FUN Crew on iTricks

Yes, after much intense lobbying, I managed to convince Justin Robert Young of iTricks to have us back on the podcast!

You can hear the podcast via iTunes or the iTricks webpage once the podcast is posted. We have fun doing it - I hope it's fun to listen to!

Magic With Liquids

At a recent lecture, I was stunned by our lecturer's opening effect: a vanish and reproduction of a glass of liquid, using no rubber stoppers. At the same time, I had a flashback to last year's Abbott's Get-Together, when I saw Alan Shaxon perform the Hydrostatic Glass.

Seeing magic done with liquids is similar to doing the classic Egg Bag - it uses an object that the audience is familiar with, and is known to be relatively fragile. You can't put an egg into a bag, wring the bag around and beat it on your hand without breaking the egg - but when you reproduce it unharmed, the chord is struck.

The same idea goes along with magic with liquids. The audience knows the laws of science - a liquid will take the shape of its container, and can be spilled onto the floor, or worse yet, onto your clothes. Here are a few effects we have to help you do the impossible:

Sorry Charlie Water Suspension: The magician displays an empty tuna fish can and fills it with water. he places a piece of paper over the open end of the can and then turns the can upside down. Amazingly, the water remains suspended inside the can. Removing the card from the open end of can, amazingly, the water remains suspended in the can! When the can is turned upright, the water is poured out of it, and everything is as it began. The trick is nearly self working, and provides plenty of opportunities for comedy. Watch the video clip!



G Sparks' Rainforest Miracle: rom three colorful empty glasses, water is made to appear and vanish! A variety of effects can be performed with this set of glasses and special gimmick. Perform monte-like effects with a glass full of water, or a production of a glass of water when it's least expected. You can even make the water vanish from one glass and appear in another with the gimmick supplied. Complete with three small (shot-size) glasses, special gimmimck and instructions.


Water Pull: You show a liquor glass full of liquid and very clearly pour it into your left fist. Then, you place the empty glass into your pocket. When you open your hand the liquid has vanished and the hand is empty and dry! Finally you reproduce the glass with the liquid from your pocket.


The Lota Bowl: The bowl fills and refills with water on your command. A classic trick for a reason: audiences go nuts for it! Even the greats like Dante Blackstone included it in his act, and the Amazing Kreskin performed it on his TV series.

Weekly Rant

In my last post, I mentioned three magicians I've seen - perhaps the three best magicians I've seen.

At the outset of that post, I mentioned having seen lots of magic - good, bad and mediocre. Since the age of six, I've been embedded in the magic scene: attending lectures and shows, buying books, writing books, working for MAGIC Magazine, working for Fun Inc., organizing conventions, and doing the occasional paid show (though not for some time on that latter one, I must admit).

I attend about six conventions a year. That's no milestone, really, but is still more than the average magic guy. Multiply the number of years I've been in magic (over 20) by the number of conventions I've attended and you get an even bigger number. Add to it the number of non-convention magic shows I've attended, and the total - the grand total of magic shows I've attended in the last 20 years - gets even bigger still.

What's the upshot of all of this? It's simply this: the armchair critic (that's me, so take your potshots now) would like to point out three recurring themes in the performances he's taken in over the years.

1. Meaningless, repetitious patter

Magicians generally are unprepared when it comes to the words they use in performance. Why is it that between stating the obvious ("Look, my hand is empty") and the inane ("Check this out!"), most magicians can't find something engaging and/or entertaining to say? This is old, worn-out advice, but it's worth repeating: video tape yourself and then, however painful you find it, watch the tape. Learn from your mistakes and edit your patter (or, god forbid, your script, if you have one) accordingly. Don't repeat the same pointless blather over and over. You are doing nothing for the magic and even less for your audience. Look them in the eyes, interact with them and offer them something fun, insightful and entertaining. Engage them.

2. Motivated Actions, or lack thereof

Why did you pick that coin up, only to set it down moments later? Did you do it to make a point, or to steal the shell off of it? If your answer was "to steal the shell," well, sorry, thanks for playing, please try again. If your answer was "To make a point about the coin and in that action, steal the shell off of it," then please advance to the lightning round.

