We hired Scott for our daughter's 8th birthday party. He is fantastic! The kids loved watching and…read moreparticipating in some of the acts. He held their attention the entire time. Scott is very animated and knows his audience. Perfect for birthday parties! Thank you Scott!

Scott was the magician at my sons 6th birthday. We had 30 people. It was so fun! We all enjoyed it…read more He was great with the kids! All the parents have texted me since saying their kids are doing magic at home now too. I would hire him again.

Smarty Pants was fantastic at our recent event AND each and every time I've seen him perform over…read morethe years - which is many times (because many people see how amazing he is)!! It's not just his talent with super fun and surprising balloon characters but his adaptive nature and outstanding personality, engaging everyone at the parties/events. I would absolutely recommend him for all types of occasions : private or big birthday parties, festivals, block parties, - anywhere there will be children!! He is one less thing at your party you need to worry about because he is a sure thing! Truly, he is a whole family favorite!!

What a fun performer. I came across him at the Park Ridge Kiwanis annual pancake breakfast, where…read morehe was doing some entertaining mostly for the kids but definitely for the adults as well. It's through him that I heard of the Central Street Busker Festival that took place the next day and his line was loooong! Most recently, we went to his show last week that the Mt. Prospect Public Library held for spring break. That was very very well attended, with a long line of folks waiting to get in (and that's with all of us registered to attend!), but the show was a lot of fun. He did a little magic, a little comedy, and some fun balloon tricks. This guy has been doing this all his adult life--unless that's also a joke and part of his act--but regardless, he's great at his job. I'm looking forward to seeing him again and my little one having the chance to pick her balloon creation on her own.

We had Steve perform a science presentation for my TV show, Steve Gadlin's Star Makers…read more Steve is great. He was a joy to work with from start to finish. He arrived on time, gave a stellar performance, and made a whole bunch of people very happy. Steve's performance style is incredibly accessible, and entertaining for people of all ages. His science will astound! He's a seasoned pro at commanding an audience. His performance is so dynamic and fun. Book Steve for something different... you won't be sorry. I'm looking forward to seeing him perform again!

Great balloons and talent. He was great with kids. Easy to get ahold of and pay. Overall happy we…read moredid it.

I had the pleasure of having Mr Bob at my kids event on July 16th, 2017. Let me tell you, Mr Bob…read moredoes not disappoint! he was able to do entertain the kids very much, he always had a smile on his face and he was patient with the kids and made sure most of the kids(we had a big group) interacted. Best of all, He is Professional and prompt. I got many compliments, so I have to pass them along to you Mr Bob. Thank you very much for making my kids event a Successful one. To Mr Bob : My kids are still talking about your show, the other day they were having a discussion on how Mr Bob was so nice in letting them help you with a Magic trick. Thanks again Mr, Bob, hope to work with you again in the future!

After searching and searching I found Mr. Bob to entertain my son's 2nd birthday. He called me to…read moretalk about the day about two weeks before, then a day before, and showed up on time with all of his tricks the day of. He kept all of the kids entertained for about 45-50 mins with all of his magic and comedy. I had boys and girls that spanned 1 1/2 yrs to 11 and everyone over the age of four told me how awesome the magic show was and it was the best birthday party ever. His website states that his show is better received by kids ages 3 and up, and although that did prove to be true, the four 2 year olds I had there were still mesmerized by him for a good 15-20 mins. The adults also enjoyed the show. I highly recommend Mr. Bob for any birthday party entertainment. He was personable, prompt, incredibly nice and worth every penny.

James provided entertainment for our 28 guests at Pomeroy Winnetka after dinner. He has a unique…read moregift of not just being an incredible magician but also has a great personality. He interacted up close and personal with our guests, got them laughing, and amazed. I am sure they are still telling there friends about that evening! I will also add that he worked extremely hard to keep everyone's attention focused on him and not the distractions of the restaurant. In the end I can firmly say HE WON!!

We hired James for a company conference and he was great to work with! He quickly responded to our…read moreinquiry and was very prompt and communicative throughout the planning process. He put on a great show for our employees and everyone enjoyed it. Lots of laughs, surprises, and audience participation. Would definitely recommend!

John put on a great show for a park district event in an auditorium. The kids and adults were very…read moreengaged, amazed, and we all laughed a lot. His show included live birds and sawing a kid in half! I've seen 3 other popular magicians in the Chicagoland area, and John has the best show for all ages that didn't include adult humor and didn't have a repetitive joke or noise that was overused.

Probably the most surprising, fun, and entertaining birthday magic show ever! I loved it even as an…read moreadult!

