Kidsmagic

Houdini has endured throughout the years as the world's optimum escapologist for many reasons, not the least of which was his amazing ability to withstand extremes. He devoted much of his time to acclimatizing himself to tolerate and expand limitations which the rest of us accept as normal. However, to today's demonstration. Just as Houdini was able to extricate himself from seemingly impossible situations, a similar feat is duplicated, this time with a chosen playing card. A free choice is made by an audience member, and the card is lost in the deck by shuffling. The whole deck is then tightly wrapped in a hankerchief. By jiggling the package up and down, the magician causes the chosen card to pass through the hankerchief. The remainder of the deck is then removed from the hankerchief and all items are handed out for inspection. The cards and the hankerchief may all be borrowed.

Magicians through the ages have used the catch-cry, "Now you see it - now you don't", to accentuate the disappearance of an object. The size of the object can vary from a coin, to a tiger or something similar. More recent magicians have upsized to trains, aeroplanes and even the Statue of Liberty. The video presented depicts a twist on the theme, by reversing the process. Here is a case of 'Now you don't see it - now you do". The magician displays a piece of rope with three knots along its length. A plastic washer is then taken (it may be inspected), and promptly vanishes. In an instant, the rope is tugged and the washer re-appears tied onto one of the knots. Once again, all items can be examined closely by the audience. The method is revealed in the latter part of the video. It's a good effect with very little practice required.

By nature, a magic demonstration involves the unexpected. This is the element that causes the 'OMG' reaction. But every now and then, a magician will tell you what is about to happen. But beware. If a magician tells you what to look for, he/she is probably fooling you. The scenario depicted here is just such a case. The magician directs the attention of the audience to a coin, which is covered with an inverted glass tumbler. This in turn is encased in a paper napkin or serviette. The audience is told that the coin is about to disappear. When this fails to occur, the magician (not wanting to disappoint) causes the glass tumbler to vanish instead. This is a very simple trick that any-one can perform at their next gathering. Full instructions are provided in the video.

If I hear of one more fake magician bending spoons and making dead watches spring to life, I think I'll scream. For heaven's sake, let's be honest - it's a trick. Here's a video of me pretending to be a bozo with powers of the mind. A pencil is placed inside a glass tumbler, and by 'brain power' alone, the pencil is seen to rise and lower within the glass. The demonstration is followed by an explanation of how this is achieved (if you haven't guessed already). Spoon bending is also available - what a great skill to possess. Who doesn't need their spoons bent at some point in their lives?

Ah, we see magicians do some strange things at times. Why would any-one want to push a drinking straw through their arm? I imagine some wizard in a moment of madness thought: "There's a straw - there's an arm. Why not?" For that matter, why would any-one want to pull a rabbit out of a hat? It's not their normal habitat, and then there's the extra mouth to feed. But do it we will. Go figure. Here, the magician takes a drinking straw, bares his arm, and proceeds to push the straw through his arm (don't ask). Sparing the audience the gruesome sight of extracting, he momentarily shields the scene from view. The straw is immediately offered for inspection, as is the arm, if demand is abundant. A handy feat, I guess, if you're thirsty and your arm is in the way.

Did you ever have that dream where you were flying? In mine, I'm always about three feet off the ground, and often taking giant strides in slow motion kind of like the Road Runner. But that's just me. Anyway, I digress. The video shows a playing card slowly rising from its place on the top of the deck. It hovers, moving as the deck moves, emulating its host. An object is then thrust between the card and the deck, to satisfy the skeptics of its ability to float. The card then lowers back to its landing place, and the deck is spread for consideration. I would try the 'Floating Lady', but cards are easier to handle (lol). :)

Siblings often find themselves distanced from one another because of varying interests and peer friendships. How nice it is to find that in many cases, when they mature their differences tend to melt away. This scenario is represented in the card trick depicted in today's video. Three playing cards are shown, two of them being Queens and the centre one a spot card. The cards are turned and placed one by one on the table. The bottom card is placed face up - it is a Queen. Next is the top card - also a Queen. The remaining card, which was the spot card, is now turned over to reveal that it has changed to a third Queen, suggesting that all three siblings are equal. Any-one who was brought up as a middle child may very well relate to this situation. Thankfully, all's well in the end.

We often see on television, a modern magician attempting to deform himself in all manner of ways - some quite gruesome to watch. Here is a watered down attempt to shock and dismay. Taking a playing card from the pack, the magician presents his bare arm and proceeds to saw into his arm with the card. The card appears to become embedded in the arm, but of course we all know that it must be an illusion. The puzzling part of this demonstration is the fact that the card is withdrawn from the arm, and is shown to be regular. It's perhaps not as curious as a chainsaw through the abdomen, but much more appropriate for a younger audience.

