PERFORMING MENTALISM FOR

YOUNG MINDS Vl.1

By Paul Romhany

From W ebsite: C lubM agic.I nfo

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 Other books by Paul Romhany

Pawmistry: How to Read Your Cat's Paws

Let’s Talk Turkey
Secrets of a Walk-about Ventriloquist
Laugh Yourself Well
Entertaining on a Cruise Ship - The Complete Guide
Key-Note Speaking for Magicians
Lunch Is Served
Dream Prediction Updates
Down Under Lecture Notes
Extreme Magic MakeOver by Hal Spear and Paul Romhany
Mental Epic Compendium
How To Tell Anybody’s Personality by the way they Laugh and Speak
Winning Numbers (Pro Series 1)
Bill 2 Can (Pro Series 2)
Multiplying Bottles (Pro Series 3)
Six Card Repeat (Pro Series 4)
Bearly Impossible (Pro Series 5)

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 PUBLISHED BY
KEYSTONE PRESS
A Division of Keystone Entertainment Ltd.
PO Box 101473
North Shore Mail Centre
Auckland 0745
New Zealand

Copyright o 2011 by Keystone Entertainment Ltd.

All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

Distributed and bound in the United States of America.

This book expresses the author’s views and opinions. The information contained in this book is
provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties. Neither the authors, Keystone Publishers,
nor its resellers or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either
directly or indirectly by this book.

Project Editor: Harry Monk

Cover Design: Paul Romhany

Thank you to Nathan Grange and Randy Schostag who kindly went through the book correcting all my
errors.

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 CONTENTS
Preface! 10

Introduction! 11

Performing for Children! 17

Your Performing Style! 18

Knowing the basics of theatre! 19

Creating your Character! 22

101 Acting techniques! 23

Method Acting Tips For Beginners! 24

Beware of Overacting or Mechanical Acting!...................................................24

Acting is all about Belief and Creative Imagination!.......................................25

An Actor Must be An Athlete & Philosopher!....................................................25

Read and Understand the Script!......................................................................25

Connect to the Role through Emotional Memory!...........................................27

Itʼs all about Concentration and Practice!........................................................27

Lose Yourself in the Role but Stay Aware!.......................................................27

Enjoy the Process!..............................................................................................28

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 Mentalism for Preschool Kids! 29

Performing Mentalism for Children! 38

Parade of Children Prediction Trick! 49

World Cup Routine! 53

Cereal Box Prediction! 56

Slide Thru Card Switch! 61

Perform For The Children! 65

A TRIP ROUND THE WORLD IN 8 MINUTES !! 67

Phantom Artist Halloween Card Routine! 72

Bonus Effect –! 75

The Phantom Artist! 75

Clip-Lit Sports! 78

Psychic Santa! 89

Judge, Jury and Executioner! 94

Two School Routines! 101

The Mental Corridor! 102

Teaching Someone to Read Minds! 111

Mental Monopoly! 119

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 Time Warp! 125

Mind Reading to Africa! 133

The News in total! 138

ESPompoms! 141

King Book Test! 145

Guessinʼ Gumballs! 147

Childʼs Play! 151

Emoti- Con! 153

BIRTHDAY PRESENT! 164

Pointilism! 166

Reverse Q & A! 168

Prized Balloon! 171

The Fortune Teller! 174

Puzzled! 177

Pin the Tail on the Donkey! 182

Mystery Ball! 184

Spot the Pole! 188

The Mind Reading Hat Routine! 190

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 The Magic Square! 194

Gift Wrapped! 198

Magicians Choice! 204

P.S.I Fari! 210

Scrabbled! 216

Balloon Bank Night ! 221

Last One Standing! 224

SPOON BEND! 226

Drawing On The Imagination! 237

Ring or Watches?! 240

The Precognitive Phinger Puppet ! 244

BIOGRAPHIES! 252

Greg Arce!..........................................................................................................252

Danny Archer!....................................................................................................252

Bev Bergeron!....................................................................................................252

Christopher Berry!............................................................................................253

Tony Binarelli!....................................................................................................253

Reg Blackwood!................................................................................................254

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 Jasper Blakeley!................................................................................................254

E. Raymond Carlyle!.........................................................................................254

Tony Chris!.........................................................................................................255

Ozzy D!...............................................................................................................255

Jack Dean!.........................................................................................................255

Ken Dyne!..........................................................................................................255

Keith Fields!.......................................................................................................255

Magic George!...................................................................................................255

Andrew Gerard!.................................................................................................256

Matthew Johnson!.............................................................................................256

Cris Johnson!....................................................................................................256

David Kaye!........................................................................................................257

Ken Dyne!..........................................................................................................257

Jim Kleefeld!......................................................................................................258

David D. LaRue!.................................................................................................258

Anthony Lindan!................................................................................................258

Tim Mannix!........................................................................................................259

Larry Mahan!......................................................................................................259

Magical Michael!................................................................................................259

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 Kyle Peron!........................................................................................................259

Ken Ring!...........................................................................................................259

Ray Roch!..........................................................................................................260

Wayne Rogers!..................................................................................................261

Paul Romhany!..................................................................................................261

Dal Sanders!.......................................................................................................262

Mark Strivings!..................................................................................................262

Professor Spellbinder!......................................................................................263

TC Tahoe!...........................................................................................................263

Christopher Taylor!...........................................................................................264

Richard Webster!...............................................................................................264

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 Preface
Richard Webster

I love performing mentalism for children. Iʼve read some of the disparaging comments
on magic forums about mentalism for children, and assume most of them were written
by people whoʼve had no experience at entertaining children. I know, from my own
experience, that children enjoy magic with a mentalism theme. For more than thirty
years, I performed as Riccardo the Magician, and my acts for older children always
included mentalism.  Children love mentalism, but only if itʼs entertaining, and easy to
follow and understand.  As Iʼve sat through a number of mentalism shows for adults that
werenʼt entertaining, and werenʼt easy to follow and understand, Iʼm with the children – I
love mentalism thatʼs entertaining, and easy to follow and understand.
 
My good friend, Paul Romhany, obviously feels the same. Heʼs collected a huge
selection of mentalism and mental magic that children – and adults – will love. The
emphasis is on entertainment, and I know youʼll enjoy performing them, and your young
audiences will have a great time, too.
 
I remember how impressed I was when I first saw Yahoo the Clown perform. At the time,
I had no idea how much work Paul had put into creating this character. The first thirty
pages of this book tell you exactly how he did it, and how you, too, can create a
character that children will love.
 
The rest of this book is a treasure trove of fascinating mental effects that your young –
and not so young – audiences will enjoy. These wonderful effects are so good that Iʼm
tempted to dust off my old Riccardo outfit and start performing again.
 
I know youʼll enjoy this book, and will come back to it again and again in the future. If
you have any doubts whatsoever about performing mentalism for children, try one or
two of the effects in this book. I know youʼll change your mind. Thank you, Paul, for
compiling and publishing this valuable book.

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 Introduction

“As for kids mentalism. The funny thing is people think of kids three or four years old
when you say kids. This is rarely the case, even for regular kids performers.  People do
not give kids enough credit for being smart. They get mentalism. They get mindreading
even at the age of five and six.  I do think it can be done and have done it. Now yes, the
times I did it the kids were eleven, and up but they get it. They certainly understand
when Harry Potter gets a psychic image.” - Banachek

Thereʼs no doubt that the branch of performance magic known as ʻmentalismʼ is

undergoing something of a renaissance these days, thanks in part to television stars
such as Chris Angel, David Blaine, Derren Brown, and the hit TV show, “The Mentalist.”
More and more performers are opting for mentalism style routines when performing for
children, and starting to realize that the younger generation understands the concept of
mentalism. One of the first effects I performed in my childrenʼs shows twenty five years
ago was Hen Fetchʼs Mental Epic. I changed it up so that it was entertaining for the kids,
but it was always a hit in the show. Even today I include Mental Epic is my kids shows,
and they still enjoy it. As Banachek told me when I spoke to him about this, “they get it!”
They do get it, because itʼs such a different type of audience than it was when we were
young. Four-year-olds understand technology, and are able to navigate around iPads
and iPhones. The younger generation are much smarter, and certainly more techno
smart than my generation. I was brought up reading books, today they read Kindles.
One thing I will say when performing mentalism for children, know your audience, and
adapt each show for that group. Each age group appreciates magic and mentalism on a
different level.

When I started working on this book I had several emails from mentalists who said that
performing for children couldnʼt be done. It caused a bit of a stir on the mentalism chat

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 groups, because there were those who said mentalism could ONLY be performed for
adults. I found this rather odd because Iʼve been including mentalism routines in my kids
and family shows for the past twenty two years. I spoke to several friends who are
professional mentalists and magicians, and they all said they too have performed
mentalism for kids. There are definitely two very different opinions on this subject, each
with very strong opinions. Personally, itʼs something Iʼve always included in my own
shows for kids, so I never questioned if it couldnʼt be done. When I was part of kids
television show in New Zealand called “What Now?”, I often performed mentalism
routines on the show. The target audience was between 8-15 years old.

The big debate is whether a childrenʼs show, such as a birthday party, could all be 100%
mentalism material. There are those who think along the lines of a magic/mentalism
effect more suitable for kids rather than straight out mentalism. From my own
professional point of view, the bottom line when entertaining children is ʻentertainingʼ.
First and foremost they need to be entertained. Mentalism CAN be entertaining and it
comes down to the performerʼs own style. I mentioned this to my good friend Richard
Webster, who has successfully performed mentalism for children for many years, and he
agreed that it comes down to a personʼs personality.

Part of my degree at Auckland University was Child Psychology where I studied the
theories of Piaget. While his theories are now taken over by others, it wouldnʼt hurt to
give a brief overview of developmental psychology of children.

An understanding of child development is essential, allowing us to understand the

cognitive, emotional, physical, social and educational growth that children go through
from birth and into early adulthood. Some of the major theories of child development are
known as grand theories; they attempt to describe every aspect of development, often
using a stage approach. Others are known as mini-theories; they instead focus only on
a fairly limited aspect of development, such as cognitive or social growth.

The following are just a few of the many child development theories that have been
proposed by theorists and researchers. More recent theories outline the developmental
stages of children and identify the typical ages at which these growth milestones occur.

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 Psychoanalytic Child Development Theories-

Sigmund Freud
The theories proposed by Sigmund Freud stressed the importance of childhood events
and experiences, but almost exclusively focused on mental disorders rather that normal
functioning.

Erik Erikson
Theorist Erik Erikson also proposed a stage theory of development, but his theory
encompassed development throughout the entire human lifespan. Erikson believed that
each stage of development was focused on overcoming a conflict. For example, the
primary conflict during the adolescent period involves establishing a sense of personal
identity. Success or failure in dealing with the conflicts at each stage can impact overall
functioning. During the adolescent stage, for example, failure to develop an identity
results in role confusion.

Cognitive Child Development Theories

Theorist Jean Piaget suggested that children think differently than adults and proposed
a stage theory of cognitive development. He was the first to note that children play an
active role in gaining knowledge of the world. According to his theory, children can be
thought of as "little scientists" who actively construct their knowledge and understanding
of the world.

For completeness here are the Stages of Cognitive Development by Piaget.

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 STAGE Characterized by

Sensor-motor Differentiates self from objects.

(Birth - 2 yrs)
Recognizes self as agent of action and beings to act
intentionally: e.g. pulls a string to set mobile in motion or
shakes a rattle to make a noise.

Achieves object permanence: realizes that things

continue to exist even when no longer present to the
sense.

Pre-Operational Learns to use language and to represent objects by

(2-7 years) images and words.

Thinking is still egocentric: has difficulty taking the

viewpoint of others.

Classifies objects by a single feature: e.g. groups

together all the red blocks regardless of shape or all the
square blocks regardless of color.

Concrete Operational Can think logically about objects and events

(7-11 years)
Achieves conservation of number (age 6), mass (age 7),
and weight (age 9)

Classifies objects according to several features and can

order them in series along a single dimension such as
size.

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 STAGE Characterized by

Formal Operational Can think logically about abstract propositions and test
(11 years and up) hypotheses systematically

Becomes concerned with the hypothetical, the future, and

ideological problems

The accumulating evidence is that this scheme is too rigid: many children manage
concrete operations earlier than he thought, and some people never attain formal
operations (or at least are not called upon to use them).

Piaget's approach is central to the school of cognitive theory known as "cognitive

constructivism": other scholars, known as "social constructivists", such as Vygotsky and
Bruner, have laid more emphasis on the part played by language and other people in
enabling children to learn.

The point here is to realize that children of different ages have different needs to keep
them entertained. You will need to adapt your presentation, and routines to fit the age
groups accordingly. A show I do for eight-year-olds is not the same show I would do for
five-year-olds. The routines in this book are a mixture of routines from five-year-olds up
to teenagers. The contributors offer a diverse range of effects and insight in to the world
of entertaining young people.

Behavioral Child Development Theories

Behavioral theories of child development focus on how environmental interaction
influences behavior and are based upon the theories of theorists such as John B.
Watson, Ivan Pavlov and B. F. Skinner. These theories deal only with observable
behaviors. Development is considered a reaction to rewards, punishments, stimuli and
reinforcement. This theory differs considerably from other child development theories
because it gives no consideration to internal thoughts or feelings. Instead, it focuses

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 purely on how experience shapes who we are. Learn more about these behavioral
theories in these articles on classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

Social Child Development Theories

John Bowlby
There is a great deal of research on the social development of children. John Bowbly
proposed one of the earliest theories of social development. Bowlby believed that early
relationships with caregivers play a major role in child development and continue to
influence social relationships throughout life.

Albert Bandura
Psychologist Albert Bandura proposed what is known as social learning theory.
According to this theory of child development, children learn new behaviors from
observing other people. Unlike behavioral theories, Bandura believed that external
reinforcement was not the only way that people learned new things. Instead, intrinsic
reinforcements such as a sense of pride, satisfaction and accomplishment could also
lead to learning. By observing the actions of others, including parents and peers,
children develop new skills and acquire new information.

Lev Vygotsky
Another psychologist named Lev Vygotsky proposed a seminal learning theory that has
gone on to become very influential, especially in the field of education. Like Piaget,
Vygotsky believed that children learn actively and through hands-on experiences. His
sociocultural theory also suggested that parents, caregivers, peers and the culture at
large were responsible for the development of higher order functions.

Final Thoughts
As you can see, some of psychology's best known thinkers have developed theories to
help explore and explain different aspects of child development. Today, contemporary
psychologists often draw on a variety of theories and perspectives in order to
understand how kids grow, behave and think.

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 Performing for Children

Performing mentalism for children is the same as performing any type of show for kids:
you need to make it entertaining.

Children today arenʼt used to seeing live entertainment as much as I was when I grew
up. Todayʼs generation are stuck behind screens without any form of interaction with live
performers, and have little experience being an audience. One of the keys to performing
for children is to get them used to the idea of applauding if they like something. Getting
them to interact in general is a key ingredient.

To start a show I like to warm them up and get them prepared for the show with the
following techniques.

Control - I like to establish audience control and set boundaries for the show. If Iʼm
performing in a library for example, where there is no stage, I will often use a piece of
rope, and have them sit behind the rope. This is done in a fun way, and at the same
time, sets up my performing area as a little stage.

Warming up the audience is vital to any show for kids. It allows you to set the tone of the
show, it teaches them how and when to applaud, and is a great way to let the kids see
and know your character.

