Gags that will live in your pocket forever!

I have always been a fan of awful puns and sight gags. I think most magicians have been. We just received a great sight gag from Meir Yedid. It's called the B.S. Board.

Basically, the magician pulls out a sheet of paper and reads aloud "Being an entertainer is a unique opportunity which lets me bring joy into your lives…" Once finished reading the sentiment, the magi then folds the B.S. Board and says, "And I mean that sincerely," the spectators will slowly begin to notice what the first letter of every line now spells ( it says bulls--- ), which will cause hysterical laughter. Yes, it's PG-13 humor, but when done for the right crowd, will KILL!

Oh, and FUN Incorporated also manufactures the SNARF silk. The magician produces a 24" square silk handkerchief at the conclusion of a trick. On it, in big, bold letters, are printed the words "Thank You." Or are they? No matter which way the magician turns the silk, the Thank You message never reads quite right. Great situation comedy with the laughs built right in. Packs super flat and plays mega big.

I'm also a big fan of Mike Mode's NUN ( none ) trick. A coin is taken out of the magician's hand as he asks, "What's one minus one?" "None!" the spectator answers. The magician's hand is opened and a nun is discovered there in. Yes, it's a horrendous pun. However, it's totally worth it!

New FUN Inc. YouTube videos

In an effort to get us caught up making demo videos for the FUN Inc. library of DVDs, I've been hard at work distilling the best scenes and making brief demos for them.

Here's a few of the newest ones:

The Art of Levitation
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Miracles with a Marked Deck


Simply Psychic (This one's my favorite. I love the cold open.)

New this week!

Wow. It's been a very busy week for us, not only with the release of Shellraiser, but with the addition of several new items to the catalog.

Lollapalooza: Includes 3 routines with contributions from Jon Armstrong, and inspirations from Darwin Ortiz and R. Paul Wilson. You will learn a 10-Card Poker Deal that is the fairest one of 'em all! A Spectator-Cuts-The-Cards where the spectator ends up with an impossible hand of cards. An incredible Poker Demonstration involving a spectator choosing any 10 cards in an attempt to beat the dealer!

No forcing, or sleight-of-hand required.

Rising Business Card: An elegant way to present your card ! Your business card rises from a beautiful silver and black business card case. No magnets, threads, or wires - easy to do!

Smoke Signals: You have a spectator freely pick a card and return it to the deck. Place the cards back into the card case As you explain a very old way to reveal the chosen card, “by smoke signal.”

As you say this, a steady smoke signal begins to come right out of the card case held in one hand. Your other hand reaches into the smoke and produces the chosen card.

B.S. Board: Since the original release of the B.S. Board thousands of magicians and entertainers have used it on stage, up close and during casual encounters. This new B.S. Board has been redesigned and manufactured using special plastic. It folds to 4½"x7" (11.43x17.78cm) and can fit in your shirt or jacket pocket.

It is ideal for close-up, walk around, bars, comedy clubs, emcee work and between friends. Don't underestimate the great reactions this memorable gag gets.

THE best deal in magic (singularity intended)

Yesterday, John wrote about a Genii review calling recent releases of Fun Inc/Royal Magic some of the best deals in magic.

On Monday, Fun released Troy Hooser's Shellraiser DVD. Each copy of the DVD includes an Expanded HalfShell. To me, this is THE best deal in magic. Period.

Here's why: most Expanded shells cost $25-$35, and for a professional, custom-made Lassen shell, you'll pay even more.

The Hooser DVD, along with an Expanded HalfShell retail for a measly $25. And if you don't want the DVD, you can pick up the HalfShell separately for as little as $9 or $10! Ask your favorite dealer and he'll help you out.

Magic with an Expanded Shell is incredibly visual, and relatively easy to do. Now, it's affordable, too.

"The best deals in magic"

This month's Genii features the eminent David Regal on the cover. We catch him now in the midst of his success on national television as a coach on Celebracadabra, and on the cusp of the release of his new book, "Approaching Magic."

Regal has also been the longtime trick reviewer for Genii, and had this to say: "Perhaps the best deals in card magic today are coming from Royal Magic and their inexpensive DVD plus Gaffs packages. The gaffs look great, plus the DVD of instructions by the creator often includes bonus effects. For 15 bucks!? Are you serious?!"

Are we serious, Mr. Regal? As serious as one can be while working in a magic/novelty factory. When you've got fake vomit and wind-up Talking Teeth stocked to the rafters, there's a certain amount of ridiculousness that comes with the territory.

But when it comes to magic, we take our responsibility to do well by the art of magic very seriously. That's why, when we put out a product like David Solomon's Thoughts Across, we work hard to make it the best that it can be.

Speaking of Thoughts Across, as Mr. Regal points out, "Very little handling ability is required as the gaffs and routine's construction do the work...anyone who goes through it once will realize its potential."

What more incentive could you need? Pick one up today.

More Celebracadabra News!

So last week Mr. Hal Sparks performed my Booger Restoration trick from Geek Magic.
I wrote an email to Hal and he responded! He wrote back, saying."I credited you when we were taping but I don't know if they aired that part. Did they? I dig your DVD, brother. Nice work." My trick didn't air, but was available only on the VH1 website as a deleted scene. Still, I'm flattered he chose to watch my DVD.

Then, Lisa Ann Walter performed another trick from Geek Magic on this week's episode - the balloon swallow! The trick isn't original with me, but still... you can learn it off the DVD. She did a great job!

Celebracadabra has been fun to watch, and especially fun to see which tricks the coaches pick. Many of them can be purchased at any magic shop. For example:

• C Thomas Howell did the Floating Bill
• Lisa Ann Walter did the Hydrostatic Glass
• Christopher Reid did a Cut and Restored Rope
• Hal Sparks did 20th Century Shorts

Television magic specials are great for shops and magic in general. Hopefully this series will encourage viewers to visit their local shop!

Happy 100th Post!

As we reach this milestone 100th post today, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on what a journey it's been. Thanks to the miracle of Google Analytics, since we started the blog, we've had:

3,961 visits
6,478 pageviews
Visitors from 46 states (what the matter with you, Wyoming, North Dakota, Delaware, and Vermont?)
Vistors from 58 countries, including Brazil, India, Russia, and Japan
110 referring websites (top among them, iTricks, Magic Cafe, and Blogger.com)
3 pairs of cramped typing hands (being me, Tomas, and Gabe)
At least 90 panicked days of "What are we going to blog about today?"

Thanks to all who have joined us, and help us out by spreading the word! Subscribe via your favorite feed, tell your friends about us.

Stay tuned, and FUN always,

John, Tomas, and Gabe
FUN Inc. Blog Team