of hot glue (or super glue) and push the adapter onto the mouth of the fan. Make sure it’s fully seated and secure before moving on. Then we can also put a little glue

This step is where we make the actual inflatable man that will dance on top of the fan. It’s made from lightweight nylon or polyester fabric so air can easily fill it and make it flop around.

Cut the Fabric

1. Cut one rectangle of fabric for the body.
2. Height: about 8 inches
3. Width: about 1.75 inches in diameter (the width should not be any smaller than 1.2 inches or 31 mm or else it won't fit).
4. Cut two thin strips for the arms (about 1 inch wide and 3–4 inches long but make the width a little bit bigger to make sealing easier ).

Make the Body Tube

Roll the body fabric into a tube shape. Seal it by using fabric glue, sewing, or hot glue on low heat.

Make sure the seam is airtight, or air will leak and it won’t inflate well.

Add the Arms

Fold each arm strip in half lengthwise and seal the long edge to make small tubes.

Mark and cut a small slit NOT a round hole about 3 inches from the top that is about 1/2 inch (12–15 mm) long on each side of the body the slits should be roughly the same size as the arm width DO NOT MAKE THE SLITS VERTICAL.

Insert arms until they stick out a 1/4 inch inside the body then seal completely around where the arms connect to the body so no air leaks out there.

Leave the ends of the arms open.

This lets air escape and helps the inflatable man flop and wiggle instead of staying stiff.

Seal the Top

Pinch the top of the body tube closed, fold it over once or twice, and seal it with glue or sewing.

This traps the air inside the body.

Leave the Bottom Open

Do not seal the bottom.

This opening slides over the fan adapter and is where the air goes in. You can use tape, glue, or a zip tie later to make it airtight on the fan.

Decorating your Inflatable Man

For the face, I just drew it on with a marker, but you can do lots of other things too, like using stickers or googly eyes.

To give the arms a little more pizzazz, you can cut thin strips from the same fabric used for the inflatable guy and attach a few to the ends so they also flail around.

Remember get creative you don't have to make yours look exactly like mine.

This is very simple to do and there are many ways such as using zip ties, rubber bands, and glue (I used hot glue but hot glue and zip ties could work really well). Next take the bottom of your Inflatable Man and put him over the adapter and press down to seal and attach it. Make sure it is airtight.