The main objective is that kids want to have fun. They also need you to set a few
ground rules. They are used to it at school, and a few basic rules can make or break the
show. Some of the rules I use include:

• Raising hands if they want to come on stage.

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 • Getting them to applaud if somebody does something amazing - there are lots of
simple and fun games where they follow your actions, and then you catch them
out. These are great because it makes them stay alert for the show.

• Staying behind the rope.

A few warm up games can go a long way. David Ginn has a wonderful little booklet
called, “Warm Up Games” which contains some fantastic warm up games for childrenʼs
shows. The warm up establishes that you are in control of the show. Finally, it sets a fun
tone for the show. This is the first time your audience gets a sense of your performing
style.

Above all, show confidence in what you are doing and who you are. Kids are like dogs,
they seem to sense any kind of fear.

Your Performing Style

Your performing personality or style is one of the most important aspects of your
mentalism show. If you try to impress the kids with an act such as Derren Brown, then
youʼll lose them within the first few minutes. They arenʼt interested in whether or not you
can control what they are thinking by using intuition, NLP or psychology. I have found
that a kidsʼ performer needs to be energetic and fun, and create a show that the kids
want to take part in. Personality is the key to any kind of performance, but I have found
it more so with mentalism. This applies to adult shows as well as kidsʼ shows.

For some reason mentalism in general attracts a rather dull performing personality style.
The few who do make the big time are the ones who are charismatic, can draw people
in to a show, and keep them engaged throughout. I remember sitting through a full
evening of mentalism by Banachek, not once but twice, and each time didnʼt know
where the time went. He kept the audience on the edge of their seats for a full two
hours, one of the best one-man shows Iʼve seen. Derren Brown is another classic

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 example of somebody who has taken mentalism and turned it into theatre. He has the
personality and charisma to pull off a full evening show of pure mentalism.

If you want to get a handle on what the younger generation are into, watch a few of the
latest television shows for kids. Look at the hosts of the childrenʼs shows; see how their
personalities engage the young viewers. The one thing you will notice from all of them is
that they ʻentertainʼ the kids. It doesnʼt matter if they sing, tell jokes or stories, do magic
tricks or mentalism - they have discovered a personality that kids want to watch and will
sit and listen too.

Knowing the basics of theatre

Just because you are performing in somebodyʼs house for a birthday party, doesnʼt
mean you canʼt turn that living room or outdoor area in to a theatrical arena.
Understanding a few basics of theatre and drama can help make your show more of an
experience, and elevate the art form of performing for children from the standard
birthday party clown to professional artist. The following tips can also help you be more
creative with your routines, and for mentalism they will help you build up stories that will
hold your audience.

I often see my performance as a one man play. It has a beginning, middle and end. Too
often you will see magicians and clowns do a show that has no structure or forethought.
Itʼs just a pile of tricks they bought at the magic shop with which they set about trying to
entertain. The successful childrenʼs performers have a much deeper understanding of
what makes a show work.

Aristotle was a philosopher who wrote on a variety of subjects like poetry, theater,
music, rhetoric; and handled subjects like biology, physics, logic and politics. He
famously wrote about the six elements of drama: plot, theme, character, dialogue, music
and the visual element of a play.

Let us look at each of them and think about how they can be used in preparing a
mentalism show for children:

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 Theme: The theme of a drama refers to the central idea of the play. It can either be
clearly stated through dialogue or action or can be inferred after watching the entire
performance. In my school shows I would do a full mentalism show based around the
five senses. This was the obvious ʻthemeʼ of the show, and from this I was able to
develop other aspects that made up the overall show.

Plot: The order of events occurring in a play is referred to as the plot. It is the basic
storyline that is narrated throughout a play. The entertainment one derives from a play
depends largely on the sequence of events that occur in the story. The logical
connection between the events and the characters (who enact the story) forms an
integral part of the plot of drama. This can be on two levels, from an individual effect to
the overall plot of the childrenʼs show. I like my show to have structure, like any good
story, with a beginning, middle and end.

Characters: The characters in the story are interwoven with the plot of the drama. Each
character in a play has a personality of its own and has a distinct set of principles and
beliefs. The actors who play the roles have the very important responsibility of bringing
the characters to life.

As a childrenʼs performer you need to play the part of a character, and should try to
bring that character to life. A great childrenʼs performer is Silly Billy; his persona is one
that brings energy and fun to his audience. Character is a very important part of
anybody who appears on stage. Even if you are being yourself, you have to know who
you are first.

Dialogue: The story of any play is progressed by means of the dialogue. The story is
narrated to the audiences through the dialogue written by the playwright.

The success of a drama depends hugely on the contents of the dialogue and the way
itʼs delivered by the actors of the play. The same can be said for your show for kids.
While I donʼt believe in having a show that is completely scripted, I think itʼs important to
at least have guides and know where you are going.

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 Music: This element of drama includes the use of sounds and rhythm in speech as well
as melodious compositions, which form a part of many plays. The background score,
the songs and the sound effects that are used in a play make up the musical element of
drama. Music composers and lyricists sit together to create music that can go well with
the theme of the play. If the scenes of a play are accompanied by well-suited pieces of
music, they have more impact on the audiences. Hence, music forms a very important
element of drama. Even if you are performing at a birthday party, think about how the
use of music can take it to another level.

With technology the way it is now, it is easy to include music in your act. I have a remote
control unit that works with my ipod and speaker system, all built-in to my table. Itʼs
portable and lightweight and the addition of music and sound effects really help take my
show to a more theatrical place.

Visual Element: While the dialogue and music constitute the audible aspect of drama,
the visual element deals with the scenes, costumes and special effects used in it. The
visual element, also known as the spectacle, renders a visual appeal to the show.

It is also important for the scenes to be dramatic enough to hold the audiences to their
seats. The special effects used in a play add to the visual appeal. Thus, the spectacle
forms an essential component of drama. The costume you wear, your props, your table
are all part of the visual element of your show.

Apart from these elements of drama as given by Aristotle, the structure of the story, a
clever use of symbolism, and contrast and stagecraft form some of the other important
elements of drama.

Direction is an essential part of a show. A well-directed show can help generate greater
mass appeal.

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 Stagecraft plays a vital role in increasing the visual appeal of a drama. The use and
organization of different staging elements and the stage setup constitute the stagecraft,
which is an essential component of a show.

Creating your Character

One of the best children shows Iʼve seen was in the UK several years ago by actor and
mentalist Jasper Blakeley. He did a full forty-five minute show for kids ranging in ages
from 5 to 12, and he kept them on the edge of their seats the entire time.

He had all the elements that make up a great show: he had an understanding of drama,
character, timing and, most importantly, he kept the kids entertained.

His show included various magic and mentalism effects, which appealed to all ages.
Later that night I got to see Jasper perform as his alter ego Kockov in a full adult
mentalism show. Both characters were very different, but both shows were pure
entertainment and pure theatre. I was fortunate enough to sit down and talk to Jasper,
and then I understood why his shows were so good: he had studied acting and drama.
He knew all about character development and stagecraft because he was trained in it.

Watching him work, and talking to him, was very inspirational and made me realize just
how important knowing the fundamentals of a craft can be.

Acting plays a very important part in any performance. If you watch the really top
performers in the world, you are watching great actors at work. A performer I admire is
Oscar Munoz. He has also studied acting and stagecraft, and itʼs very apparent when
you watch him work. He is another great example of somebody who understands the
craft.

When I toured Canada with Oscar he was kind enough to share his insights and
thoughts on creating an act and building a character. A piece of advice he gave me was
that I needed to believe in what I was doing, rather than just going through the actions.
In one part of my Charlie Chaplin act, I would pick up an umbrella as though it was
raining. After a few weeks of watching me, Oscar told me to believe it was raining, rather

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 than just going through the motions of picking up an umbrella and pretending. The
difference in performance and audience reaction was amazing.

Rather than just go through the motions with each trick, take the time to think about why
you are including it: How does it fit in the overall plot of your show? Are you trying to
give a message with it? How do you want the kids to react to it?

If the reactions arenʼt as good as you feel they should be, then take that effect, and look
at it from a different angle. Perhaps ask people outside of the magic clubs to look at
your show and offer suggestions. One of the best things you can do is to ask a
professional producer or director to watch your show and offer some help.

101 Acting techniques

Knowledge is one of the keys for any performer to improve on what they already know
or do. In my eyes, performing for ten children should be taken just as seriously as
performing on stage for fifteen hundred people. Every time I perform I treat it as a show,
as an experience. Even if Iʼm performing one on one, I still want to create a special
moment in that personʼs life. Sure, I could perform an effect without much thought and
the observer might be impressed. However, if I were to create a moment for that person,
something they will go away and tell their friends about, then I know I have done my job.

One thing you may not know about me, is that I am trained in Film and Television as
well as Theatre. Perhaps this is why Iʼm so passionate about this side of our craft, and
get upset when I see bad children performers who have no understanding of what
makes up a great show.

The notion of acting always comes back to me, especially after seeing Jasper command
his audience of children for forty-five minutes. Not only did he have the children
enthralled, but he also had all of the adults in fits of laughter, and I know he booked a lot
of work after that one gig.

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 It is interesting that his background is that of an actor, because it really shone through.
For completeness of knowledge and to help in creating a character or persona for your
childrenʼs mentalism shows, I will include what I will call 101 Acting.

For me, acting is letting go of myself for a while and becoming somebody who I will
never be otherwise. It is like living an alternate life for a brief period of time. It is an
opportunity to conquer all my inhibitions, conditioned by society and release myself from
them. When you perform for children you canʼt have any inhibitions, you just have to let
yourself go. Having some basic acting skills will help you become a much more
confident and natural performer. One thing I can tell you from experience: kids can pick
up anybody who is false on stage.

Method Acting Tips For Beginners

As the zen masters say: if you try to fill a cup which is already full, it will all spill over. To
fill something new in a cup, first it must be emptied. So, the acting tips for beginners that
I give here will have the best effect if you keep an open mind. Read and consider the
acting tips and tricks given here, apply them and then judge them. These are all tips
from master theater artists - compiled by me.

The first part is, of course, dealing with stage fright! To deal with it and forget it,
concentrate on your role and think about nothing else. Learn to enjoy the spotlight and
just do what you need to do! With every outing on stage you will get better at handling it.
A little stage fright will always remain and keep you alert on stage but as Iʼve said
before, kids will pick up very quickly if you lack confidence or are scared of them.

So, let us begin with our method acting tips for beginners. What I talk about here mostly
relates to acting in theater, but you can easily apply it to your own performances for
children.

Beware of Overacting or Mechanical Acting

Good acting is not over acting or mechanically saying lines. Donʼt just read out lines! Do
not say or do anything on stage or in your show, without understanding what you are
saying. Do not say anything unless you understand the emotion that evokes the

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 dialogue. Often a magician or mentalist might say something for the sake of speaking
when it doesnʼt make any sense or add anything to the overall effect.

Acting is all about Belief and Creative Imagination

Acting is living an alternate life, as I said before. It is make believe. The audience is only
going to believe that you are indeed the person you are playing to be if you yourself
believe that you are that person! To go from being who you are in reality to who you are
on stage is a process. The thing that is going to get you there is creative imagination
and belief!

Both Jasper and Silly Billy are perfect examples of believing in who they are. I know for
a fact that Jasper is acting when he is performing for children, Iʼve sat down with him
and he is most definitely not the same character. It might be an extension of himself
when he performs for children, but in real life he is certainly not the off the wall, crazy
personality that he is when he is on stage.

An Actor Must be An Athlete & Philosopher

An actor must cultivate his mind and body as an instrument in portraying roles. His mind
needs to be able to grasp things as astutely as a philosopher and his body must be able
to portray a range of emotions.

Read and Understand the Script

If you have written a script, take the time to read it thoroughly. For many childrenʼs
performers the idea of writing a script will seem unusual. I advise you however, to sit
down and write one out. Then act it out a few times. Read it aloud; read it to a friend. Itʼs
sometimes hard to do this, because you want your show to have audience interaction
seem spontaneous, but having a basic script will also give your show direction.

View the script from the outside, from the point-of-view of your audience. Then read the
story again from the perspective of the role you are playing. Discuss with another
performer you respect, about what exactly you feel about the story line of your show,
and clarify your doubts. You may not end up following the script word for word, but after

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 performing one hundred shows you will realize that you have a tight (hopefully) scripted
show.

Try it: sit down and actually ʻwriteʼ a show; read it back normally; then read it as you
would perform it.

Creating a show is an ongoing process. Once you start performing it you will be taking
things out and adding things in. Kids will come up with the funniest things. Re-work, re-
write and re-edit your script until you feel itʼs as tight as it can be.

Then, get a director in to watch and be prepared to re-work it again.

Know Everything about the Role and the Person

This is the character development process for any actor. These tips apply to your
personality as a childrenʼs performer as well as that of any actor playing a role.

The next step is to know as much as you can about the role you are portraying in
explicit detail. You must ask questions about the role: Who is that person? Where does
he come from? The answer to these questions will be partly found out of your own
creative imagination! Some actors even write a diary of a day-in-the life of that
character! You must know him/her like the back of your hand. Even if the details of the
character come from your imagination, and only partly from the script, they must be very
specific.

When I first started performing shows for children, I developed a clown character called,
“Yahoo the Clown”. I went as far as writing a biography for this character just so I could
understand him more. The more I understood the character, the more I believed in him,
the more I became him, and the more the kids could relate to him. For them it wasnʼt
just a man dressed up as a clown, it was a real clown, and thatʼs a huge difference
when performing for children.

You will slowly get an idea about how this person might be thinking. You will know why
he reacts the way he does in the particular situations of a show or trick. The classic

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 example will be a sucker type routine, how does your character react to that? You will
get an idea about the rationale behind the character's behavior. Do your homework on
your character because it will definitely pay off in the long run.

Connect to the Role through Emotional Memory

Now, you exactly know who you are going to portray, the next part is being that
character! It is the easiest and the most difficult part. Learn the lines of the script
thoroughly and understand the mood of the character when he/she says them.

This can easily be applied to a routine that involves telling a story. For me, some of the
best moments from David Copperfield include those where he involves his emotions. He
is a great storyteller and understands the idea of bringing emotion in to an effect. You
can do this with kids as well.

Draw parallels between the character's life and your own experiences from your
emotional memory! Emotional memory is the parallel memory that you have stored
inside you, through which you can relate to that character! Invoke your emotional
memory when you say the lines as that person. Slowly, you will not just sympathize with
the character, you will empathize! You will start thinking the way he thinks, feeling the
way she feels. Once you get that character, your body language, tonality, expressions
and actions will fall in place accordingly!

Itʼs all about Concentration and Practice

Once you start work on your show, you need to practice and rehearse it regularly. To get
into the role and make kids believe that you are your character, you must concentrate
and cultivate your imagination onstage. You must be able to see what the character
sees!

Lose Yourself in the Role but Stay Aware

On a character level you must be involved, but your awareness as an actor should also
be there, all the time while performing. There are certain subtleties about presenting a
character and performing on stage. There is a limit to how much realism you can bring
on stage. There are some things which you need to modify, so that it is presentable on

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 stage. While playing the role, in the flow of character, one has to be aware as an actor
of all those subtleties.

Enjoy the Process

Last but not least, to do it right, you must enjoy the process! I love developing shows,
and consulting for other performers because the process is so much fun.