Do you know a child who is sometimes at a loss to know what to do with their time? It seems that, especially during extended school holidays, a young person can become easily bored and in need of some stimulation. Here's a simple magic trick that can be easily made and operated, to keep those moments of tedium at bay. The effect is as follows: The magician holds a playing card in two hands. He/she suddenly lets go of the card, and instead of falling to the floor or table, it hovers in mid-air. It then shoots across space to be caught in one hand. It uses just a drinking straw, thread, scissors and sticky-tape. This trick can be made in a few minutes and can lead the interested party to discover more similar projects which abound on the internet. Instructions are on the video to assist in the creation.

I was just a lad when I first saw this trick presented on television by a magician named Jules Cafari. It wasn't my introduction to Magic, but none-the-less I was intrigued. Since the trick was obtainable by a simple request in writing, (that was the accepted style of correspondence back then,) I quickly put pen to paper. All these years later, I decided to make one of my own to present in video form, and here it is. The magician shows a card with one spot on one side, and four spots on the other. This immediately turns into three spots, and six spots consecutively. The simple effect has of course been expanded to progress to eight spots, and this is performed with a large card suitable for stage presentation. I'll leave that for another day.

Sometimes even the simple things are worth considering. Take for example a length of cord. If a knot is formed on one end of the cord, it stands to reason that the knot will remain in the position that it was set. Not so with this demonstration. The magician displays a length of cord and makes a knot at one end. Both ends of the cord are now gathered in the one hand. The knot is grasped firmly and is openly pulled down the entire length of cord. The knot can now be clearly seen tied at the base of the cord. The magician then unties the knot to show its authenticity. Very handy on those occasions where you find your tie needs adjusting.

In these days of environmental protection and recycling, every little bit helps. There's no argument that the way man has junked the land and water-ways is nothing short of shameful. However, on a lighter note, I've posted a video of an effect which has become somewhat of a classic of magic - The Torn and Restored Paper. You'll often see a magician perform the effect with a newspaper, but this version is simplified to a tissue. The magician shows a tissue, and using a wooden ruler as a magic wand restores the tissue to a fully functioning article once more. Not world-changing, but if it helps the planet a little, I'm all in favour.

Most of us have a reasonable grasp of the ability to spell adequately. The exercise depicted in the video is not designed to illustrate any spelling skills, but to invite you to contemplate the working. After shuffling 13 playing cards, the magician proceeds to spell the values from Ace right up to King. One card is counted off for each letter announced, and the next card is revealed in sequence. The intriguing part is that the stack of 13 cards is reduced by one after each spelling, and yet the continuity is not disrupted. Only 13 cards are used, and may be examined in detail.

Many a time, I've inadvertently damaged a banknote in my haste to deprive myself of well-earned cash. But that was by accident. Here's a demonstration of a deliberate attempt to pierce a banknote with a sharp instrument. The magician shows a banknote and a simple sleeve made from a folded small sheet of paper. The note is folded in half and placed inside the sleeve. Both ends of the note are kept visible. A letter-opener is now inserted between the folds of the note and shown from all angles. The letter-opener is then pushed through both the note and the sleeve, leaving the point freely visible below the arrangement. The spear is then withdrawn. A hole is clearly seen in the sleeve, but the banknote is mysteriously untouched. I'll need to remember this one when next I half-destroy my legal tender.

I guess we've all seen ghost movies where objects appear to pass through spectres in an eerie fashion. Camera tricks and creative technology of course. But when you witness a similar event in the same room, without any obvious trickery, it tends to make for a 'Say, what?' moment. In this video, a silk hankerchief is wrapped around a walking cane and held with one corner in either hand. Without any awkward moves, the silk simply melts through the cane in an astonishing manner. This is repeated in slow motion to give the spectator an even chance of discovering the mystery. I'm happy that this is the closest I've come to observing an actual ghost.

One of the most popular magical effects is to have an item change colour. It could be a playing card, a poker chip, a pencil or even the magician's entire costume. In this video, it's a silk hankerchief - in fact two silk hankerchiefs knotted together. The magician freely displays two hankerchiefs, one blue and the other yellow, and knotted together at one corner. With a brisk swipe of his free hand, the colours are seen to instantly change to one red and the other green. This effect began many years ago using just one silk hankerchief which changes its colour. Somewhere along the track of time, due to progress and probably competition, the ante was 'upped' to include a second hankerchief. This development hasn't in any way detracted from the effect - rather, it enhances the performance.

