What is Shibboleth?

We're finally back into the swing of things with the holidays over, and an odd-titled book landed on my desk.

Angelo Stagnaro's "Shibboleth" earns its title from the story of an ancient password. The title is apropo, because those who don't know the password shouldn't be able to own this book: the material is way too powerful to be widely available.

You can read our full description for the book by clicking here. I had very little to go on when writing the description, but I think that it's about as accurate as I can give without having read the book. (it only landed on my desk this morning, so I didn't have time to read the whole thing!)

Propless Wonders

Last night I had the opportunity to see a rare public performance by Ross Johnson, one of America's premier psychic entertainers and star of Fun Inc.'s Simply Psychic DVD. Ross' show relies on his theatrical ability to entertain rather than flashy props. It's a study in simplicity, an economy of motion.

Aside from Simply Psychic, here's some other resources you can look to for minimum props, maximum entertainment:

Twisting Arm Illusion DVD: This is an impromptu routine, which is easy to do and uses absolutely no props. The magician asks a spectator to copy his actions. Both place their hands palm down on the table and begin turning them in a clockwise direction. The spectator turns his hand part way, while the magician turns his hand in a full circle one and a half times!

Pen Sation: This has been a very popular item, and it's lean toward the impromptu is part of its success. Divine a thought of number, word, or symbol. Even though you had your back turned, you are instantly able to name the original thought! An outstanding utility tool for mentalists. Great for Living and Dead tests!

The Piatt Envelope: This is one of the most devious and ordinary looking props a magician and mentalist can use. The concept of multiple outs is a powerful weapon when used in a mental effect. Books have been written on the subject and hundreds of props have been invented to produce the desired results. The Piatt Envelope is among the best and fairest methods ever invented for this purpose.

Where Will You Go?

It's not a deep, metaphorical question. It's the title for FUN Inc.'s latest release, from the mind of Eddie Z. "Where Will You Go?" is a dead-easy prediction routine that can play big or small, and leaves lots of room for comedy byplay.

A small stack of cards is shown, printed with flags from various nations. After a mix, the spectator eliminates cards one by one - no mental force or magicians' choice. The final flag remaining, Mexico, is shown to have been predicted by having an "X" marked on the back.

To prove that Mexico was indeed the predicted outcome, the other flags are spread on the table. When turned over, they spell out M-E-X-I-C-O!

Shipping tomorrow, we'll be filming a demo video very soon.

Bending Metal

New to the FUN catalog is a release from Steve "Merlin" Branham: Bending Metal Magic. Steve teaches the techniques on bending metal objects in true Uri Gellar fashion. You will learn how to bend all sorts of cutlery, keys, coins, nails, and more. Best of all: it's not a card trick!*

To go along with that, we also have the Ultimate Bending Set in stock. All the secrets fully explained behind several fantastic metal bending effects, and all of them are easy to learn by watching the detailed DVD included.

Every metal effect has detailed presentation and method explained, step-by-step.

Not only do you receive an instructional DVD, but you also receive several objects to psychically bend, including a spoon, nail, and fork.

*Not that I have anything against card tricks - but you can only take so much.

The bargains are irresistible!

Since Gabe is working hard putting on the Magic Collectors' convention this week, I'll step in to cover his Thursday slot.

Last night Tomas and I manned the FUN Inc. table at the magic flea market. Lots of magicians were on hand hunting for the best deals. Sadly, I was so busy selling I never got the chance to browse myself.

Then I remembered that FUN has a Double Discount page for our members - bargains galore! Here are a few of the hot items:

Edward Kozuch's Newspaper Prediction: Five envelopes, each one containing a different sheet of newspaper, are displayed. A spectator selects one of the envelopes and the sheet inside. The magician tears the selected sheet into dozens of tiny squares.

Then the magician asks the spectator to choose one of the pieces at random (there's no force!), and to read the news item he has randomly arrived at in a loud, clear voice. At the same time, the magician reveals a prediction he wrote before the show. It is the same as the wording in the randomly selected piece of newsprint!

Come a Little Closer: Contributions to this tome include legends like Alex Elmsley and Roy Walton. This book includes all the effects that were first described in the small 1953 publication called "Come A Little Closer" plus 19 never-before published items!

Fantasio - My Canes and Candles: Who among us hasn't had at least a fleeting encounter with one of Fantasio's creations? The best in the world use Fantasio canes and candles, now Fantasio himself shares his effects, routines, and personal tips.

New MENTALISM at FUN

I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I won't tell anybody.

The mentalism bug seems to be all the rage lately, and as usual, FUN Inc. has you covered. After being long unavailable, we are proud to re-introduce Diamond Jim Tyler's mental gem: SentiMental Postcards.

Talk about packs flat and plays big! You introduce several postcards from previous trips around the world. You lay the postcards out to conduct an experiment in mind-reading. Blindfolded or while your back is turned, a spectator to touches the cards at random. Incredibly, you predict the spectator’s every move and ultimately divine their final selection. The final selection is also revealed to be the magician’s last romantic get-away.

Diamond Jim performs this at all his lectures, and it's always a sure-fire hit!

We also have a first in the magic world: Jumbo ESP cards with Bicycle backs. In addition to the traditional symbols, each card is printed with a subtly marked back, allowing for demonstrations of super-human, extra-sensory power demonstrations. The deck includes instructions for several mind-blowing routines that are worth the price of the deck alone! These are available in blue Bicycle-back only.

Personally, I enjoy using ESP cards - they're a nice change of pace from the traditional face cards. I also have a favorite symbol: the wavy lines.

Mentioning this to Tomas, funny man that he is, he struck me with this realization: they're not waves or wavy lines. Take this well-known illustration, for example:

Press button. Receive bacon. Consume.

"He Knows What I'm Thinking!"

For a happy Thursday morning at the Fun Inc offices, I generously donated a dozen donuts for the collective fueling of our creative minds. That, and I am hoping to get a little longer lunch period today.

My colleague, Gabe Fajuri, performed an effect for me this morning that I admit I had never experienced before. Since mentalism is all the rage these days (what with Phenomenon and all), Gabe had me think of a number, then matched that to a list of words. Merely thinking of the randomly chosen word, he correctly told me what word I was thinking of.

The brevity of my description emphasizes the simplicity of the effect: A word is thought of, then revealed by the wonder-worker. How much more pure could a mind-reading effect be?

Mental Yarn is suitable for your strolling restaurant magicians, stage magicians, and yes, can even be done over the phone, on the radio, or even via Instant Message. Watch your friends mind explode when you invade his brain and pry thoughts his thoughts out.

Dealers: Easy-to-demo, no reset. Magicians: If you wonder what pure mind-reading looks like, look no further.