Iʼve scripted many shows for a variety of performers - from childrenʼs productions to full
two-hour stage productions. Working with magicians and mentalists to help create a
show that is unique to them is time consuming, and hard work, yet very rewarding when
you see the end result.

Performing for children is a very rewarding experience, whether itʼs at a theme park,
birthday party or company picnic. By taking time and really honing your skills you will be
able to create a show filled with mystery, entertainment and fun that will be enjoyed, not
only by the kids, but by the adults as well. After all, itʼs the adults who are paying your
wage, so you want to entertain them at the same time.

One of the best things I ever did when I was at University, was to get involved in
Theatresports. Itʼs best described as sports for actors who want to improve their
improvisational skills. If you ever get the chance to get in to such a group, or even to
watch a show, do it. Itʼs the best form of acting you could get. If there was one piece of
advice I would give to every single childrenʼs performer, it would be to get involved in a
local theatre sports group.

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 Mentalism for Preschool Kids
Mark Strivings

$ Before I dive into all of this, let me say right from the start that everything that
follows is just my opinion. Without having seen anything else that will be appearing in
the tome you now hold, I can state with complete confidence that the vast majority of
what is contained herein will have to be dramatically adapted to your particular style and
persona, perhaps even more than the usual childrenʼs fare. What works for one
performer will not necessarily work at all for another. While that adage is true in all forms
of magic, nowhere is it more true than when it comes to working with kids. And you can
double that when it comes to performing mentalism for kids. Especially the real young
ones.

$ Having said that, I can state without hesitation that everything I will lay out for you
here works for me. Try it. Adapt it. Make it your own. Make it work for you.

$ Please keep in mind that, unless otherwise noted, all of the following refers to
children ages 3-5.

$ I once overheard a conversation wherein an older magician of at least 2 decades

more experience than I had at the time tell a much younger magician that you cannot do
magic shows for kids under the age of 6. My instantaneous thought was, “Well then I
had better get out of the biz, because I do several hundred magic shows for kids under
the age of 6 every year.”

$ And since I am telling stories here, (and I hope he doesnʼt mind me telling this)
when Paul approached me about this project to begin with, he told me that this book
would be dealing with the performance of mentalism for kids over the age of 5. In my
response I inquired why the arbitrary age of 5? I do mentalism for kids under the age of
5 all the time. Paul told me he simply hadnʼt thought about it.

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 $ Most magicians havenʼt even thought about doing magic for kids under the age of
5 much less mentalism. I am in no way trying to embarrass anyone with the telling of the
above two brief anecdotes. It just doesnʼt occur to most performers that the young ones
are a viable and truly wonderful audience, even for mentalism.

$ In the case of the older performer mentioned above what he was really saying
was that he canʼt do magic shows for kids under the age of 6. I promise you thatʼs not
what he thought he was saying. He didnʼt realize that he was actually talking about
himself. He truly felt that his advice was a universal truism. He was wrong, at least in so
much as - if you know what you are doing, what the age group is all about, how to
approach them and present to them – you absolutely can perform for kids under the age
of 6.

$ Having said that, allow me to sound contradictory for a moment. Thereʼs an old
adage among magical performers. “You canʼt do mentalism for children.” That statement
is absolutely true.

$ Confused yet?

$ There are a lot of aspects of mentalism that are taken for granted when
performing for adults. Adults have life experience and understanding of what things are
possible (seemingly) and what things arenʼt. They know, or at least are fairly certain that
a performer cannot simply reach into their minds and tell them what they are thinking.
Yet that is exactly what mentalism is about, in one form or another. Hence the incredible
impact that mentalism has on adults. It hits incredibly close to home, right inside their
own heads!

$ In a performance of mentalism for adults several dynamics can be left pretty

much unsaid. If there is a sealed envelope hanging in full view from the beginning of a
performance with the word ʻPREDICTIONʼ emblazoned on it, the audience stands a
pretty good chance of understanding where things are heading. Little kids donʼt even
know what the word ʻpredictionʼ means. If an adult writes their childhood pets name on a
slip of paper and it is sealed in an envelope, only to be revealed by the wonder-worker

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 later in the program, adults can understand the dynamic of the impossibility of that
occurrence. Little kids, on the other hand, canʼt yet write their pets name. In fact if you
were to ask a roomful of four year olds to write their pets name down but not say it out
loud, 50% of those kids would go ahead and say it out loud anyway, just out of
excitement and wanting to share with you.

$ This statement is screamingly obvious, but it needs to be said. Kids are simply
not wired the way adults are. Children do not understand mentalism at all. At least not
the way it is presented normally. It goes flying right by them. When they see a magician
they just automatically assume that he can do whatever he says he can do. If he says
he can read your mind, then guess what? He can read your mind. Itʼs not a miracle. It is
expected. To the younger set this passes as normal.

$ So then, how in the world can you possibly do mentalism for younger children?

$ What you need to understand first and foremost is that young kids really donʼt
care about magic or mentalism at all. What kids (and teenagers, and adults) care about
is having fun! If a roomful of kids is having fun with whatever it is that you are doing for
them in the name of entertainment, then they are perfectly good with it. Whether it be
doing magic tricks, or juggling, or telling stories, or doing animal calls. It makes no
difference what you do. The only thing that matters is that it (and you) is fun. If you are
fun, then you can do pretty much anything at all and the kids will be happy.

$ You can do the most amazing magic trick on the face of the planet and if the kids
arenʼt having fun then they simply donʼt care. They wonʼt be impressed. They wonʼt be
amazed. And you wonʼt get hired back.

$ Little kids donʼt really understand the concept of ʻamazingʼ because at that age
they take everything at face value. They donʼt, as yet, have the life experience to know
what magic (or mentalism) really is. To them anything is possible. To them, if you are a
magician then you can do pretty much anything you say you can do and they are fine
with it. They do not find it amazing.

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 $ Let me say that again. Little kids do not find what you do as a magician to be
ʻamazingʼ. They donʼt even know what ʻamazingʼ is (and you will not be able to show
them what it is, no matter what you do). All that they know at that age is what fun is. Itʼs
what they do. Itʼs their job!

$ I work with the little ones literally all of the time. As of this writing I average nearly
400 shows a year in daycares, performing to the exact demographic that we are
discussing here. These kids believe everything I tell them. And every once in awhile I
have to use my ʻpowersʼ to help set things straight. I canʼt tell you how many times I
have had a youngster have to sit out a program I was doing because they were having
behavioral problems at their daycare. And I canʼt tell you how many times I have taken
the opportunity to admonish that little guy or girl that if they werenʼt good and do what
their teachers say every single day, then the next time I come to their school (which is
usually the very next month) I would have to turn them into a frog.

$ Guess what? The next time I come to their Center I am invariably informed that
the kiddo in question is no longer a problem child. They believe me when I tell them that
I can turn them into a frog. Most likely some of you reading this have done the exact
same thing, and still others might take umbrage with that approach even though it is
right on par with Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny. But I can assure you the kids
figure it out eventually and in the meantime there are a lot fewer problems for their
parents and teachers to deal with.

$ The bottom line on this little story is that if you are a magician, the kids already
think you can do virtually anything.

$ But how in the world can you possibly do mentalism for the younger set?

$ I can encapsulate my entire philosophy on this in one word – framing.

$ What you have to do is to present the mentalism you are doing in terms and in a
setting that the kids will understand. As far as I am concerned there are three Key
Ingredients that you need in order to successfully perform mentalism for children. You

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 have to frame the presentation in such a way that the kids #1) are having fun, #2)
understand what it is that you are doing throughout the presentation without giving away
the ending and #3) understand that something unique has happened when you get to
the climax of the routine. Be sure to note what Rule #1 is. It is head and shoulders
above anything and everything else. If you can do these three basic things then you are
well on your way to performing mentalism for the younger set.

$ While there are no hard and fast rules for obtaining these objectives, perhaps an
example or two will get you thinking in the right direction.

$ Many years ago there was a trick that Supreme (England) put out called ʻPopsy
Pegsʼ. Itʼs kind of a silly and very fun trick but the presentation that came with it made no
sense, at least to me. In case you arenʼt familiar with it, there were basically two parts to
the effect.

$ There were four large cards that each had a large colored spot on it, four different
colors in all. These were displayed on a small stand. There was also a square wooden
frame that held four ribbons of corresponding colors with those on the cards, each held
in place by a plastic clothes pin with color matching the ribbon.

$ In effect, the performer had a spectator select one of the colored cards. The
corresponding clothes pin with ribbon attached would then fly off of the wooden frame.
This could be repeated.

$ In my presentation of this it became essentially a demonstration of

psychokinesis, although obviously I would never call it that.

$ I have a spectator come forward and I coach them on how to select one of the
colored spot cards, removing it from the stand and holding it high in the air, so that
everyone would know what color to merely think of. They were then to replace the card
back into the stand.

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 While this was happening the audience was cautioned to not say a word (a very tricky
thing for the younger set unto itself) while Mr. Magic turned his head and covered his
eyes. Once the selected card was back in place everyone was instructed to concentrate
on the same colored ribbon as was on the card that was just selected, but donʼt say a
word. Just think! And if everyone concentrates hard enough, something just might
happen.

$ Sure enough the very same ribbon/clothes pin would leap off of the frame amid
squeals and to the utter delight of the children. This was then repeated two more times
with the other colors. Apparently it was the children concentrating that made the ribbon/
pin jump. They were doing it.

$ Keep in mind, too, that throughout the above scenario I had tons of bits of
business and fun that made the presentation loaded with laughs. Remember Key
Ingredient #1 above? And throughout the presentation I made it clear to the kids that
they were going to be the ones making the magic happen, not me. Thus they needed to
concentrate really hard and not say a word so that there could be no way that Mr. Magic
could have anything to do with it (Key Ingredient #2). And while they did not know what
was going to happen, for the first time at least, they did know that something was going
to happen if they did their job (Key Ingredient #3). And the entire process just builds with
the subsequent repetitions of the effect. It plays like a charm.

$ Is this mentalism? There will be those who say no. Iʼm not even going to stick my
little toe into the waters of what is and what is not mentalism here. That discussion is
one that happens daily on the online bulletin boards and in discussions among
magicians and mentalists every single day of the year. You work out whatever definition
works for you on that one! The only point I would make here is that metal bending and
objects moving by the power of the mind (apparently) are presented as such by
magicians and mentalists every day. So the above works for me!

$ As far as the kids are concerned it is them concentrating on the color that makes
the ribbon/pin jump. Thatʼs a form of mentalism.

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 $ Iʼll give you one more example. Sammy Smith and his SPS Publications
company have released two wonderful versions of the same effect. One is called ʻDeja
Zooʼ and the other ʻPresents of Mindʼ. Both effects are identical except that one uses
pictures of animals and the other uses images of winter and the Holidays. These
versions are each, in turn, based on the Burling Hull and George LaFollette effect,
ʻRadar Visionʼ.

$ The performer displays a set of cards with pictures of various animals. At the end
of the stack of cards are some extras that are blank, and the performer explains that he
is going to draw a couple of pictures. Two pictures are drawn and placed back to the
audience in a small stand. Then two kids from the crowd select a picture from the stack
of cards and these two are also set into the stand with the pictures showing. The stand
is turned around and it is then revealed that Mr. Magic has drawn the exact same two
animals, even though he drew his pictures before any animals were selected!

$ The presentation that Sammy includes with his two effects works like a charm
and I certainly wonʼt steal his thunder here except to add that they are well worth
purchasing. But I would add one thing to what he has in his presentation.

$ Remember the three Key Ingredients? Throughout my presentation there are

loads of bits of biz that the kids find to be endless fun. Thatʼs #1. Secondly I make it
clear that I am drawing pictures that they will be able to see in a minute or two, but they
canʼt make fun of my drawing! Thatʼs #2. And #3, when I get to the point where itʼs time
to reveal my ʻdrawingsʼ I make it clear that I drew mine before my helpers chose an
animal, and I ask that if I at least drew something close to a kangaroo and a lion (or
whatever animals they chose) do the kids promise to clap hands and go YAY! Invariably
they go ahead and clap and cheer at this point regardless.

$ I then hem and haw just a bit while I remind them that my drawings should be at
least close to what they picked. I build the anticipation just a little and then turn the
stand around revealing the exact match! The crowd goes wild.

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 $ Since I am working for young kids, the main thing I have to do in my presentation
is to point up the ending and make it clear that my drawings need to be very close to
whatever animals were selected. Sammy pretty much leaves this point up to the
spectators to deduce, just as you would in a ʻregularʼ presentation of mentalism.

$ I think you will find that this is, indeed, the main point where you will have to do
the most work in your presentations. Itʼs the ending that is unclear to kids in ʻnormalʼ
mentalism. They, more often than not, arenʼt even really aware of anything that
happened. Unlike a lot of magic that they might see you do, where something actually
happens at the end, mentalism rarely has this. There is no ʻTA-DA!ʼ moment for the kids
that occurs in a way that they naturally understand. In your framing of the effect you will
need to make it clear to the kids what is happening in the course of things. This may
require a complete retooling of the presentation of the effect in some instances. In
others it may be as simple as just pointing up the ending, as in the presentation above.

$ But above all else, make absolutely certain that Rule #1 - having fun is the main
thing - is always your #1 priority. In the end nothing else matters.

$ There are a thousand little side tangents that could easily be taken in a
discussion such as this. You have to know and understand this very special little age
group. You have to know what makes them tick and why they do things the way they do.
You have to understand their thought processes, what they understand and what they
donʼt, what skill sets they have and what they donʼt. What their limited background and
life experience really is. You have to be a master at crowd control. You have to be
extremely personable and loads of fun. You have speak to them on their level without
speaking down to them. Those and a thousand other aspects of performing for this very
special group come into play, but unfortunately they are a bit beyond the scope of this
tome. Hopefully you already have these skills and this background as part of your
arsenal. If you donʼt, drop me a note. I will be glad to point you in some pertinent
directions.

In our brief time together here I have tried to hit what I consider to be the high points for
you as I see them. The above criteria are what I always follow should I decide to do a

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 mentalism effect for the younger set. Perhaps this will give you a starting point as well.
Good luck! And always entertain!

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 Performing Mentalism for Children
David Kaye

I’m not a parent so I still think it’s funny when I watch a mother try to extricate a foreign
object from the mouth of her two-year old. “What’s in there? Open up. Whatcha got
there? Open your mouth…” If only parents could read the minds of their children,
parenting would be so much easier. Parents would know the truthful answers to
questions like, “Did you brush your teeth? Did you hit your sister? What time did you
get in last night? Are you sleeping with that creepy boy down the block?”

Likewise, wouldn’t it have been cool if, as children, we could have read other people’s
minds? That would have been a very handy skill to have. If we were able to read minds
as a child we could have cheated on tests in school just by focusing our powers on the
smart kid. We would have known the answer when the teacher surprised us with, “Mr.
Kaye, why don’t you tell the rest of the class the circumference of the Earth.” We would
have known whether that cute girl liked us or not. And we would have known what we
were getting for Christmas without having to dig through the back of our parent’s
closet.

Parents can’t read the minds of their children. And kids can’t read the minds of their
parents. Or can they?

I have spent twenty years performing and analyzing magic for children. I think I know
kids pretty well. Before you can be successful performing mentalism for children, you
must know how to perform for children. Here are the most important things to keep in
mind as you entertain kids.

1. You must like children, or at least fake it well.

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 The most important quality of a great children's entertainer is that he or she likes kids. I
assure you, the children can tell and so can the parents. I guarantee that if you like kids
you will enjoy performing for them. If you don't like kids, don't make mentalism for kids
your primary source of income. You won't enjoy it. In fact, you'll hate it.

“Liking kids” includes enjoying their sense of humor, relishing their energy, and loving
their unpredictability. And if you like kids, not only will you enjoy performing for them,
but they will enjoy watching you. And you will do a better job if you enjoy what you do.

If you like children, the adults in the audience will like you too, and respect you. They
want to know that you like children. It is important to them to have a kind of trust, a
mutual love of their own children.

Remember in Lance Burton’s Monte Carlo show, after the Vanishing Birdcage, he kept
one kid on stage and pulled a mouth coil out from behind her head. (And then Lance
presented her with a free magic set, available in the Lance Burton Magic Shop
immediately after the show.) That bit was in the show to demonstrate that Lance loves
kids.

I know of a very successful children's entertainer who actually hates kids. I know this to
be a fact. But he is a great actor. The children don't realize the truth, they are fooled by
his acting and they still love him. However some of the parents can tell that he hates
children and he has lost business because of it.

Each of us is an actor playing the part of a magician, or in the context of this book, a
mentalist. If you don't like children, and you want to perform for children, at the very
least you should be an actor playing the part of a mentalist - who likes children.

2. Speak to the children as you would an adult.

People who are not used to working with children often make the mistake of speaking
to the children as if they are babies. For ages three and up, all children should be

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 spoken to as if you are speaking to another adult. Children are not stupid, they are not
fragile, and they are not hard of hearing. Don’t coochie-coo them. And don’t start your
sentences with “And” (as in “…And, how old are you?” “…And, what’s your name?”).

There is nothing wrong with taking it easy when you begin a conversation with a child
you have just met, a child who may not be used to you or the environment of a stage.
But once you get a fix on their shyness level, you can resume speaking to them in a
normal speech style.

Fifty years ago this kind of baby talk might have been appropriate. That was back when
children were raised on Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers. Today’s kids watch The
Simpsons, Nickelodeon, and MTV. Children today don’t need to be talked down to. If
you talk down to them, they will resent it and resent you. Speak to them with respect,
listen to what they have to say, and they will respond by being a better audience.

The only change you should make in the way you speak to children is to change your
vocabulary. All children have a smaller vocabulary than adults. Try not to use words
they don’t understand. For example, children don’t know the word “prediction.” The
only time they have heard it (unless they are Max Maven’s kids) is during the weather
forecast on the TV news. Instead of using the word “prediction,” you should say the
word “guess.” (“I will guess what will happen and I will write my guess on this paper.”)
Also replace the phrase “read your mind” with the phrase “Tell what you are
thinking.” (“If you think of a number I will tell you what number you are thinking of.”)

3. Emphasize the entertainment over the effect.

My philosophy of performing magic for children includes the idea that in the
presentation of a magic trick, it is not the magical moment that matters most to
children, it’s the fun stuff that happens on the way to that magical moment. Briefly,
what this means is children will enjoy you and your show more if your routines are
entertaining and fun.

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 I think that the reason so many close-up and adult-audience magicians hate doing kid
shows is because they don’t understand this concept. These magicians perform
miracles for an audience of children, yet they get no reaction. Or they get shouts of
explanations like, “It was there the whole time!” These magicians must learn that as
important as fooling the audience is, having fun before the magic happens (or in the
case of mentalism, before the denouement) may be more important.

This might be tough to pull off, given that so much of mentalism is exposition and
laying the groundwork for the plot. Think of the introduction to the trick and exposition
of the plot as sections of the routine that need to be as entertaining as the climax of the
routine. You will want to add jokes, bits of business, and by-play.

4. Eliminate distractions.

Children are less able to concentrate than adults when there are distractions during the
show. Unfortunately, when you perform for children there can be many distractions.
Whether its adults talking during your birthday party show or infants crying during a
larger theater show, there just isn’t the same respect for the kid show performer as
there is for an adult theater experience.

When people sit in cushy seats in a dark theater, they are conditioned to respect the
performer. Unfortunately most shows for children are performed in living rooms, school
gyms, outdoor parks, etc. These are locations where people are accustomed to talking.
Without the advantages of curtains, lighting and seats, we have to control many
aspects of the show ourselves.

If the children become distracted, they won’t be able to concentrate on you or your
presentation. Part of your job will be to eliminate distractions.

5. “I know that one” doesn’t always mean that.

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 Kids yell out at magicians all the time and one of their favorite phrases is, “I know that
one.” Do not be thrown off course by this. It’s not as bad as it sounds.

Kids love yelling “I know that one,” but they don’t know that one. And the proof that
they don’t know that one is when you pick up a piece of rope, they shout out “I know
that one.” They couldn’t possible know what trick you were about to do. Yet they say
they know it anyway.

For children ages 3-6, when they say they know it, this often means they’ve seen it
before. It is just a statement of recognition. Familiarity is a big deal to a little kid since
so much of their young lives involves new experiences and the unfamiliar.

Children ages seven and older who say, “I know that one” say it for a different reason.
These children are often insecure. They try to seem “cool” by saying they know it. They
usually don’t know it, but they don’t want to seem “dumb” in front of their friends. So
they try to appear smart by saying they know the secret. This may not happen as much
to the mentalist, since the props in the mentalists show are pads of paper, pens, and
the like. But you may hear it when you bring out a set of ESP symbol cards.

These older children are desperate to expose what they think is the method. They zero-
in on our props, shirtsleeves, hidden compartments, and other incorrect methods. But
mentalism is prop-free. The kids are stumped. There is no explanation other than “it is
magic.” Maybe, just maybe, a mentalism trick is the ultimate solution to the bratty, I-
know-how-that-was-done, nine-year old boy problem.

6. Go with the flow. Be willing to go off script.

If you performed stage magic to music, your act would be the same every time. That’s
what makes it so good; the fact that you get to perform the same act hundreds of
times, and it gets better and better. When you perform for children you will often be
forced to go off your script. You know that this part follows that part. But sometimes

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 kids will take you in a different direction. If this happens, go with it. Be flexible and see
where it takes you.

Remember, kids can be unpredictable. That’s what makes performing for children so
much fun! But magicians and mentalists who are not used to performing for children
get thrown off when children shout out, interrupt, or slow them down. When you
perform for children, expect the unexpected. Parents tell me all the time that the
children’s performers they don’t like are the ones that get angry when children ask
questions and interrupt.

Expect that you may not get through your routines exactly as scripted. If you relax
about this you will be perceived to be a nicer person and the children and adults will
appreciate it.

Once you learn to go with the flow, you must learn to stay patient. Being patient during
your kid show is tough to do, but it’s also very important. I am always complimented on
my patience. Parents recognize it and respect me more for it.

If you are having trouble being patient at your shows now, don’t worry. I believe it is a
learned quality. You will get better at it.

During your kid show you will find there will be many mini-tragedies: “He stepped on
my hand,” “I can't see,” “I want to sit next to the birthday girl.” Deal with the problem
so you can move on. Sometimes you might be in the middle of your big trick with the
birthday child and she has to go to the bathroom. This is not negotiable! When you
gotta go, you gotta go. Especially children. You'll have to stop your show and kill some
time.

7. Children love participating.

Not only do children love being chosen as a volunteer, but they love participating from
their seats as well. Unlike adults who generally prefer to become anonymous in the

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 darkness of a theater, children react to the darkness with hoots and yells. Children
become socially uninhibited in a large group.

This is especially true when you are performing at a birthday party or school filled with
children from the same class and who know each other very well. These children may
have grown up together from the first days of pre-school. They know each other well
and have a deep sense of being a group. The different personalities are well known
among all the students. They are not shy around each other.

Give the children lots of opportunity to participate verbally by shouting out magic
words and funny phrases. They can also participate physically by waving their hands or
other physical movements. Ask them lots of questions that they can answer in unison.

8. Explain the plot and keep plots simple.

Tell the children what the plot of the effect is. Tell them what they will see. If you do this
the children can understand your goal. This way when you achieve the stated goal (“I
knew what you were thinking!”), the children will recognize it as the climax. They will
understand what you are doing, what you are trying to achieve, and that you have
succeeded and the effect is over.

Also, keep your plots easy to follow. Don’t perform convoluted, multi-phased plots.

9. Make pop culture references.

Children know that the life of an adult is different from the life of a child. They know that
adults read grown-up books, see grown-up movies, and watch grown-up TV shows.
They know that mom doesn’t want to watch The Little Mermaid for the hundredth time!
Therefore, if an adult expresses an interest in the same pop culture pleasures that the
children have, the children will be surprised, and (more importantly) they will like him

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 more. They will think he’s cool. So in my show when I say, “I love watching Scooby
Doo” the children are impressed and suddenly we’re friends.

In your routines, instead of having a child spectator think of a place have them think of
their favorite TV show, their favorite pop singer, or a toy they have. Use artwork from
pop culture icons. The kids will love you for it. They will think you are not like other
adults and that you are more like them.

10.Have fun.

Children are eager to have fun. They want to have fun. They love to play. And when
they grow up they won’t be able to play. (Unless they become magicians!) They haven’t
been socialized to the point of sitting quietly in their seats watching a show, as adults
have. So have fun, relax, and go with the flow. If you have fun the kids will have fun.

I have not explored performing mentalism for children as much as I have performed
magic for children. Here are a few ideas worth trying that I have found to help make
mentalism work for kids.

11. Let the child be the mentalist

Young children, those younger than seven-years old live, to a large extent, in a magical
world where remarkable things are always possible and often unexplainable. For
example, children don’t question how the television works, or how the telephone
works. They just accept these things as normal. Their teeth fall out and grow back, and
in some cases even turn into money! They experience unexplained phenomena every
day of their lives.

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 In addition these young children get very excited about their own personal
achievements. When they discover they can do something today that they couldn’t do
yesterday children become euphoric. “Look at me, mom! Look at me!” is heard all the
time by parents. Children spin in their dress, hop on one foot, or even whistle and, they
are so proud of themselves, they want to share the moment with their parent.

If we design mentalism routines so that the child does the mind reading rather than the
mentalist, then the child can have the same “eureka moment” as he does from
snapping his fingers for the first time.

Almost any mentalism routine can be turned around so that it is the spectator that does
the divining, mind reading, predicting, etc. In this way, not only is the child delighted
that he “did it” (and believes it!), but of course this also delights the parents.

As a bonus, when one child correctly guesses what the mentalist wrote on a piece of
paper, then all the other children want to try it too.

12. Involve the parents

Involving the parents is a good way to ensure that instructions are followed, like adding
numbers, selecting cards, and shuffling. But also, it is a good way to focus the kids’
attention - in the same way as when parents watch television with their children, the
children focus on the program more. Once the parents pay attention, they very often
get caught up in the show and will be a better audience. After all, these effects come
from the adult mentalism world.

13. Use child-friendly topics and props.

Have the children guess colors, numbers, favorite cartoon characters, etc. If you are
going to use playing cards, use alphabet cards, Uno cards, Looney Tunes cards, etc.

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 14. Make sure your instructions are within the skill level of the children
volunteers

Make sure your child audience has the dexterity and skills needed to participate in your
mentalism routines. By the time a child turns seven, he or she can write their names,
and read well enough. They don’t get terribly good at math until they are nine-year
olds. But kids at this age like showing off their math skills and if it turns into something
amazing (the numbers they picked somehow add up to the number that was written on
a pad, etc) they get a payoff as well. Be careful, though, as not all the kids in the group
may be at the same level. Wherever possible, have the whole group do the operation
with you, such as adding a column of numbers or reading a prediction. (See Appendix)

Appendix - The Development of a Child

It is important to know the capabilities of your young spectators and volunteers. In order to help
you I have included this chart. It lists common skills needed to appreciate or assist with certain
mentalist effects and magic tricks. If you know you will be doing a show for a specific age
group, consult the chart to make sure your audience can participate in your presentation.

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 SKILL AGE: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Knows Names of Colors ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Knows Letters ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Knows Numbers ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Can Use Scissors (Carefully!) ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Can Tie a Simple Knot in Rope ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Can Write Their Name ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Can Read Simple Words ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Knows Names of Playing Cards, ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Including Suits and Court Cards

Can Tell Time on an Analog Clock ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Can Shuffle a Deck of Cards ✔ ✔ ✔

Knows the Value of Money (“What ✔ ✔

can you buy with $100.”)

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 Parade of Children Prediction Trick
Tim Mannix

In childrenʼs entertainment, audience participation is an absolute must! This routine is

particularly good for larger audiences. I like to use it in my Halloween shows as it gives
the maximum amount of children the moment in the limelight.

Effect: The magician invites 8-10 children to come onstage and join him stating that he
can accurately predict an outcome in the future. Standing in line on the stage, each
child is wearing a name tag or is differentiated by a unique Halloween costume. The
magician introduces each child to the audience one-by-one asking about their costume,
or asking their grade, favorite subject in school or age. Following the introductions, a
prediction is clearly written on a white board and placed upstage facing away from the
audience. An adult is selected, someone of significance such as a principal, favorite
teacher, librarian, CEO, guest of honor, etc. Taking turns, the magician and the
spectator play an elimination game so that, one-by-one, each child is eliminated until
there remains only a single child on the stage. When the magician turns the whiteboard
around, the audience clearly sees that the prediction clearly matches the one remaining
childʼs name tag or costume.

Props:

1. White board and Stand

2. Black marker
3. Blue painterʼs tape or masking tape

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 Secret & Preparation:

The modus operandi is the PATEO force. Used correctly, this force is very impressive as
well as easy to do.

With the PATEO force any number of items can be used. I usually use 10-12 objects; 10
children, 10 photographs, 10 borrowed objects, 10 miniature traffic signs, etc.

I particularly like the Parade of Children for my Halloween shows, since all of the
children are in costume. I parade ten or twelve children onstage, directing them to their
marks, and proceed to make my prediction. Of course every parent likes to see their
child onstage and since Iʼve handpicked the most colorful costumes, it makes for a
remarkably colorful display. I mark the stage with painterʼs tape so that I can easily
direct each child precisely where to stand. I mentally select one child (choosing the
cutest, smallest girl makes for an adorable finish.)

One by one I go down the line asking their names and what their costumes are, which
can be fodder for a lot of comedy. Since many costumes are somewhat
interchangeable, itʼs not always easy to differentiate them. I may think itʼs a witch, but I
will be quickly educated to its precise meaning by the wearer at the amusement of the
audience. Often just for fun, I will incorrectly guess or perhaps by honest mistake
creating some very funny moments.

This gives each of the kids a moment to shine and plays well. It should be noted that
going down the line asking the children about their costumes should not take a long
time. It should be fun, energetic, and engaging to watch without bogging the routine
down.

Once the costumes have been showcased, the PATEO elimination process begins. Itʼs
essentially a game where you and the adult spectator each “Point at Two, Eliminate

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 One” as described below. I like the spectator to begin as it seems somehow fairer.

Once all the children are eliminated all that's left to do is to reveal that my prediction of
this adorable child is absolutely correct. One final applause queue for the tiny angel or
witch, whatever the case may be, and the effect comes to its delightful conclusion.

The PATEO Force

This was first described by Roy Baker and then popularized by Ken de Courcy. PATEO
is an acronym for Point at Two, Eliminate One.

Rule Number One: Never forget that "Magicians Are Odd!" By using the mnemonic,
“Magicians are Odd,” you will be reminded that if there are an odd number of objects,
you, the magician will start. Conversely, if there is an even number of objects, say 10 or
12, the spectator will start. Again, I prefer to have an even number of objects so the
spectator can initiate the selection process.

Rule Number Two: Once you have decided which item you wish to force, you must
neither select (Point at Two) the item nor eliminate (Eliminate One) that specific item.

As long as you adhere to these two rules, the forced child or item will always be left
remaining and your prediction will match.

Alternatives

The PATEO sequence described above will get you through this just fine, but there a
few enhancements that make it stronger. Once you get to the last pair of children or
items it should mathematically be the spectator's choice. However, if by chance you've
gotten confused and you are left with the final choice between the last two objects, you
can easily utilize the Equivoque principle. Here's what to do. Appear to get confused
about which to choose. “I donʼt know… you choose ... give me one!”

If they GIVE you the selected item, keep it, and reveal your correct prediction.

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 If they KEEP the selected item, this works equally well. It is as if that was what you
asked them to decide.

“OK, we are left with one final object.” Finish the routine by revealing your correct
prediction.

Both ways work equally well at this point and the slight change of procedure fits in
perfectly well and in fact seems to be giving MORE choice to the spectator not less!

Once you are comfortable with the PATEO and Equivoque principles, you can
essentially wing it any way you desire in any performance situation.

Onstage Helpers

Just a quick note about selecting kids as your onstage helpers.

I have found itʼs best to have the majority of children between 6-10 years old. So, for
example, if youʼre utilizing 10 kids, choose eight of the children from this age group and
two kids from 4-5 years of age. This way the younger two will model the behavior of the
older ones. I usually select a four-year-old girl to be my target or “prediction” child.
Remember, you canʼt go wrong with an adorable little girl dressed up in a cute costume!

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 World Cup Routine
Paul Romhany

I am a HUGE fan of the PATEO force and will offer two effects myself that are from my
own act. The first is a ʻgameʼ that I do in my kidsʼ shows themed around the World Cup
Rugby game coming up in New Zealand this year. This routine goes over so well with
ages 10 and older because itʼs topical and a lot of kids in New Zealand love rugby. This
could easily be made up for walk-around work for kids or a stand-up show.

You can also do this using any collector type cards. It doesnʼt have to be sports related,
for younger kids you could use Sponge Bob collector cards, or any cards that kids can
relate to. For older kids I like to use sports collectable cards with famous players. In
Canada for example, Iʼll use Hockey cards - each with a different player.

Effect: The performer tells the kids he believes he knows who will win the Rugby World
Cup, and hands out an envelope that contains a prediction.

Seven large cards are shown, each with a different country on them. For example;

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 Wales, Australia, South Africa, France, New Zealand, England, and perhaps a long shot
like Canada.

Explaining to the audience that he wants them to imagine they are going to play a game
and will eventually pick the winner.

The cards are mixed and placed face down in a row. A coin is tossed as a child decides
if they want to be the first or second player. The mentalist takes two cards off the stand
and tells the child they have a free choice of any one of the two cards, whichever one
they choose that will be the taken away. They choose a card and that country is shown
and put aside. It is no longer in the World Cup.

Now, the child can choose two cards, and the mentalist gets to choose one card. The
card the performer chooses is thrown away – again no longer in the world cup.

The mentalist then points to two cards, and the child points to one, that card is thrown
away, again showing the country that is now out of the world cup. This goes on until only
one card is left in the game – that card is New Zealand (your choice of country) and
matches the prediction inside the envelope.

Method: This effect simply uses Roy Bakerʼs PATEO force and will work with any
number of cards. In my case I prefer to use odd number cards. It is generally used as a
card force but works perfectly here because the theme is a game. Basically, the
mentalist chooses two cards first, and then the spectator eliminates one of them. On the
second go, the spectator gets to choose two cards, and the magician eliminates one of
them. This keeps going until only two cards are left, and the magician is able to decide
which one goes. The reason this works so well is because I have turned it into a game.

The only preparation is to secretly mark the back of the card you want to match your
prediction. In my case, of course, I chose New Zealand. I have put a little pen mark in
the corner of the card that only I know is there. You can have as many cards as you like.

On the face of each card write a country that will be in the world cup. The cards can

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 then be mixed up face down and laid in a row. Because I know which card matches my
prediction I know which card to avoid choosing. Here is how it plays out:

With cards face down, the mentalist tosses a coin – it doesnʼt matter if spectator decides
to be first or second. Just alter the script accordingly.

The mentalist says he will choose two cards and the spectator can then decide which
one will stay and which one will go. You can choose any two cards EXCEPT the card
that you have marked. As long as YOU NEVER CHOOSE the marked card it will always
be the one left. So, pick any two cards (but the prediction) and have the spectator
decide which one will stay and which one will leave. Once they choose the one that
goes, show what country is now out of the world cup. Place the other card back in the
row.

The spectator now gets to choose ANY TWO cards. If they happen to pick your
prediction card (remember only YOU know which card it is) and one other, have them
discard THE OTHER. This way New Zealand is still in the game. (As long as you
remember YOU NEVER PICK NEW ZEALAND – it will always stay in play). Let them
turn around the losing team and discard.

This continues on until two cards are left – on the final choice there will be two cards left
and it is YOUR turn to get rid of one. Remember they are face down so nobody knows
which ones are left except you. Itʼs just a matter of choosing the one that isnʼt New
Zealand. The child shows the last card left, which will match your prediction.

The easiest way to understand how this works is get five or seven cards and try it – it
works 100% of the time and doesnʼt come off as a mathematical or other type of force.
Because of the “game” theme this makes a lot of sense and plays very well.

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 Cereal Box Prediction
Larry Mahan and Robert D. LaRue, Jr.

The Cereal Box Routine was invented years ago by Larry Mahan and later refined by
Robert LaRue. Larry was kind enough to send me his original routine as well as
Robertʼs updated routine.

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 Effect:

Every child guest gets the front panel of a different cereal box. The prediction envelope
is shown. The cereal box top is selected from a clear plastic bag full of different tops.
The child with the matching box comes up. The envelope is opened and you can do the
bar code gag if itʼs an older group of kids. When you turn over the card itʼs an exact
match with the selected top... Plus a kicker for those with a high tolerance for puns.

Materials Needed:

•20-30 different front panels from cereal boxes with matching box tops
•Clear change bag/force bag
•11 X 14 opaque envelope
•11 X 14 white cardboard
•Large UPC symbol
 
Preparation:

Gather two to three dozen empty cereal boxes. (No one said this would be easy! I asked
a teacher friend to offer a few points extra credit for every cereal box brought in. I got
hundreds!) Select about thirty different types of cereal. Find boxes that have close to the
same dimensions.

Cut the front panel away from the rest of the box. Also cut off the side of the box top that
clearly identifies the cereal brand. We will only use the top and the front panel. Make
sure you have two duplicates of one box. You will also need multiple matching box tops,
six or seven, at least. You can either ask around for extra boxes of one brand, or make
color copies of the box tops and glue them to cardboard. (More on this later.)

Use a large paper trimmer to cut all of the box fronts to the same size. You may need to
trim away some of the name on some boxes. That is fine. When they are all the same
size, check the back of the box for glue residue and scrape it off. It is OK to remove
some of the cardboard in the process. Cover the back of each box with a simple

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 patterned style of contact plastic sheeting. Also cover the back of each box top,
including all the duplicates, with the same contact sheeting. I pencil dot two diagonal
corners of the force box for reasons discussed below.

Put all the mixed brand box tops in one side of the change bag, with the names facing
outward. I tape that side closed to prevent accidents. Put all the duplicate box tops in
the other side of the change bag, facing the same way as the other tops.

You are now set to force your predicted cereal box.

Cover the back of one duplicate box with a huge copy of a UPC symbol. This sets you
up for the joke about predicting the selection, since you can claim that it is the price
scan code for whatever cereal they choose. It also reinforces the impression that they
do have a free selection. Place this in the large envelope, which should be marked
"Prediction."

Performance: Bring out the stack of cereal boxes and run through them, showing the
faces. Think up some clever jokes about as many of them as possible. Display the
prediction envelope and explain that you know exactly which box is about to be freely
chosen.

Distribute the boxes to the children... it is best to do this by just handing each child a
box. This prevents arguments over who gets which box. This also allows me to control
who gets the force box. Experienced performers will immediately see the value in
controlling that. Have the children stand and turn around in a circle so everyone can see
all the different boxes. This also serves to give every single child a chance to actively
participate in the magic, no matter how big the group.

Here I do some business of wiggling my fingers at the audience and the prediction
envelope and saying silly words to make sure the correct box will be selected.

Bring up an adult or an older sibling of the party child. Explain that they will be selecting
one of the box tops. First, though, you need to make certain that they choose the correct

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 box. Again, I do some funny word stuff and wiggle my fingers, cueing the helper to give
a good reaction when I shout "booga booga"!

Next, instruct the kids that if they want their box chosen, they have to do the same thing
- have them stick out an arm, wiggle their fingers, and on the count of three shout
"booga booga". Again, the helper should be cued to give a visible reaction.

Hold the change bag of box tops out the helper, opening the secret side of the bag. Tell
them to just reach in a quickly grab one top, without trying to read it first. They slide out
one of the force tops, of course.

Direct them to hold it up high and read the name out loud. Identify the child with the
matching box. Direct everyone else to sit down as that child comes forward. Direct the
helper to gather the other boxes. Direct the rest of the kids to help pass them in.
(Frankly, this part of the routine is a little slow. I have my assistant help out, as well.)

When the boxes are all in, have the selected child stand, holding the box in front of
them, facing the audience. Pick up the prediction envelope and delay the revelation in
your favorite manner. I always put a few pieces of actual brightly colored cereal in the
envelope and pull one out as the revelation, then agree that they all look alike. Offer the
piece to the kid, to eat, then change my mind and eat it myself. Finally, slide out the
card, with the UPC side showing. Run those jokes and all the "turn it around" jokes, and
finally show that the prediction matches the selection.

PS: You can get some extra mileage from the jokes if you use a Trix© box as the force
box. Now you have the "Trix are for kids" line as a blow-off. I have also made a version
of the prediction card that has the UPC on one side, the Trix© box on the other... and a
flip panel under the UPC that allows me to change that side of the card into a sign that
says "Trix are for kids".  With older audiences I have some lines about the price of kid
cereal; how the collection is worth about the same as a small Mercedes Benz; oh I see
you've been to the grocery store this week; I got all these boxes from a cereal killer, etc.
Adults enjoy this routine, too. Finally, it is easy to make a pocket version of this routine,
using the single serving size boxes. I just do a simple card force to get the desired card

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 selected. The prediction, with the UPC, is in a greeting card envelope placed on the
table early in the routine.

Larryʼs Original Version.

The original version only had four cereal box front panels. They were glued to 11X14
cards.  The prediction was the same size and in an envelope marked “PREDICTION!” I
used a magicians force to force the Trix cereal.  When I proudly revealed the prediction
card it had a large oval line with the words “Other Side Silly!” on it. Of course I did not
notice it so the kids all yelled “Other Side Silly” I then acted embarrassed and turned it
over to show the UPC symbol. After stating that if they were to take this to the store and
scan it, it would definitely say TRIX, the kids didnʼt buy it. So I would turn it over again
and it would say (the oval was a flap) “Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids!”

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 Slide Thru Card Switch
Wayne Rogers

This utility folder was originally devised for my Appearing Broom routine where I had to
force a jumbo card in a foolproof way.

Effect: A card is freely chosen by having a spectator touch the back of one card as the
deck is fanned. The selection is brought to the top and placed into a “window” style
envelope/folder. The spectator removes the card, and the folder is shown empty.

Method: The folder is double-sided. The upper side is bottomless, and the actual
selected card passes straight through, and back onto the top of the deck as the folder is
passed to the spectator. The force card is in the under-side of the folder from the start
and appears to be the chosen card.

Construction: The envelope or folder is like a large luggage label holder. There is no
flap, but the central divider is extended and curved similar to a regular envelope flap.

From opaque vinyl or light card, cut two window sections A and C. Cut one central
divider B from a stiffer material.

Lay A over B and tape around three sides to form a pocket. Attach C to the opposite
side of the divider by taping down the sides only. Leave the bottom open. Apply tape
across the bottom to the outside only to give the impression that the bottom is sealed.
The result is a double-sided folder with one genuine pocket, and one bottomless pocket.

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 Performance: The force card is pre-set in the pocket with its back showing through the
window. The folder is turned face down, bottomless pocket on top. A spectator is asked
to assist. Spread the cards and have them touch the back of one. Bring it to the top of
the deck and out-jog it so the audience can keep track of it.

Pick up the folder and slide it under the out jogged card but square with the deck, and
overhanging in the front by about 25mm (1”).

Photo 1. Pick up the chosen card and slide it into the folder. The spectator can see the
card entering through the window.
Photo 2. When the card is fully inside, continue pushing until it emerges from the open
bottom of the folder and finishes square with the back edge of the deck.
Photo 3. Angle the deck to prevent the spectator from seeing what happens.

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 63

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 Clamp your thumb over the protruding end of the card, and pull the folder out and turn it
over in one smooth action (Photo 4). The actual chosen card remains on the deck. Hand
the folder to the spectator. His apparent selection shows through the window.

There is a visual discrepancy as the folder is handed to the spectator. The card in the
window should be on the opposite side; however this is not noticed in the routine. The
placing of the card in the folder, and the handing of it to the spectator takes just a
moment. Look at the spectator as you perform the move.

One final note. As in other forces, such as the familiar crisscross force, always allow
some time to pass before having the spectator reveal the card they have apparently
chosen. Build some delay into the routine so it is harder for anyone to think back and
reconstruct what actually happened.

Note: Manufacturing Rights are reserved.

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 Perform For The Children
Kyle Peron

I think every magician can remember a time when the magic bug bit. It is that moment in
time when you realized that magic was not something you wanted to do but something
you HAD to do. It is that feeling of a trick performed well. It is that power of learning a
new technique or effect. It is the amazing euphoria you feel when the audience
responds well to what you do. But can this also be a bad thing if not watched carefully?
Can loving an effect or wanting that great response cloud your better judgment?
 
Every magician has this inner desire to crave the applause. After all if we did not enjoy it
so much, we wouldnʼt be performing in the first place. There is nothing wrong with
wanting that reaction and enjoying being in the limelight.
 
However, as a magician we can also fall victim to forgetting a very important lesson.
That lesson is to never forget who your audience really is. Never forget who you are
performing for or why you are there in the first place.
 
We must remember that we are not performing for ourselves. We are performing for the
audience and it is the audience that we should be totally and completely focused on. A
perfect example of this is the birthday party market. When we perform for a birthday
party we are supposed to be there to make the birthday childʼs day the very best we
can. It is their special day and it is our job to make it memorable for them. We are
getting hired to help create an atmosphere of fun.
 
But what steers us away from performing for the kids and instead performing for the
adults? I say this because it happens a lot and it is a very easy trap to fall into. What is it
inside of us that make us forget the children are there?
 

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 I think sometimes it is our own love for an effect and the desire to just show it off to
everyone we see. I think sometimes it may also be a fear that the children we are
performing for are not reacting the way we want them to so we change to a different
audience. I also feel that there are some magicians that feel that since the parents hired
us, we must perform for them to satisfy them and their friends.
 
The first concept we can tackle most easily. It is the simple idea that some magicians
should not be performing for children in the first place. Not everyone is cut out to
perform for kids. If you do not like kids and do not enjoy being a kid at heart yourself,
then you probably shouldnʼt be performing for them. In this case you then see the
performer performing a stand up or close up show for the adults and calling it a birthday
party. Define your markets. Know who you are and the markets you should work and
those you should not.
 
If you are a childrenʼs performer and hired to perform at a birthday party, then you
simply must remember why you are there. Perform for the children. Make then smile,
giggle and laugh. Make them clap and shout out the birthday childʼs name as the magic
words for the day. Engage them and get them interacting with you. If you tailor the show
to them I guarantee the adults will love you for it.
 
Do not feel that you have to physically impress the parents by performing for them. The
parents did not hire you to come and perform the show for them. They hired you
because they wanted to create a great day for their son or daughter and they felt you
could make that happen. You are always a solutions provider whether you understand it
or not. The parent has a need for which they seek a solution for. In this case they want
their childʼs day to be special. Make it special by catering your show entirely to the
birthday child and their friends.
 
The parents need is for a great time and a great experience for their child. You can
solve that for them. Why would they not be more then satisfied? If you make their child
feel extra special they will love you for it.
 

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 A TRIP ROUND THE WORLD IN 8
MINUTES !
Tony Binarelli and “Jules Verne”

Note from Editor: Recently I was asked to perform at a local school in front of twelve
and thirteen year old students. This is one of the effects I chose. Not only did the
students enjoy it, but the teachers appreciated the story that went with it. Tony has come
up with a highly entertaining, and mystifying routine for kids.

An effect from my television repertory, from the serial variety show “Buona Domenica”
which has all of the following characteristics:

1) Simplicity of execution

2) Great impact upon an audience

3) Transportability

4) Low cost to make up

5) Use of common objects

6) Involvement of spectators

7) Mystery and comedy

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 Effect: The mentalist shows and covers a big globe with a big silk. Then he takes three
sealed envelopes and marks them: the first one with a SQUARE, the second with a
CIRCLE, the third with a TRIANGLE.

He then asks three volunteers to come to the stage, each of them taking one envelope.
The mentalist then spins the globe under the silk. When it has stopped spinning, and
still covered, he then has the first spectator draw the SQAURE anywhere on the globe.
The globe is spun again all the time remaining covered, and spectator number two is
asked to draw a CIRCLE anywhere on the globe. Keeping in mind even they donʼt know
where they are drawing their images. Finally, spectator number three draws a
TRIANGLE anywhere they like on the globe.

At the end the globe in uncovered and it shows a SQUARE on PARIS, by the first
spectator, a CIRCLE on NEW YORK, by the second, and a TRIANGLE on SEA, by the
third one.

The first envelope (square) is opened, and contains a CD and on the cover is the
inscription: “….a song from PARIS….CHARLES AZNAVOUR…”.

The second envelope (circle) contains a picture of the STATUE OF LIBERTY with the
inscription: “…it has reappeared….DAVID COPPERFIELD…!”

At this point, audience is wondering whatʼs inside the third one as the symbol was
drawn on the SEA. It is opened and a few drops of water come out of the envelope. The
famous mystery of the Bermuda Triangle !

You will need:

•A large inflatable globe, available in every novelty shop.

•A big silk (90x90 cm) non transparent.

•Two felt-tip pens.

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 •Three envelopes, in rigid paper, size DIN A4 (or similar)
•One CD from CHARLES AZNAVOUR with PARIS on the cover.

•One big post-card from NEW YORK with the picture of THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.

•A plastic zip-lock freezer bag

•A glass of water.

•A pair of scissors.

Preparation:

1) Take one of the felt tipped pens, take the cap away, and place in a glass full of
alcohol for 24 hours. The ink will flow out so that it wonʼt be able to write; to make it look
real, you can spread a plasticizing varnish on the tip. You will have a normal felt-tip pen
(apparently), BUT IT DOESNʼT WRITE.

2) Insert the CD of Paris and the postcard of New York in the first two envelopes; in the
third you insert the plastic bag filled with water. Mark the envelopes, secretly, so that you
can recognize their contents.

3) Inflate the globe and, using the real pen, draw the SQUARE on PARIS, the CIRCLE
on NEW YORK, and the TRIANGLE on the sea near BERMUDA.

4) Make a little hole in the middle of the silk, so that you can cover the globe, and hold
on to the nozzle through the silk hole.

5) Before the performance, place the globe, silk, three envelopes and the working pen
on the table, in your right pocket put the other (non-working) pen.

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 Performance:

Show the globe by holding the valve, and give it a spin. No one will notice the pre-drawn
symbols, because no one knows where to look.

Cover it with the silk and give it to your helper.

Ask three spectators to come to the stage. Take the first envelope and draw a square on
the external side. Because you have secretly marked it you know envelope contains
which prediction. Do the same with the others, by drawing a circle and triangle, and
when you give them to the spectators, put the pen in your right pocket. You have shown
them the pen works without having to actually say anything.

Make the globe spin under the silk, and explain to the audience, and the three
spectators that each of them will have to draw blind their own symbol under the silk on
the globe.

Take the dry felt-tip pen from your right pocket and give it to the first spectator who,
hand under silk, draws his symbol, as do the other two. Take back the pen and place it
back in your pocket.

Uncover the globe and give it to the first spectator, asking him to find “his symbol”, and
to identify the place “marked by chance.” Doing this, you take his envelopes open it to
show the AZNAVOURʼS CD that identifies: PARIS: first applause!

Then repeat the action with the second spectator, and with the postcard of NEW YORK:
second applause!

Finally, the third one: when he says “middle of the ocean”, show your disappointment,
identify the ocean and mention getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle, cut the envelope
(and the bag inside it at the same time) and by turning it upside down make the water
pour out: third applause and triumph!

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 Take the pen that works, put your signature on the three envelopes, and give them to
the three spectators as a souvenir (once again writing with the marker!)

When they are returning to their seats, look at your watch and say: “Like JULES
VERNE, you made a trip around the world in 8 minutes. Itʼs a pity you fell into the sea!”
Youʼll provoke laughs and more applause.

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 Phantom Artist Halloween Card
Routine
Professor Spellbinder

Effect:
A packet of Halloween Cards is displayed, showing all the different monsters that kids
might want to be for Halloween.

A child is selected to choose one of the cards. The cards are spread out face down on
the Force Field Tray and the child then selects any one of the cards, sliding it into an
envelope, still face down. From the same envelope, the child removes a blank sheet of
paper and hands it to the performer. Then the child holds the envelope and the
performer never goes near it again. The performer “goes into a trance,” taken over by
the “Phantom Artist.” He begins clipping the blank sheet of paper wildly, snipping and
folding and turning it as if controlled by unseen forces. When he finishes, he hands the
still folded paper to another child to carefully open. The child holding the envelope
removes the chosen card, showing that he picked Frankenstein (for example). The
blank paper is carefully opened up and pressed flat on a black felt background to show
a cut-out of the selected Halloween character, Frankenstein.

To make my Halloween Monster Cards, I searched the Internet for cartoon monsters
and selected Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, an Alien, The funny MAD kid, the
Mummy, and an Ironman. Thatʼs more than enough for this effect. I made six
Frankenstein cards.

My favorite cartoons are by J.R. Williams, whose drawing of Boris Karloff as

Frankenstein was inspiration for me to make the cut-out picture. You can find more of

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 JRWʼs cartoons on Flikr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrpopartz/

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 An example of the type of cartoon for the cards.

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 Bonus Effect –
The Phantom Artist
Ted Annemann and Professor Spellbinder

Percy Naldrett first published this effect under the name “The Celebrity Trick.” It was
republished as The Phantom Artist in Ted Annemann's magazine The Jinx, in the
Summer 1937 Extra Edition.

Spectators write names of famous people on billets. One is chosen and kept in his
tightly closed fist by the spectator who chose it.

The performer picks up a blank piece of paper and a pair of scissors. From now on, he
states, everything will be left to another power that will control him. He starts folding the
paper and clipping away at it with the scissors. Finally the paper is down to a small
packet with bits of paper everywhere. The performer lays down the scissors and asks
the spectator to open his fist and read the name of the celebrity aloud. He does so, and
the performer then carefully unfolds the paper he cut up and holds it against a black
background to reveal a perfect black and white portrait of the person secretly selected.

Annemann left open the method for forcing the celebrityʼs name on the spectator,
suggesting a change bag or the ploy of having names called out while the performer
writes down the force name on all slips before having one chosen, but this is also a
perfect effect for the OM Billet Box as well as my Force Field Tray and the Halloween
Routine contained in this book, and it is an effect that probably hasn't been performed
since 1937.

The portrait is precut and folded into a small packet with some bits of paper that will fall

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 out as the packet is unfolded at the end. Hold the pre-cut packet behind an ordinary
sheet of paper and begin by folding the ordinary paper into fourths or smaller, then start
cutting and clipping at it, apparently under control of some channeled "phantom artist."
Don't just hack at the paper, but keep folding and cutting until the blank sheet is all cut
away and in small pieces on the floor or table. All the pieces should be very small. You
basically cut away all the evidence, leaving only the pre-cut packet to unfold (with small
bits of paper still dropping out as you do so) and display against a black background.

Your computer is capable of producing black and white sketches from almost any photo
by using Adobe Photo Shop or Corel Photo Paint, so if you want more choices and canʼt
find them on my site, find a high school kid who can convert any photos you give him to
make your own collection (assuming, of course, that you canʼt do it yourself!).

Print out a copy of the cut-out portrait, then put a sheet of 8.5” x 11” paper on top of it
and trace over the black sections with a pencil. Now take this tracing and place it on top
of three to five more sheets of paper. Clamp them together on a piece of cardboard so
they canʼt move around and cut out the black tracing sections on the top sheet, cutting
down through all the papers down to the cardboard. This will give you several cut-out
portraits for several shows. You can always make more when you need them.

Fold the cut-out portrait carefully, sprinkling in small bits of paper from the parts you cut
out as you fold. Fold the packet smaller than a playing card so you know you can easily
palm it.

Enjoy this effect from our magical past and donʼt forget to look as if some “Phantom
Artist” has possessed you and made you do it, because thatʼs the only thing that turns
this magic paper cutting trick into real Mental Magic. When you come out of your trance,
be sure to look surprised at what the Phantom Artist caused you to do.

Additional Tips:
The red circle in the diagram of the tray on the first page of this article represents a
strong neodymium magnet beneath the cloth. Because you will be making the ultra
jumbo cards yourself, you could easily insert a steel shim in one of the cards. The

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 magnet then will pull down on that card and lock the indifferent cards between it and the
bottom of the tray. This allows you to take the tray with both hands and swivel it around
to disperse the force cards on the tray, rather than moving them with your hands.

Another possible touch is to cover the back of the magnetic shim card with the same
fabric as used on the bottom of the tray. This will make it and all the cards concealed
beneath it invisible to the spectator. Not always necessary, but keep the idea in the back
of your mind for the one or two times you might want to do that.

You could also have the magnetic shim extra card covered with tray fabric on its face.
This card would be hidden in front of the force cards and at the end of the indifferent
cards. It would come into play at the very end of the routine when you gather up all the
cards and flip them face up. The special fabric faced card would conceal all the force
cards in the hole in the tray. Because of the magnetic shim inside that card, you can
slide the indifferent cards off the tray into a spectatorʼs hands, and then flip the tray over
to the back side where a black fabric covering on the underside of the tray makes the
perfect display for the Phantom Artist cut-out. The tray, backside out, remains on an
easel displaying your cut-out for the remainder of the show. These cut-outs make nice
souvenirs, also.

To make an even larger cut-out portrait, print the original on a transparency and use an
overhead projector to project the image on paper in any size you think you can handle.

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 Clip-Lit Sports
Jim Kleefeld

Clip-Lit is a mental prediction effect for kid shows, based on an old card prediction.
Several versions have been marketed. I created my own to coordinate with the sports
theme that a particular school wanted. It is easy to make up, simple to perform, and very
baffling to kids and adults alike. But what makes Clip-Lit one of my favorite effects is
that it can easily be adapted to any theme. In fact, Iʼve made over ten versions over the
years, including Characters from Literature, Wizards & Dragons, Birthday Party,
Motherʼs Day, Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, Circus, Dental Health, Easter and Ohio History.
Howʼs that for a versatile routine?

Basically, a child cuts a strip of paper in two, severing one of six pictures in half. The
picture that was cut in half matches your prediction. 

It is great magic because there is no force—the volunteer can freely select and cut any
one of the six pictures, yet the prediction is always correct. You will need a strip of paper
with six pictures on it, six large cards with those same pictures, and a piece of paper
folded in half to make a sort of “envelope.” I will explain this using my Sports set, but
remember that you can use any theme or set of pictures you want.

To make up a set, find or draw six large pictures of sports balls. I downloaded six clear
pictures of sports balls: a baseball, basketball, tennis ball, bowling ball, football, and
soccer ball.

Print each of these six pictures separately on a large single sheet of paper and glue it to
heavy card stock or a comic book backing board. It will help the effect if you also print a
back design, or any nondescript regular pattern, on another sheet and glue that to the
backs of all six cards, like playing cards.

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 This is not vital, but it helps distinguish that the cards have a front and a back, and helps
the audience distinguish when they are facing front and when they are turned around.
My back design for the sports set was simply a wallpaper-type pattern using small
pictures of all six balls. When you are finished, you will have six cards, each 8 1/2 by 11,
all with the same back design, but each showing a different large picture on the front.
See Figure 1.

Set these large double-sided display cards aside. In the routine, you will show these to
the audience one at a time.

Figure 1.

Next, shrink the same six sports ball pictures and lay them out side by side across the
width of a sheet of legal-sized paper. You can create this with software using digital
images, or by reducing the pictures on a color photocopier and pasting them next to
each other. 

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 Each small picture, when reduced, should be about two inches across. You will need to
lay them out side by side across a 14-inch length of paper leaving an inch or so
between them. By laying out the pictures this way, you can print two 4 by 14 inch strips
on a single sheet of paper. Decide which character to force (yes, you do have to force
one) and slice that one in half. How you do this depends on your software and the
format of the illustration. You may have to make a duplicate and crop off half of each
picture. 

Lay out all seven figures in a row, with the two half-pictures at either end. Now adjust
the figures so that they are all equidistant apart, with the outside edges of the two half-
pictures being 14 inches apart. Line this up with the printer so that it will print half of one
force picture at one end of the paper and the other half at the other end, with the
remaining five full figures spaced in between. When you print this file, the strip should
show one half of each force picture on the end of the sheet and five complete and
different pictures in between. See Figure 2..

Figure 2.

Using landscape mode will allow you to print two identical strips of pictures horizontally
on one sheet of legal paper. You will have to trim a bit of white space off the ends,
depending on how close your printer prints to the edges. Print as many of these sheets
as you intend to do shows, because you will destroy one strip for each show. Also, it is a
good idea to alter the images so that each strip shows a different picture cut in half on

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 the ends. That way, each time you print a sheet, you will be making two different strips
that force different pictures. You can change your force for repeat shows. See Figure 3,
where the top strip forces the baseball and the bottom strip forces the bowling ball.

Figure 3.

Next, make a cover folder (or “envelope”) for the strips. This should be a single sheet of
legal sized paper folded in half lengthwise, with the letters “S,” “P,” “O,” “R,” “T,” and “S”
printed on the front, equidistant from each other. You could also use the numerals 1
through 6. It helps to add a neat dotted line running up and down the center of each
number. See Figure 4.

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 Figure 4.

The strip of paper with the ball pictures on it will be inserted inside this folded piece of
paper. See Figure 5.

Figure 5.

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 There is no preparation other than to have the six large cards, a stand to display one of
them, a pair of scissors, one of the small sports ball strips and one of the lettered folder
“envelopes” handy. Here is my patter for Clip-Lit Sports.

“Did you ever list all of your favorite things? There are six sports I like. Would you like to
see them?”

Take out the envelope with the Clip-Lit strip inside. Set the envelope down and hold up
the strip, moving it around and covering the ends to prevent the half-pictures from
showing. 

“I keep them inside this envelope. These are six balls from six sports that I like.” 

Pause and look at the face of the strip. Look back up at the audience. 

“Iʼm sorry. These are pretty small. Could you see them in the back? Not very well? Let
me put this back in the envelope. I have bigger pictures of these same six sports balls in
my table here somewhere. Ah, here they are.”

You have introduced the paper strip with its sports pictures, but nobody has seen the
gaffed condition of it. Put the strip back in the “envelope” folder upside down so that
when cut the image will match up with the correct letter. Then get the six large picture
cards from the table and hold them up for display. Fumble a bit as if it were difficult to
display them all. 

“Let me show you these. I usually just use the little pictures, but this is a pretty big
audience so I should use the big pictures. If I had known there would be this many of
you I would have brought the wooden stand to put these on so you could see them all.
Oh. I just had an idea. I donʼt need the wooden stand. I can get one of you to help me.”

Pick out a quiet, smiling helper. A boy about eight or nine works well. After the
introductions, show each card, describe it and then hand it to him. Continue until he has
all six cards and is struggling to keep them all in view. 

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 “Hi. Thanks for sitting quietly and smiling nicely. Iʼm Jim Kleefeld, whatʼs your name?
Phil? Well, Phil here is the first of those sports I like. Do you know what this is? Thatʼs
right itʼs a basketball. I love bouncing, dribbling and shooting. Here, you hold onto the
basketball. Hold it up nice and straight so everyone can see.” 

Hand the boy the card and make sure he holds it upright facing outward.

“The next one I have is a football. Thatʼs because I love passing and hiking and crossing
the end zone. Here. Hold onto the football nice and straight so everyone can see both of
those. 

Next, I have a tennis ball. When I got a little older, I learned to play tennis. I have a
pretty decent backhand.”

Hand the tennis ball picture to the boy casually as he struggles to keep all of the cards
in view.

“Another sport I love is baseball. Do you know why I like baseball? I love to bat and field
and Iʼm pretty good at pitching. Phil, do you like to play baseball? 
Here is something else I love - bowling. Itʼs nice to be good at a sport that you can play
indoors because some days itʼs too cold or wet to play outside.”

Start to hand the bowling ball picture to the boy, but see that he has four cards already.
Pause a moment, and then stick this card under his chin. He will be loaded with cards
and trying desperately to display them all. Act nonchalant as you leave him struggling
and return your attentions to the audience.

“Then when I got a little older, I started playing soccer. Itʼs got some real advantages in
a team sport because everyone gets more play time.”

By this time Philʼs hands and arms will be full, and the fifth card has been placed under
his chin. Turn to hand him the sixth one and realize how valiantly he is struggling to

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 keep the cards in view. Act apologetic. 

“Iʼm sorry, Phil. That was a couple too many. Well, you did a great job, even better than
my wooden stand. Letʼs give him a big hand.”

Take the six cards back and start to shake hands and send him off, then stop him before
he returns. 

“Say, Phil. You did such a good job, how would you like to do some magic for everyone
out there? Did you bring anything up here to do magic with? How about a magic wand?
No? Some magic powder? No? A magic potion? No? Well, you must have some kind of
resources you could do magic with. I know. How about your mind? Did you bring your
mind? Great! A mind is a great resource to bring to school. You can do some magic with
your mind. It will be Mental Magic! You can use your mind to pick out my most favorite
sport out of all six of these. 

Oh, wait, though. If youʼre going to use your mind, then you canʼt use your eyes, or
everyone will think you cheated. You turn around and face that side wall.” 

As he turns to face the wall, turn the six large cards facing you, shuffle through the
cards and pull out the force picture. Grab a card stand from the table and stand the card
up, back outwards. Fan the other cards toward the audience, back outwards, and then
put them aside.

“While youʼre not looking, Iʼm going to pick out my most favorite sports ball and stand it
up right here. Iʼll put it backwards so nobody will know which one it is. And Iʼll put the
other five cards away so nobody will know which one is missing. 

Now you can turn around. Use your mind and you will be able to pick out the one ball
out of all six that is my favorite. We can use the six little pictures in this envelope.
Theyʼre the same six pictures, just mixed up. Do you see those letters on the front, “S,”
“P,” “O,” “R,” “T,” and “S”? Well, behind each letter is one ball. All you have to do is
concentrate and see if you can get my most favorite character. 

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 Do you think my favorite sports ball is behind “S,” “P,” “O,” “R,” “T,” or “S”?”

If he pauses too long (and many helpers do because there are so many choices and
nobody wants to be wrong), turn to address the audience. 

“This will be really hard, because he doesnʼt know which one I picked out over there and
he doesnʼt know which ball is behind which number, so he will have to concentrate to
choose the one Iʼm thinking of.”

By this time, the helper will probably be ready to announce a letter. No matter what he
says, act like you want to be more helpful. Get out the scissors from the table. 

“Phil, you sounded like you werenʼt really decided. Iʼll tell you what. I have some
Deciders. I know, most people call them scissors, but today, these are going to help Phil
decide.

Iʼm going to let you use these scissors to cut a letter in half. And if you cut a picture in
half, it will help your decision, because then you canʼt change your mind. And nobody
will be confused about whether you picked the first “S” or the last “S” or one of the
letters in between. All you have to do is cut a nice, straight line right up the middle and
cut one of these letters in half.
Now a moment ago you said you chose the letter “P.” You can take the scissors and cut
that letter right in half, or you can change your mind and pick a different number.”

Reiterate to him and the audience that he has a completely free choice of any letter. Let
him cut one in half. (Do not mention the dotted lines. No one in the audience can see
them, but the helper will use these as a guide to neat cutting. You want him to cut neatly
because his cuts have to match the ends of the paper. If he makes an obviously jagged,
crooked cut, take the scissors and “square up” the ends of his cut.)

“There. Now you are decided. You canʼt change your mind. Youʼre committed to the one
you cut. We wonʼt need the scissors anymore and we wonʼt need the envelope. “

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 Take the scissors and the folder pieces and put them away, giving the helper the two
paper pieces from the cut strip. Keep everything in full and open view so no one
suspects any switching trickery. Be sure that taking out the cut pieces and handing them
to the helper is clear and direct, so the audience will have no reason to suspect you
exchanged papers somehow. 

“Phil, hold those together and tell everyone in a loud clear voice which picture is cut in
half.”

Be sure to phrase it exactly this way. Iʼve tried many versions, and this seems to be the
only one that gets every volunteer to correctly announce the forced choice. If you say,
“Tell everyone which ball you decided,” or “Tell everyone which one is my favorite,” the
volunteers sometimes falter. You might hear “Thatʼs not the one I wanted,” or “I thought
it would be the football,” or “MY favorite one is soccer.”

“Yes, you choose the baseball. And the one I wanted you to pick… The one I set
standing up over here on the table was… the baseball! He did it! How about a big round
of applause?”

Send the helper off with a round of applause. If the volunteer made a nice straight and
neat cut through the paper, I let him keep the pieces of the strip. If the ends are even
the least bit crooked or ragged, I keep them. I donʼt want him to try piecing them
together later and figure out the method. 

One nice thing about this trick is being able to print as many as you like whenever you
like. If you book 100 school reading assemblies, just print 50 pages of sports ball strips
and 100 folder pages and youʼre good to go. 

Legal paper comes in a variety of colors, and it helps the overall image of the trick to
use something other than white. A blue or goldenrod paper “envelope” helps set the
folder apart from its contents, and makes it clear to the audience that the paper
envelope and the paper picture strip are two distinct items. (Just to prevent them from

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 ʻfiguring it outʼ).

If you ever have two shows back to back for the same audience, you can change the
force picture for the second show. Many schools schedule back-to-back assemblies to
split the program along grade levels or because all of the students will not fit into the
gym at the same time.  Whatever picture shows up makes no difference to most of the
audience, but it absolutely blows away the Librarian, Principal, or anyone else who sees
the same show twice if the ending is different.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this is a very adaptable trick. Use six party pictures for
a birthday show, six literature characters for a reading show, six dinosaurs for a science
show, six monsters for a Halloween show, or any other combination you like. See Figure
6 for some of my examples.

Figure 6.

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 Psychic Santa
Kids Christmas Mentalism Routine
Matthew Johnson

Effect: The magician explains that last year he did not get what he wanted for
Christmas because he got his Christmas list in way too late. So this year, being a smart
person he has been making his list up all year. Every time he thinks of something he
wants he writes it on a piece of paper & drops the paper in this bag. The mentalist
displays a clear bag full of slips of paper. A few of the pieces of paper are removed by a
child and read aloud. Each one contains a different Christmas gift. The papers are
dropped back into the bag and the bag is given a shake to mix up the papers inside.

The performer explains that this morning, eight days before Christmas a gift was left
under the tree, even though itʼs not Christmas yet. The mentalist removes a Christmas
bag and places it on the table.

“This year Santa brought me my gift even though I did not decide what I want yet. I think
Santa must be psychic, I guess thatʼs how he knows if you have been naughty or nice!”

The magician asks a child to reach into the bag and select one of the papers inside. The
child does, and when the paper is opened it reads

“Gingerbread Man.”

The gift bag is opened and inside is a stuffed toy Gingerbread Man.

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 “I guess Santa really is Psychic or may be itʼs Christmas Magic. Either way I plan on
being nice every year from now on. Only Santa could know exactly what I want for
Christmas before I do.”

Required Props:

To perform the Psychic Santa routine you will need the props shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

The bag used is a 3-way clear force bag. I purchased my bag for less than $10.00 at a
magic store in Vancouver, Canada called www.clowninaroundmagic.com.

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 If you would prefer, you could use a one handed change bag to hold the slips of paper.
Basically you will need some kind of forcing bag that has slips of paper containing
different gifts on one side of the bag & identical slips of paper on the other side of the
bag that all contain the same gift, in my case a Gingerbread Man. I purchased my
Stuffed Gingerbread Man from a dollar store here in Canada. You could use any gift that
suits you.

You will also need a gift bag as shown in Figure 1 to place your force gift into. I attach
Velcro tabs to the inside of the bag at the opening. This is so the bag will stay closed
with the gift inside until you are ready to display the gift to the audience.

The slips of paper I use are also shown in Figure 1. Each slip of paper is approximately
8 inches long by 2 inches high. I print the gifts onto the papers using a home printer. I
can get about 5 of these slips to a sheet of paper and then I just cut them out with a pair
of scissors or a guillotine. You will probably need about 20 slips with your force gift on &
then another 20 with different gifts on each slip.

Place all of the force gift slips into one side of your force bag or change bag and the
other different gift slips into the other side of your force bag.

If you can get a clear force bag I highly recommend you use one as it offers a much
fairer display of the slips in the bag and the selection process seems totally free and
random.

The Routine:

Mentalist “Who knows what they want for Christmas this year?”
The mentalist takes a few replies from the children as to what they would like for
Christmas this year. Asking children what they want for Christmas can usually yield
some pretty funny results.

Mentalist: “I will tell you what I want for Christmas this year, A PRESENT!”

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 Mentalist: “No, No seriously! You see last year I got my Christmas list in way too late.
Thatʼs right Santa did not receive my Christmas list until the 1st of January so I did not
get a single thing for Christmas!”

The Mentalist waits for a big AAAHHHHHH

Mentalist: “I said, last year I did not get a single thing for Christmas!”

Now the whole audience gives a big AAAAHHHHH!

Mentalist: “So this year I was smart. I started making my Christmas list right after the
Easter Bunny delivered my eggs. Thatʼs right, so every week since Easter I have been
writing down what I want on a piece of paper & then putting that piece of paper in this
bag”

The mentalist displays the clear bag full of slips of paper.

Mentalist: “I have thought of some pretty cool gifts too”

At this point the mentalist reaches into the side of the bag that has all the different gifts,
and removes some. He then displays them to the audience. You could even have a
child remove some of the slips, and read them out to the audience. By the way I like to
have some funny gifts in there like a new Porsche or $3000 added to my Retirement
savings Fund, you know stuff that will make the kids go huh!

After a few slips have been read out they are folded and put back in the bag.

Mentalist: “Anyways, here is the weird thing about this year. Itʼs 9 days (substitute your
own days here) before Christmas & this morning when I came downstairs I thought,
thatʼs weird I live in a rancher (bungalow) I donʼt have any stairs. No I am just joking, I
thought thatʼs weird there is a gift under the tree already”

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 The mentalist brings out the gift in the bag and places it on the table for all to see.

Mentalist: “Thatʼs exactly what I thought! How can Santa deliver my gift before I have
even decided which gift I would like for Christmas. I think Santa must be psychic, I mean
he must really be magic! I had barely finished my Mistle-Toast for breakfast (get it
Mistle-toe, Mistle-Toast) & there was the gift”

Mentalist: “Lets see if Santa got it right!”

At this point the performer offers the child an apparent free choice of any one of the
slips except this time the child is choosing one of the force slips from the other side of
the bag.

The child will of course choose a Gingerbread Man slip.

Mentalist: “A Gingerbread Man? Thatʼs what you think he brought me? Well letʼs see if
Santa really is magic?”

The performer begins to open the bag.

Mentalist: “By the way what did the Gingerbread Man put on his bed? A cookie sheet!
Get it, a cookie sheet?”

At this point the performer removes the stuffed Gingerbread Man, or whatever you
choose your force gift to be, and that is the end of the routine.

Afterthoughts: If you have a supply of cheap gifts you can give one away to the child
every time you do the trick which is a very cute way of giving your helper a gift for
helping. If you want to do this simply remove the gift from the bag and give them the gift,
do not give them the bag!

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 Judge, Jury and Executioner
Reg Blackwood

"What can you tell about a person just by looking at a photograph?

Aside from gender, race. age and social standing, is there some other message which is
subconsciously communicated to us?

Is there something more sinister lurking behind the eyes that stare back at us?
Could you separate the guilty from the innocent or even divine a murderer from his
victims?"

For some time now, I have performed a number of mentalism effects as "Ice-breakers"
to Roving Hypnosis and I have particularly enjoyed two of them for different reasons:
The first is a simple exercise in equivoqué in which one object out of five is selected by
a volunteer and shown to match a prediction.
My use of three different selection techniques "Touch two objects" "Move two" then
"Hold one" helps avoid the usual suspicion around the keep/eliminate actions. Also, I
have found a drawing of the forced object together with its name on the prediction to be
a nice touch. As I use any objects to hand, I usually force a bunch of keys and even with
my rudimentary art skills, I can manage a simple drawing of those!

If the forced object ends up in the spectator's hand I say nothing but just point out the
prediction otherwise I ask "What's left on the table?"

The other effect is a version of Derren Brown's take on the old "Out Of This World"
using some antique looking photographs which turn out to be of either living or dead
people.

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 The flexibility of this effect (and some removable labels) enables you to divide the
photos into two distinct groups of just about anything.
I have even performed it for the "Birthday Girl" using one group matching her
astrological sign and the other a group made up of random "other" signs.

In the first effect described above, it's the simplicity I like, whereas in the second, I like
not only the visual appeal of the old photographs and the flexibility, but also the
possibility of wrapping a great story around it.

I had been working on a way of combining them when I read Andrew Brown's "The
Living and the Dead" for the first time and found that a similarly strong, new effect could
be arrived at by combining the two described above with some of Andrew's work,
producing a simple "Magician's Choice" sibling to his effect.
I won't outline the story elements in any more detail than the brief introduction above. I'd
rather leave that to your own imagination (and besides, mine tends to change with every
performance.) Don't let the "Magician's Choice" aspect put you off. Hopefully, you will
see how nicely this works and how the same principles could be applied to various other
effects.

The Effect: The performer lays out five photographs and a sealed or folded prediction
on the table. Directed by the performer, a spectator narrows down the five by a process
of elimination until only one or two remain.

As photographs are eliminated, they are placed face down, showing their backs to be
blank. Finally, when two photos remain the spectator selects one of the remaining
photos for himself and the other for the performer.
The prediction is revealed in the form of a verdict and states that either the spectator or
the performer holds a guilty murderer, correctly predicting who has what.

When the final two photos are turned face down, the prediction is shown to be correct
as one of the remaining photos has "Murderer" printed on the reverse side, whereas all
of the others have been shown to be blank.

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 The Method: You will need five photographs, all nondescript, a mixture of men and
women.
One should be clearly labeled "Murderer" on the reverse but the rest left blank.
(You, the performer, should of course be able to easily recognize the murderer just by
looking at the person in the photograph.)
In this explanation, we will call this labeled photo the "Murderer" and all the others
"Innocent."

The prediction has a small photograph of the murderer printed on it and above the
photo it says:

"THE VERDICT: I hereby testify today that by a combination of free will and suggestion,
without prejudice but maybe a little manipulation, I am hereby appointed judge, jury and
executioner as I have in my custody a guilty party: A MURDERER!"

This prediction should be in view throughout the effect, but sealed in an envelope or
folded so the picture and wording is only revealed at the end.

The rest of the effect is a series of Magician's Choice forces (aiming to keep the
murderer "in play" at all times) together with a clever prediction using Deddy Corbuzier's
excellent "Free Will" principle.

Stage 1 - The performer asks the spectator to touch two photographs.

- If the spectator touches two "Innocent" photographs, the performer adds: "and turn
the two you chose face down." Three photos now remain face up. Move to Stage 2.

- If the spectator chooses the "Murderer" and an "Innocent" photo, the performer adds:
"and turn the others you didn't choose face down." Two photos now remain face up.
Move to Stage 3.

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 Stage 2 - The performer now asks the spectator to slide two photographs towards
himself.
- If the spectator slides two "Innocent" photos then the performer adds:
"and turn the two you chose face down." The work is now done. One photo, the
"Murderer" remains. Move to Stage 4b and ask the spectator to read the prediction.

- If the spectator slides the "Murderer" and an "Innocent" photo, the performer adds:
"and turn the one you didn't select face down." Two photos now remain face up. Move
to Stage 3.
-
Stage 3 - The performer then asks the spectator to select one of the remaining two
photos for himself and one for the performer.
The performer notes who ends up with the "Murderer" as this determines who reads the
prediction in the final Stage 4.

Stage 4
a. If the performer ends up with the "Murderer" the performer reads the prediction aloud.

b. If the spectator ends up with the "Murderer" or only one photo remains, the performer
instructs the spectator to read the prediction aloud.

It will of course be correct, depending on who reads it aloud.

Alternative Handling
Variation 1 – Photographs unseen
When I first contacted Andrew Brown with this effect, he immediately suggested the
following variation:
"Having the photos face up may lead some spectators thinking you are guiding them to
a certain picture as you know who it is. If it was me the photos would be in small marked
envelopes, that way, the spectator can mix them and assumes nobody has a clue to
where the murderer is.”

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 Personally, I like the fact that some spectators are left wondering whether they were
influenced by the image on the photograph, or influenced by me, for that matter.

However, Andrew's other idea is worthy of mention here as it gives us yet another good
variation on the theme.

Only one envelope (the one containing the murderer) needs to be marked and the effect
can then play out as above.

It's a matter of personal style as to whether you open the envelopes upon elimination
(rather than turn the photographs face down) or whether you have a mass envelope
opening at the climax of the effect, leaving the murderer the last to be revealed.

Variation 2 – A double prediction

Andrew Brown also suggests that a double prediction, like the one used in his effect, is
often stronger than a single one and with a slightly different handling, this can be
achieved here too.
The prediction has an additional phrase added "...and all the innocent parties are in your
protection."

Each time "innocent" photographs are eliminated, instead of just being placed face
down, they are added to a stack. The final choice determines whether it's the performer
or spectator who adds their photograph to and then holds the stack.

As before, the one holding the "murderer" is the one who reads the prediction aloud.

Variation 3 – The performer turns the photographs face down

If you are at all hesitant, or if you have a difficult or indecisive spectator, there is a slight
possibility of them changing their mind after you have already issued the instruction to
turn the photographs face down.

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 Therefore, my first variation will appeal to all you strong, silent or under-confident types.
(I am altogether unsure though whether this makes it look more like or less like the
equivoqué that it is.)
Simply say: "These two?" or remain silent and remove the relevant photographs at
each stage.

I'll leave it up to you, whether you turn the photographs face down at this point or
whether you reserve this action for a big reveal at the end.

Variation 4 – Using two spectators

This effect can also work nicely using two spectators. Simply cue them (on a count of
three?) to reach out and touch or slide one photograph each. If they select the same
photograph, you will need to try again or ask one to change his mind.
UNLESS they BOTH select the murderer, in which case you have a minor miracle and
can immediately reveal the prediction, basking in the glory of a successful
demonstration of your powers of subliminal persuasion. It does happen and although it
shortens the performance, the result will make you want to perform it with two
spectators as often as possible!

Obviously, once you have two photographs remaining, you will need to revert to a single
spectator. Use a bit of "business" or "flim-flam" here to divine which spectator would be
"best at this." A simple question for each of the spectators, requiring a choice of two
answers will suffice and you pretend to choose a spectator based on their response.
Remember to congratulate yourself on your choice at the end!

Variation 5 – A more straightforward prediction

If you are one of those people who prefers not to use the Free Will style of prediction,
my original method will still work. The wording of the prediction is less important and I
would suggest a simple picture with the words "Guilty of Murder" underneath.

So for another variation, simply replace Stages 3 and 4 as follows:

Stage 3 - The performer then asks the spectator to hold one of the remaining two
photos in his hand. Move to Stage 4.

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 Stage 4
a. If the spectator ends up with the "Murderer" in his hand, the performer says
NOTHING but just indicates the prediction which the spectator then takes a look at.

b. If the "Murderer" ends up on the table, the performer draws attention to the
photograph on the table and AWAY from the one held in the spectator's hand, saying
"...leaving just this one on the table" Then he instructs the spectator to take a look
at the prediction.

Having experimented with various wording for each version of the final situation, I find
the silence works best - as what can be more powerful than the spectator actually
holding the predicted object in his own hand?

In the second "out" I have even been known to remove the innocent object from the
spectator's hand and place it with the other innocents at the exact same time as
confidently stabbing my finger towards the forced and predicted one remaining on the
table.

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 Two School Routines
Cris Johnson

The following two effects I perform routinely for school groups all across North America.
They are real-world ʻworkers.ʼ If youʼre looking for new, shiny or novel methodology, Iʼm
afraid youʼll be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want routines that can done anywhere, anytime for any size
group, both of these kill. In the interest of full disclosure, I do have to point out that with
the Mental Corridor routine (which is Banachekʼs PK Touches with a cool presentation),
that when performing it for kids, I only perform it for older kids, say from ages 9 and up. I
feel the ʻtouchingʼ aspect of the routine is a little inappropriate for younger children.

The second routine, Teaching Someone to Read Minds, is something I use for virtually
all ages.

In magic or Mentalism, I definitely feel there are no “rules” which, if carefully analyzed,
cannot be broken. Therefore, I will freely admit that I mix and match mentalism and
magic quite often.

Additionally, each effect is sprinkled with several Authorʼs Notes, in bold, which is simply
my device to inject little asides, thoughts or finer points of finesse into the proceedings –
a device carried over from my books, available at www.hocus-pocus.com (cheap plug!).
It may be an oddball reference, a legitimate performing point or simply a comment on
what I had for lunch today. Life is weird and so am I.

Cris Johnson, CH, CM.NLP

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 The Mental Corridor
A Commercial Way of Presenting PK Touches

Cris Johnson

Effect: Two people are invited on stage, typically two pre-teens or two teens, one boy
and one girl. After a few comedic tests to gauge their psychic potential, it turns serious
with an amazing feat in which the boy is touched on his shoulder by the performer and
the girl indicates she felt something touch her shoulder…the exact same spot as where
the performer touched the boy…yet no one is anywhere near the girl.

Introduction: This routine, which plays about 5 minutes, developed from a strong
desire I had to have two spectators apparently send thoughts back and forth to each
other.

Eventually, I stumbled upon Banachekʼs wonderful “Psychological Subtleties” book

and all the wonderful treasures inside. I soon realized that I could easily achieve my
dream of having a thought transfer routine between two spectators with psychological
forces. The only problem is such forces are rarely 100% foolproof and I didnʼt want to
use cards or anything like that as a backup.

The “touching” aspect of the effect, which finally gave me the sure fire ending that I
wanted, is obviously borrowed from Banachekʼs incredible “Psychokinetic Touches.”
While I love the effect, Banachekʼs presentation really wasnʼt something I wanted to
use. Banachek weaved his effect around a story involving a dead relative and while Iʼm
sure itʼs brilliant in his capable hands, Itʼs not for me.

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 Regardless of how I feel about Banachekʼs printed routine, the ʻworkʼ itself, along with
the psychology involved, is breathtakingly effective, simple and guarantees you can
always do something amazing anywhere. Plus, itʼs only $12, so Iʼm not going to discuss
the work here.

Rather, my point with including this routine is show you how very different you can
present this effect rather than simply copying the routine of Banachek. As the sub-title
suggests, this is very commercial. In other words, audiences love it. Iʼm not sure how
many audiences would like the ʻcommunicating-with-a-dead-guyʼ presentation
Banachek printed in his booklet, but by his own admission at a recent lecture, he
explained that he really did not intend for that presentation to be viewed as the
ʻdefinitive wayʼ to present PK Touches.

I also want to credit the very funny John Archer, for the concept of separating two
spectators onstage, with the performer in between, as a way to add a certain
psychological element – the idea of “coming between” the two people. Archer also talks
about the value of being able to generate comedy out of such a set up. Both of these
aspects are discussed on his wonderful “Blindfold Tips” DVD.

This routine certainly is not any breakthrough in terms of methodology, but it certainly
proves the point that a script does not have to be a long wordy mess in order to achieve
my goal…in other words, no drawn out explanation of psychic occurrences here.

Additionally, this proves that something considered to be Mentalism can most certainly
be adapted for youths. To reinforce, I only do this for pre-teens and teens. I feel to go
younger is inappropriate due to the nature of the effect.

Iʼll cover the simple scripting and then offer a few quick thoughts at the end.

The Routine: When I call the kids up, I have the boy on my left and the girl on my right.
If itʼs a big audience and Iʼm using large foam boards for the gag predictions, I have a
$20 tripod stand on my left, behind the male. The stand I use folds up neatly to about a

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 foot long and travels very well. For these bigger audiences, I printed the gags (KNOW
and a BARCODE) on two 20” by 30” foam boards which rest, backs to the audience, on
the tripod presentation stand.

If Iʼm performing for a smaller group, I using just work out of an open briefcase and have
the cards, drawing pad, and marker readily available.

After I get everyone on stage, I explain whatʼs going to happen – mind to mind transfer
between these two people. Usually this will cause laughter, especially from the kidsʼ ʻfan
clubsʼ still in the audience.

AUTHORʼS NOTE: Those experienced at working with teens/young adults will certainly
recognize how often a volunteer will receive cheers from friends upon reaching the
stage! Itʼs amusing, to me.

At a school event, this is nearly unavoidable. It also slightly turns the male against you, I
guess. That doesnʼt matter to me. Iʼm not picking on him at this point and Iʼm always
very polite to my helpers, but just by hearing his friends joking around, he may feel
“against” me a bit. As I said, I work mostly with the female, so the guy can be a stump
and the routine will still go just fine.

At this point, I get into the comedy psychic gags – two old Mentalism bits that are as old
as the hills, but still play well.

I turn to the girl and say, “Helen, weʼre going to test your psychic powers. On this foam
board-“ Here I indicate the stand. “-I have, in big letters, a word in the English language.
Concentrate! Answer this question truthfully. Do you know, without a shadow of a doubt,
what word is written on this board?”

“No,” Helen says.

I flip the board around so the audience can see it says ʻKNOWʼ in huge letters.

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 “Sheʼs right!” I exclaim as the audience bursts into laughter and mock applause.
AUTHORʼS NOTE: After doing this bit for years, I found that dropping in the phrase
“without a shadow of a doubt” virtually guaranteed me that sheʼll say “no.” Before that,
sometimes sheʼd try to guess a word! People are weird.

I then turn to the boy. “Phil, I have a test for you too. Iʼd like you to close your eyes and
imagine…youʼre in a grocery store, going up and down the aisles…you can see
hundreds of household products at great savings…oops, watch your step, cleanup in
aisle 4! Cleanup in aisle 4! Okay, Phil, imagine…youʼre in which aisle? It can be
anything…”

Phil responds, “Snacks.”

I respond, “Great! Now, in your mindʼs eye, reach up onto the shelf in front of you and
remove one snack, one goodie.” Very often Phil will actually raise his hand, which
causes a few chuckles from the audience.

“What are you taking, Phil?”

“Pringles potato chips.”

“Perfect! Now youʼre making your way to the checkout counter. You hand the cashier –
whoʼs cracking gum really loudly – the chips. The cahier scans it – beep! – the price
comes up on the scanner…What price do you see?”

“$1.95.”

“Okay, Phil, open your eyes. As you can see, I have one more board here. How freaked
out would you be if I turn this board around and on it was printed $1.95?”

Regardless of his answer, I spin the board around to reveal the BARCODE, as per the
old mentalism gag.

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 There are groans and laughter.

“Does anyone have a scanner?” I ask innocently. I then glare at the audience and
explain, “Iʼm TRYING to raise their confidence levels!” The audience chuckles and I
continue on with the routine.

To lead into the touching part of the routine, I use this script:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I feel that both of these folks would make excellent subjects, so
I think weʼre going to try to open up between them…a mental corridor.”

I donʼt bother to explain what a mental corridor is. It sounds almost like it may make
sense…but not completely. I like it – itʼs goofy-sounding, and this way I avoid all of that
scientific-sounding mumbo-crap. Iʼm there to entertain, not lecture!

If one or both of my tests “failed” in the previous parts of the routine, in other words, if
the woman says anything other than “no,” which does happen on occasion, I use this
scripting:

Laughter will ensue. Itʼs just silly, because the boy has NO idea what heʼs being jokingly
chastised for!

From here, I instruct them both to face the audience, stand upright, arms at sides, and
close their eyes. As Banachek advises, I tell them not to react to anything they may
experience or feel because “we wouldnