Istanbul attracts all sorts of heroes and magnificent freaks. And I am not talking about Sean Connery or Liam Neeson.
Meet Thomas, who calls himself the Bouncy Castle Ambassador. “My ultimate mission is to bring this bouncy castle to the children all over the world, especially to the children who might never have a chance to enjoy a bouncy castle elsewhere,” he shared with me one chilly morning in Istanbul. On the 11th of October, the yellow walls of his inflatable fortification were set up in the city for the first time, after a prolonged struggle with Turkish bureaucracy. Something seems slightly off with the notion that in order to organize non-profit fun for refugee children in such a big city, you need to make a double flip in the air and flap your ears, begging the authorities to process the permit.
Finally, the event was organized with the help of the Assyrian church in Tarlabaşi and held nearby one of the Armenian churches in the Samatya district. A few dozen children came together with their families and ended up hopping and skipping around the bouncy castle for almost 4 hours straight, while parents dedicated their time to snacking and drinking tea. How can an average 3-year-old jump for 4 hours non-stop? You might want to ask yourself at that age.
Thomas left his native Munich in late August 2014. Moving through Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia onwards to Turkey, he has been aided by SOS Children’s Villages International, which helped him organize space and time to inflate his yellow castle, and promote the event among the local communities. According to his blog logs, the largest bounce-fest occurred in Lucavica, Bosnia, where about 220 children showed up.
Back in Munich, Thomas worked for an NGO that delivered bouncy castles and other equipment to schools. “They had a faulty one and were going to throw it away, so I thought, hey, I can take it and patch the holes,” he told me. “Not sure how I managed to do it, but now it is a fully functional and awesome yellow bouncy castle!“
Now here you might be already wondering: is he a crazy circus runaway? Does he dress up in clown costumes? Can we hire him for a private beach party? Does he sleep inside the castle while he travels? Is he single? Is there an age limit for the event attendees? How many kilos of children can this particular castle withstand? How much money does the guy make out of this enterprise anyway?
On that last point, I have only this to say: how dare you. Bouncy castles and money should never be mentioned together in one sentence. “Bouncy castle” stands for Best Offbeat Unit (Commonly Yellow) Creating Atmosphere for Sober Tumbling and Legal Entertainment. This is what Thomas insists on: bouncy castles must be free and accessible for everyone.
While Thomas’s initial plan included driving in his magical blue van through Kurdistan, Iran, Pakistan and India, it seems that visa and documentation issues are creating impassable obstacles to bringing the bouncy castle on the Silk Road. Meanwhile, the yellow bouncy castle is staying in Istanbul for a while, searching for new invitations from local NGOs and individuals to set it up anywhere in the city and beyond.
You can read the Bouncy Castle blog, follow updates on Facebook and listen to Thomas’s interview in German on Bayern 2.
