In 2025 Molly Mae Ballooning partnered up with MJ Ballooning to assist Matt the owner in displaying some of the teams special shapes at events around the UK. We have two events planned with MJ Ballooning in 2025. The Bristol Balloon Fiesta and Longleat Icons Of The Sky. During these we will be helping out with displaying some of MJ’s collection and when the weather is suitable we will be flying G-CDXW a hot air balloon shaped like a delicious orange segment. This is a fantastic opportunity for both teams to collaborate over their shared love of ballooning and if all goes well there could be scope for further collaborations in the future!
MJ Ballooning is owned by Bristol based balloon enthusiast and collector Matt Joyce. Matt’s love for hot air balloons began as a young child growing up in Bristol.

One of his earliest memories is seeing the giant Scottish Piper balloon at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta in 2003, a moment that sparked a lifelong fascination with special shapes. Each summer, he returned to Ashton Court, mesmerised by designs like IKEA, Action Man, Chubb and Mister Bup. From his bedroom window, he’d watch the balloons fly, documenting info about all the balloons and dreaming of being part of it all. In 2014, aged just 14, he launched MJ Ballooning, a website to share photos, updates and event news, which quickly gained a loyal following.

He joined the Western Region club, began crewing with local teams, and by 2018 was working directly with Fiesta organisers to help promote their 40th anniversary, which featured the return of legendary shapes like the Superbike and Mr Peanut. In 2021, the dream moved from following balloons to owning them. Matt’s first purchase was G-LIPS - the “Hot Lips” balloon built for Flying Pictures. It was unveiled at a small tether in Ashton Court and sparked the beginning of a growing collection. Within weeks came the Ohoo Choc Dips tub, followed in 2022 by the Cameron Orange and the Maxwell House coffee jar. That same year, he teamed up with a friend to acquire Slick the Dragon, a huge and technically demanding shape that had long fascinated him.

2023 saw even more big arrivals: Snow White, a towering 47-metre figure from Germany, and Sonic the Hedgehog, which returned from the United States and was inflated to a huge public reaction on the opening day of the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. Later that year came perhaps the most meaningful addition; Action Man, one of the very balloons that had inspired Matt as a child, revealed in front of a crowd of 500+ at Ashton Court with coverage from both BBC and ITV. Since 2023, the J&B whisky bottle, Ralph the Rozière, Nivea roll-on deodorant and Miracle Man “Jesus” special shapes have followed taking the total to 12.

Running a collection of special shape balloons is no small task. Each one comes with its own challenges from transport and storage to careful inflation and maintenance, and none of it would be possible without the small, dedicated team of friends who support Matt. Today, MJ Ballooning is known across the UK ballooning scene and beyond, with a popular website, social media presence, and YouTube channel now surpassing three million views. But at its heart, it remains the same dream - preserving and flying these rare balloons not just for nostalgia, but to spark that same sense of wonder in others that Matt felt as a boy looking up at the sky.

For further information, blogs, photos and more please visit the MJ Balloon Website here -