Yes, there are secret actions that need to be accomplished in a sneaky way for your card trick to come to a successful conclusion. But that doesn't mean you have to do something strange, funny, awkward or sneaky-looking to accomplish said sleight/move/acquitment/etc. Vernon said it simply: "Be natural." He heard it from Dr. Elliott. They were both right. Think before you act.

3. Stupid Tricks

This is going to make me sound like a curmudgeon, but I'll say it anyway: many magic tricks are lame. And many card tricks are particularly lame. To read a trick in a magazine and have it stimulate your creativity is one thing; to perform that trick for an audience of laymen and bore the s--- out of them is another entirely. Understand, dear readers, that classic tricks are classic for a reason. It doesn't get much more plain than the solid-through-solid sentiment evoked by the Linking Rings or the surprise factor created by the lemons that appear under the cups at the end of your Cups and Balls routine.

There's another reason - an entirely different one - that keep effects like many of the mathematical noodlings Bob Hummer called "magic" from becoming part of the greater magical consciousness and consequently, from being seen by laypeople on a larger scale. Listen to your audience and watch their eyes (you know how the tricks go, so stop watching yourself do them - watch the audience!). Soon, you'll learn that your finessed handling of the 21 Card Trick (done with only 15 cards) isn't really going to entertain anyone, except maybe another magician. And even then...

And there you have three common mistakes that often make their way on to my magical radar screen. Use this new found knowledge wisely, enlightened ones.

Too many card tricks....

This past weekend was fun. I met up with local magic nerds at a party. It was nice being social and we eventually had a mini "show" for party guests. Six of us performed for around 30 laypeople. The show was for an hour and everyone did some tricks. Everyone was great! Even FISM champ Arthur Trace performed. He's flawless.

On the way home my girlfriend innocently mentioned that there were too many card tricks in the performance. She was right! Around 90 percent of the tricks shown were with a deck of cards. She then said," why do most magicians do card tricks?" She likes magic and card tricks, but several card tricks in a row are painful.

I agree. Yes, I did a card trick, but I also did coin tricks and a cool beer bottle production. Some of the material I performed was from our INSTANT MIRACLES DVD. They got great reactions. For a DVD under $20, this DVD is worth every penny.

The release is only a year old. We're attempting to add "fresher" DVD's to our line. This is a prime example. Plenty of modern impromptu miracles with cell phones, Compact discs, calculators ( worth the price of the DVD), dice, and money. Danny Orleans is the host and he does a great job!

Later in the year we're releasing another impromptu tricks series. This one deals with magic at the dinner table. We'll do very well with this item. The tricks are top shelf.

See you next week!

Back from Hiatus

Boy, you take one week off work, and everybody forgets to blog! No problem, I'm back in the saddle, ready to dish the latest news from the FUN factory.

The big scoop is a new DVD project we have coming out. It's a classic of magic that's been re-done, re-worked, and re-made over and over the last several years. We are fortunate to be authorized by the effect's creator to put this project on the market.

Due to scheduling conflicts, we couldn't get the creator himself to star on the DVD, but we did manage to have a well-known authority on this effect describe this in excruciating detail.

That's all I say for now... just 'cause I like to tease.

Top Three

In the 20+ years I have been interested in magic, I've seen a few magic shows. Hundreds, perhaps.

Many of those shows have been mediocre. Some have been awful. Others have been very, very good. And while I hesitate to create "best-of" lists, for the purpose of this blog (and perhaps due to the fact that I have nothing else to write about this week), I'm going to take a shot at it.

In my estimation, the three greatest magic shows I've seen are, in no particular order, are those of:

1. Del Ray

I saw one of his "farewell" tours and in one evening, despite significant health problems, he performed both his close-up and stage acts. To say that his work in both arenas was staggering is to understate the case grossly. Between Willie the Mouse, the blackjack deals, his rising cards and, well, everything he did, the audience of magicians was simply left without a prayer. His bolo tie perfectly complimented the seemingly Southern drawl he affected (every time the deck was offered to a volunteer, Del said, "Cuhhht", drawing out the center of the word in a way I won't soon forget). Del appeared to be on the verge of death during the performance, but ever the trouper, soldiered on and in the process, slew everyone in the audience.