Magicians generally like to make things look easy, even though what they're doing is not. This manoevre appears complicated, but ends in the desired result. A ring threaded on a rope is stretched between both hands. The rope ends and the ring are brought together in one hand, while the other hand takes the centre of the rope. The rope ends are now slowly pulled and the ring gracefully travels up the rope to the waiting hand. The ring is then taken and plucked from the rope. Both items are unprepared and can be inspected. Why not simply separate the ring and rope instead of this showiness? Why bother? It tells the audience that they can have confidence in his ability.

Frequently during a magic act, the magician will introduce a fancy way of performing a simple task. They call it 'flair'. For example, if he/she is about to perform a trick with a ring and a piece of rope, it adds a little extra interest if the ring is threaded in an intriguing manner. The video illustrates the magician laying the rope over one hand. Placing the ring on the rope, he simply turns his hand, pulls on the ring, and the ring is instantly threaded. The magician can then continue with whatever trick he/she wishes to perform. Neither item is prepared in any way, and both may be examined.

Have you ever felt all tied up and craving relief? This ring is no exception. Having been securely tied to a length of cord, the ring is placed under the cover of a hankerchief. The two ends of the cord are visible at all times. With a little help from the magician, the ring is able to feel the blessed release of confines, akin I suspect to the relief experienced when one removes a tight garment or an ill-fitting pair of shoes. Enjoy, little ring. I feel for you.

There's no shortage of card tricks to be had, I think you'll agree. Every magician I know has at least a small array of card tricks in his/her repertoire. This particular trick makes use of the traditional deck of cards (borrowed if preferred). The magician hands the shuffled deck to a spectator who is requested to divide the deck into three roughly equal piles. Without touching the deck, the magician names the top card of one pile. This he picks up to verify his claim. The same is repeated for the other two piles. Each time the top card is named before it is picked up. At the conclusion, the audience is asked for the three cards that were predicted to appear. One by one, the cards named are shown to the audience. An impromptu effect that is performed with a standard unprepared deck of cards.

Smoke and mirrors have, in the past, been used by magicians (and perhaps politicians) to create an illusion of some event that isn't real. The video presented here is a small example of what can be achieved with the help of our average mercury-coated accessory. The magician displays a small vanity mirror and a coin. Placing the coin in front of mirror with his finger, a reflection is naturally produced presenting the illusion of two fingers and two coins. Withdrawing the coin from the effect of the mirror, it is seen that the magician has in fact two coins, one under each finger. The illusion is that the reflection has become a real object. Cloning the easy way.

Again, utilizing an everyday item, puzzling magic tricks can be entertaining. This trick makes use of an empty Tic-Tac mints box and a small coin. Being transparent, the box is seen to be completely empty. The lid is shut tight. Introducing a coin, the magician instantly causes this to pass through the side of the mint box. It is then handed to the spectators for close inspection. The coin is indeed captured in the closed mint box. There are no camera tricks - it happens just as it's presented here.

Separation can be a painful experience, but not so in this demonstration. It involves two coins of different values, shown freely to the spectators. One coin is clearly placed in one hand which is closed into a fist, and the other coin is left on the table. Now, it's magic time. The second coin is taken with the magician's free hand and a gesture is made towards the closed fist. This fist is then opened to reveal that both coins are now nestled together in the magician's now open hand. Don't you just love those happy endings?

I've noticed that with the passing of years, gravity seems to become stronger somehow. Here's a reminder of the gravitational pull's tendency to challenge our expectations. A plastic cup is placed on a flat surface such as a book, and is easily lifted from the book in the normal fashion. However, upon the introduction of a flimsy hankerchief which is placed inside the cup, the act of lifting it from the book appears impossible. Indeed, the book and cup can be turned upside down, and still the cup remains on the book. Finally the hankerchief is removed and the cup once again becomes compliant.

Magic tricks performed with easily identifiable objects can be especially confounding. It's one thing to be entertained by a magician with fancy boxes, etc. but who's to say they aren't prepared in some way? On the other hand, when the items being used are familiar and not easily tampered with, to me the effect is far more mystifying. This video shows the magician placing a white spot sticker on one side of a standard ruler. The spot is then coloured with a blue highlighter pen. A second white spot is then coloured likewise, and caused to vanish. This spot is found on the reverse side of the ruler. However, by passing a pink highlighter pen over one blue spot, it changes to a pink spot. Confusion reigns as the spots refuse to remain constant.