How Much Do Custom Inflatable Props Cost? A Buyer’s Pricing Guide

One of the first questions people ask when they start planning a bespoke inflatable is simple: how much is this going to cost?

The answer depends on far more than size alone. Two inflatables that are both 3 metres tall can have very different prices depending on shape, printing, materials, fire-retardant requirements and how complicated they are to manufacture. On most of our designs, LED or RGB lighting is already included at no extra charge.

This guide gives you a realistic idea of what affects custom inflatable pricing, shows current examples from the Trippy Creations range, and explains what information helps us build an accurate quote.

What Do Custom Inflatable Props Cost?

There is no single fixed price for a custom inflatable because every brief is different. A smaller existing design with simple colour changes will normally cost less than a completely new oversized structure with custom printing and specialist materials.

Current products on our website give a useful sense of scale:

• 2m LED inflatable fish: from around £265
• 1.5m giant inflatable flower: from around £285
• 3m giant unicorn: around £700–£789 depending on design
• Custom inflatable rainbow: around £975.90
• 5m giant blue octopus: around £1,100
• 8m inflatable whale: around £1,500
• 11m giant orange octopus: around £2,590

These are examples from our current range rather than a universal price list for custom work. Bespoke quotes can sit above or below these figures depending on the design, and prices may change over time. Your final quotation is always the figure to work from.

Why Does Size Affect the Price?

Larger inflatables require more fabric, more sewing, more internal structure and often more powerful blower systems. They can also require extra reinforcement because the forces acting on a 6m or 10m structure are very different from those acting on a 1.5m prop.

That is why increasing a design from 2m to 4m is not always as simple as doubling one number on a price list. The construction itself can change.

Shape Complexity Matters Just as Much as Size

A simple sphere, star or rounded shape is relatively efficient to manufacture. A character with multiple limbs, curved sections, facial features or unusual proportions takes more pattern development and more sewing time.

Complex designs may also need internal supports or shape adjustments so they inflate properly and still look right from the angles that matter at your event.

Does Adding a Logo Increase the Cost?

Not always. Some of our inflatable props can include a customer logo at no additional charge, depending on the design and how the branding needs to be applied.

More complex printed artwork, large printed areas or highly detailed custom graphics can still affect the price, so the best option is to send us your logo and the prop you are interested in and ask what is included.

For clean logo reproduction, vector artwork is preferable where possible. If you only have a JPEG or PNG, send it over anyway and we can advise you.

Is LED Lighting Included in the Price?

Yes — LED lighting is included free on the majority of our inflatable designs. Most props are supplied with either internal LED lights or RGB strip lighting already built into the inflatable, so there is no extra installation labour for the customer.

The lighting kit is fitted as part of the prop and a remote control is included. You simply set the inflatable up using the supplied system rather than having to source and fit lighting separately.

The main exceptions are designs such as our spiders and inflatable octopus tentacles, which do not normally include internal lighting. If you would prefer a prop without lights, just ask and we can discuss that with you too.

How Much Is the Fire-Retardant Upgrade?

Our fire-retardant upgrade starts from £100, depending on the size and design of the inflatable.

For this upgrade, the standard Oxford fabric is changed to a strong plain-weave nylon suitable for the required fire-retardant specification.

The relevant B1/C1 certification paperwork is included in the package, so you have the supporting documents available for your venue, event organiser or safety team.

If your venue has a specific fire-safety requirement, tell us before production so we can quote and manufacture the correct version from the beginning.

What Is the £85 Custom Design Stage?

For bespoke projects that need a new design file, we use a £85 custom design stage before manufacture begins.

This covers the work involved in translating your idea into an inflatable-ready design, checking proportions and details, and giving you an opportunity to approve the concept before physical production starts.

If you proceed with the final inflatable order, the £85 is deducted from the value of that order. It is not an extra £85 added on top of the agreed production price.

Not every enquiry needs to purchase the design-stage listing directly. If you are unsure, send us your idea first and we can tell you what the project needs.

Does Quantity Change the Price?

Often, yes. Producing several pieces together can be more efficient than treating every item as a completely separate job.

If your event needs multiple matching props, a collection of characters or several versions of the same design, tell us from the start. Bundle pricing may be available depending on the project.

What About Shipping, VAT, Customs and Import Taxes?

Delivery requirements are considered alongside production because a large bespoke order still needs to reach your event safely and on time. We regularly ship international event orders and can work around fixed event deadlines.

Where we use our DDP shipping route, we cover all customs charges and import taxes associated with that shipment. This means the agreed DDP route is designed to avoid the customer being presented with an unexpected customs or import-tax bill when the order arrives.

UK VAT is applied where relevant. Your quotation will show the figures applicable to your order, along with the agreed delivery method, so you can work from the confirmed total rather than trying to calculate a bespoke project from website examples alone.

How Can I Keep a Custom Inflatable Within Budget?

If you have a target budget, tell us. It is much easier to design around a realistic figure from the beginning than to develop something enormous and then try to strip the cost out afterwards.

Depending on the brief, we may be able to explore:

• A smaller overall size
• A simpler silhouette
• Using an existing design as the starting point
• Reducing complex printed areas
• Choosing standard colours where appropriate
• Ordering several related pieces together
• Prioritising the features that will have the biggest visual impact at the event

The aim is not to make the prop look cheap. It is to spend the budget on the parts guests will actually notice.

What Should I Send for an Accurate Quote?

You do not need a formal procurement document. A good starting enquiry includes:

• A description, sketch, logo, reference photo or moodboard
• Approximate size
• Quantity
• Your event date
• Delivery country
• Indoor or outdoor use
• Whether you would like the standard included LED/RGB lighting, prefer no lighting, or are enquiring about a design such as a spider or octopus tentacle where internal lighting is not normally included
• Whether the design needs printed branding
• How you expect the inflatable to be displayed or installed
• Any fire-retardant requirements
• Your target budget, if you already have one

The more context we have, the more useful the first quote can be.

A Custom Inflatable Is a Reusable Event Asset

The cheapest decoration is not always the lowest-cost option in the long run. A bespoke inflatable can be deflated, stored and reused across multiple events, activations or seasons when it is looked after correctly.

For event companies, venues and brands, that means the cost can be considered across several uses rather than one evening.

Recent Custom Commission: WKD, Wave and Kelly’s

A recent bespoke commission shows exactly what we mean by custom inflatable production. These oversized branded cubes were created for WKD, Wave and Kelly’s, with the artwork, colours and proportions developed specifically around the brief rather than taken from a standard catalogue design.

Projects like this can combine custom logos, large-scale printed panels and a made-to-order shape while still arriving as a practical inflatable system for the customer’s own event or installation team to position.

If you have a campaign, product, venue or brand that needs something completely specific, this is the kind of project we can develop from your artwork and brief.

Ready for a Bespoke Quote?

Send us your idea, approximate dimensions and event date. A rough sketch or slightly chaotic explanation is absolutely fine — you do not need to arrive with a finished design file.

We can then help you work out what is practical, where the budget is best spent and what the finished inflatable needs to do.

Request a custom inflatable quote

Read the complete Custom Inflatable Props Buyer’s Guide