2. Lance Burton

As a teenager, I was lucky enough to have indulgent parents who, on a trip to Las Vegas, tipped the matre'd at the Hacienda to ensure we sat at one of the tables next to the stage in the showroom where Lance was performing. There's only one way to describe the show I saw that night: awe-inspiring. I remember floating around Las Vegas for the remainder of the trip wondering about this likeable, personable, charming magician. Clearly he was the greatest. Nothing could compare to Lance's show - not even Siegfried & Roy, who we saw later on that week. For my money, while the dove act and many of the illusions (partiuclarly the Masked Ball sequence, the Gramophone illusion and the Cane Cabinet) were memorable, the picture of that evening that still resonates in my mind is of Lance, standing just in front of us. He leaned over and picked up a cocktail napkin from our table. In the action of tearing it up, the bits and pieces of paper were transformed - they morphed at his fingertips - into a tiny, flapping parakeet.

3. Ricky Jay

Indulgent parents take their kids to magic shows while on family vacation in Las Vegas. The world's most indulgent parents (mine) drive their children to Chicago to the Steppenwolf Theatre on Halsted Ave. to see Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants and then drive home after the show (the drive to and from suburban Detroit took five hours, each way).

But the sacrifices my parents made to take me to Jay's show were not what made it great. What made it great was a transcendent blend of writing, humor and obvious displays of skill and cunning woven together in an elegant theatrical production. At 15, I thought I knew more than the average kid about card magic. I probably did. But Jay's show was erudite, funny, engaging and struck a note in me that I was then barely aware of: an interest in the history of the art, of conjuring's rich back-story, of the mountebank and magicians like Malini and Vernon who've become legends. Jay told us why these men were important, and more importantly, he showed us how they became legendary. He charmed with stories of Allen Kennedy and the center deal, Malini biting the button off of Senator Mark Hanna's coat, and chucked pasteboards into the rind and flesh of a watermelon. A tatoo vanished and reappeared on his arm, an automaton - always under the master's control - restored a card torn in four, and cups and balls danced together in concert in a fitting close to a strong, strong show.

NEW bits of business from FUN!

A couple of weeks ago I posted on sight gags/magician props. It surprisingly received several responses. Apparently, people were interested in other comedy props. This week, we just received a wonderful NEW comedy gem...the Zoom Zoom deck!
I totally "heart" quirky magic gags like the ZOOM ZOOM deck. Not really magical, but definitely a solid laugh-getter. Basically, it's a cleverly gaffed card box that when tossed into the crowd, jumps BACK into the magician's hand. You'll wish you thought of this!

Rider, The Runaway Deck of Cards is another bizarre comedy piece that's sure to entertain.
Just pull back the deck and watch it race away on the table! Very cool and it really does move!
Perfect piece for table hoppers. Cool little gag from the folks at Fantasio...yes, Fantasio made this.

Another classic gag is ROYAL MAGIC's Loooong Card.
This simple bit packs flat and is the perfect solution for those looking to add a touch of comedy. Plus it's laminated and made to last!

FUN has a fantastic selection of comedy/magic props! In fact, if there's an item you've seen, please don't hesitate to ask if we carry it. Our factory is HUGE and FULL of an eclectic product mix.

Until next time!

FUN Inc. reviewed on Reel Magic

For those of you who are familiar, Reel Magic Quarterly+ is a DVD magazine featuring interviews and reviews with top names in magic. Jon Armstrong, David Regal, Simon Lovell, and Wayne Kawamoto are regulars.

As the trick reviewer, Regal picks only a handful of products to review on camera, and this issue he gives glowing praise to The Royal Scam. Check out Regal's review on the latest issue.

Magic + Theater

This week I was fortunate to catch a performance by Dr. Lawrence Hass of Muehlenberg College. Dr. Hass is the creator of The Theory and Art of Magic program at Muehlenberg, which brings in various magicians from around the world to discuss our art in an academic setting.

Dr. Hass is also lecturing this weekend in Chicago, and after seeing his performance, I'm definitely looking forward to the lecture.

His performance has also sparked my thinking more about magic in the theatrical setting, and the type of training that prepares you for it.

Chicago, as you may also know, is home to the best training grounds for improvisation comedy in the United States, in the form of The Second City, i.O, and Annoyance Theater, to name a few. In the early part of this year, I did a class at Second City, to see what I could pick up from it and channel into my magic.