Scott is the best! He is engaging, flexible, thoughtful and 100% focussed on ensuring the…read moreexperience is memorable. I spent 9 months in the Middle East as a member of the Army Reserve and wanted to do something special to surprise my 6 year old triplets at their elementary school. Scott immediately "got it" and planned the perfect surprise that built up to an incredible moment. He was also an excellent ambassador to the school to ensure every aspect of the surprise was expertly synchronized. Scott, thank you!!!!

We called Scott for our daughter's 6th birthday tea party. He responded promptly, was friendly and…read morefunny, yet professional. He arrived on time and ,even though he was greeted by 12 super excited (and slightly impatient) little girls, he quickly engaged the crowd, and had both children and adults oohing and aahing and giggling in no time. I have heard back from several parents that their kids are still proclaiming that to be the best party ever. Most importantly, our daughter was THRILLED. So, mission accomplished, and 5 stars from us. Thanks, Scott!

We had Michael at my son's 7th birthday party and it was a HUGE hit. He was able to make multiple…read moreballoon pieces for each of the kids and also did some magic which was a great surprise. Arrived right on time, no real set up time, had his own music and was great with the kids. Would highly recommend!

They did a great job of entertaining the children at our event. Between the face painting, balloon…read moretwister, and magic show kids left with smiles on their faces

For my son's 5th birthday party, Liga and Melissa did a tremendous job with their magic show. They…read morewere extremely professional, timely, and very responsive via email when I booked them. My son and his classmates (20+ kids) were absolutely delighted with the magic show! I would highly recommend hiring them.

I was looking for face painters and balloon artists for our block party and found Gonzo Group. I…read morewas particularly drawn by Melissa's bio and how she was afraid of clowns when she was younger but nowadays, she performs as a comedy clown. I had a great experience with Liga and Melissa. Great communication, very professional. The kids had a blast with their painted arms/faces and the balloons -- you should have seen the epic balloon sword fights. They were nothing but accommodating and would definitely book them again. Highly recommended!

I'm sure I've hit a world record for character rentals. I know lots of options when it comes to…read morefind Spiderman, Elsa and other princesses. However, this year my kids challenged me with wanting the following characters at their bday parties: one of the My Little Ponies, Pikachu (Pokemon) and Elmo. While I had to go elsewhere to find the pony (probably the most challenging of the requests), Blazing Birthdays was one of the few character rental companies that had both Pikachu and Elmo. I was most impressed with their communication. Their managing director, Scarlett, was super helpful on the phone and followed up with a very detailed email after our initial phone call. After hearing a bit about my parties we decided on 1 1/2 hours for Pikachu (30 min of Pikachu followed by an hour of balloon twisting) for 25ish five year olds. And then 1 hour of Elmo (30 min of Elmo followed by 30 min of balloon twisting) for 25ish two year olds. I received a call from the characters the night before both parties, which is a first in my many years of character rentals. I could tell by their voicemails alone that they were going to great...and I was right. Colman was Pikachu and ran around our party screeching "pika pika"- the kids absolutely loved playing with him. After 30 min of playing pikachu disappeared and Colman appeared ready to twist a lot of balloons, mostly swords for this crowd of 4 and 5 year old boys. He was also really great w/ the kids and had no problem getting their attention. Catherine was Elmo. She ran into some traffic issues so was a few min late to the party, but texted to let me know and was very apologetic so it was no big deal. I was a little afraid of how such little ones (one and two year olds) would react to Elmo, but she was super sweet with them and they loved her. She (or he) gave a bunch of hugs, posed for pictures and even danced around for them while they ate. And then after Elmo helped my son blow out the candles she reappeared for some balloon twisting. Half the crowd disappeared at this point to make it home for nap time, but the ones who stuck around really enjoyed the balloons...especially my 7 yr old who took advantage and probably had 5 balloons made for just herself. There are a lot of options when it comes to character rentals, but Blazing Birthdays is the first one I would call next time. Professional, reliable and priced fairly as well. Thank you Pikachu and Elmo for making my boys birthdays extra special!

We rented out the Elmo Character for my daughters first Birthday. Prices are not listed on the…read morewebsite but if you call the number (I believe her name is Lynn) is almost always available to answer questions and give information. She's very friendly and nice. The open communication is great. They offer a wide variety of services from characters to magicians, clowns, face paint and balloon artists. Elmo was wonderful. He was on time and not in a rush to leave when his hour was up. He was really great with the kids. We played games like limbo and sang interactive songs. Elmo read books to the kids and posed for pictures. The energy level was great and all the guests left happy.