Fortunately, you don't need to move to the Windy City to get this sort of experience. Australian magic master Tim Ellis has created Magic Sports, based off of Keith Johnstone's Theater Sports for improv actors.

The idea is to foster a magician's creativity by challenging the person to come up with effects on the spot. Games can range from pulling a random object (not a magic prop!) from a bag, to performing your favorite routine to randomly chosen music, and seeing how well you adapt.

I've already set up a Magic Sports activity night with my local club. I hope if your club needs an interactive activity (as opposed to another sit-and-watch activity), to give Magic Sports a try.

Allied Arts, Without the Commercial Pitch

John brought to the forefront a few of magic's "allied arts" in yesterday's post. Then he told you, the readers of this blog (all five of you; thanks, Mom) about products that Fun Inc. sells that relate to said allied arts. And that's swell. After all, Fun Inc. is a commercial enterprise that is in business to sell magic, so this blog is, by default, going to contain a lot of product-related information.

But now that I have the floor (The screen? The keyboard?), I'd like to remove the "pitch" from the equation and talk about allied arts that Fun Inc. does not have a financial stake in.

1) Shadowgraphy.

The art of hand shadows is, possibly, one of the oldest and simplest forms of entertainment in the world. Imagine a cave man creating and animating shadows on the wall of his dwelling by the light of a crackling fire. That's where it started. From there, it took a long time for visionary entertainers like Felecien Trewey to turn a mere amuseument into a laugh-provoking, evocative vaudeville/music hall artform. Trewey, a Frenchman, developed a world wide reputation as a master shadowgrapher, and even toured America with the famous magician Alexander Herrmann. Other titans of magic's past with acute abilities in the hand shadow department include Okito (Theo. Bamberg), Fu Manchu (his son, David Bamberg), Max Holden (who ran a few magic shops, and wrote for The Sphinx), and Edward Victor (who worked more steadily with his shadow act, billed as "Hand Made Humor" than he did as a magician).

Currently, there are perhaps less than 25 professional shadowists in the world. The one that immediately comes to mind is Ray Crowe, who recently appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, and on the cover of MAGIC Magazine. Others that I've seen recently include Marcelo Contento, Sonny Fontana, and Hans Davis.

2) Troublewit.

In C. Lang Neil's seminal text, The Modern Conjurer, in the back of the book, right next to photos of Trewey performing hand shadows, is a chapter on "The Art of Paper Folding," commonly known as Troublewit. Though seldome seen today, this variety art was popular a generation ago, and became a staple of Jay Marshall's act, along with other magicians like Ellis Stanyon (who published an informative instruction book on how to present the Troublewit). While I have seen several hand shadow acts in the last ten years (as noted above), the only entertainer I have seen perform Troublewit was Jay Marshall. This is not to say that no one performs it any more, but that it is a variety spot seldom seen.

3) Chapeaugraphy.

As legend has it, the practice of forming 25 different hats with a simple ring of black felt was a French creation, developed by Mons. Tabarin. Scant information on Tabarin's life has been recorded.

As with shadowgraphs, it was Felecien Trewey who elevated this diversion to that of a fascinating, theatrical turn. Like hand shadows, Trewey posed for a series of photographs explaining the different characters he portrayed in his Chapeaugraphy routine in The Modern Conjurer (a book now sadly out of print). Other magicians who performed the Chapeau routine successfully and continually include Percy Abbott, Eugene Laurant, Dana Walden, Frances Marshall (whose routine using two hats was available from Magic, Inc. for a time), Jay Marshall (again) and, currently, Harry Anderson, and Junge-Junge (under a different name, which escapes me now). James Hodges, the illustrator/author behind Sexy Magic, recently explored modern variations on the Chapeaugraphy act in a serialized column in Genii. He has also written an entire book on the subject.

Perhaps one reason that Chapeaugraphy is seldom seen today is due to the fact that many of the characters portrayed in the typical routine with the felt brim were common caricatured stereotypes of ethic groups that, today, would be considered politically incorrect.

So, what's the take-away from the above paragraphs of perhaps interesting, semi-arcane information?

To my mind, it offers not only a window in to the recent and all-too-quickly forgotten past of the variety arts, but also offers the cunning, resouceful and ambitious entertainer an opportunity to do some reasearch and rehearsal and in the process, develop a unique entertaining "turn" (as they used to call them) virtually unknown to modern audiences.

Take Ray Crowe's success with his hand shadow act as a cue (his video has received over 1 Million hits alone!). With the right spin, you can develop a carefully crafted performance of one of these virtually unknown allied arts and make headlines.

Magic's Kindred Arts

Even though I advertise myself as a magician, I still get asked if I juggle, or do ventriloquism, or do balloon animals. Now, I can't juggle, or do vent, but I can make a few balloons - but I wonder why I even get these questions in the first place.

In any case, we've got our sister arts covered here at the FUN warehouse. Here's a few of the newest (non-magic) items to hit the shelves.

Juggling Diabolo: Amazing stunts can be performed by spinning the plastic diabolo on the string and using the handles to manipulate the movement. One of this years must have toy gadgets, the diabolo will provide hours of active fun.

Talk Like a Dummy DVD: On this DVD, professional ventriloquist Bob Rumba teaches you the ABCs of Ventriloquism. The DVD begins with the most basic concepts of ventriloquism - talking without moving your lips - and continues on to advanced technique and character development. On the way, every step in between is thoroughly reviewed. Once mastering Bob's instructions, you'll be talking like a dummy in no time.

Balloon Magic Made Easy: Balloon sculpture is a fun, easy and fascinating pastime. And best of all, it's easier than you ever could imagine. Balloon sculptures are wonderful adjuncts to the performances of magicians and clowns. Souvenirs made of bright, colorful balloons are popular with children of all ages, and adults, too. This broadcast quality DVD teaches you how to make incredible creations like a professional balloon artist in just minutes.

Super easy Kid's magic

When working at the magic shop, I remember "no-brainer / simple" tricks sold very well. Ball vases, coin slides, coloring books, and magic wands. The magic wands didn't do anything( magic not included ), but kids really enjoyed playing with them. In fact, many 4 year olds were somewhat interested in magic, but it was difficult to suggest tricks they could perform. Sometimes even a ball vase was too much.

Empire's Appearing Flower and Appearing Bouquet are perfect for ANY age!
Not too magical, but certainly fun and colorful. Great for clowns, MC's, Jugglers, or anyone who wants to pepper their performance with magic. Plus even a toddler can do this trick!

I also remember many talent show related sales. It was somewhat difficult to suggest tricks that pack flat, play big, are easy, inexpensive, and entertaining. Appearing poles, vanishing bottles, and even The Vanishing Bandanna where my suggestions. I'm sure the Appearing Flower and Appearing Bouquet will be fine additions to this category. Priced nice and easy to do. One demo and these will fly out the door! Try them!

Antics of the Pasteboards

In his column for Antinomy magazine, Jon Racherbaumer referred to card tricks as the "antics of the pasteboards." I found it an eloquent way of describing magic with cards - something that's been on my brain a lot lately.

I don't really consider myself to be a card magician. I do perform card magic, but it isn't a heavy part of my arsenal. So recently I found myself pouring over some classic card texts, and I thought you might like to do the same.

Expert Card Technique: Scores of methods — previously known only to card experts — include passes, palming, false shuffles, false cuts, changes, crimps, jogs, reverses, rear palms and more. Altogether, 341 sleights and tricks. 318 illustrations show exact position of fingers and hands.

Encyclopedia of Card Tricks: How to perform over 600 card tricks, devised by the world?s greatest magicians. 66 illus. Includes work on the Nikola card system, and tricks that run the gamut from knuckle-busters to self-working miracles.

Revolutionary Card Technique: This long-awaited collection of Ed Marlo's books has been ten years in the making. Newly edited, with all new drawings, preface by David Ben, introduction by Bill Malone; Revolutionary Card Technique promises to be the primary reference book for advanced card magic. This is the most complete single reference book on card magic available. Grab it before it goes out of print - again!

Carneycopia: While not completely a card magic book, this is still a fantastic source for card material and other close-up work. I highly recommend this book to nearly everyone I meet. Who knows how long we'll be able to keep this little baby in stock?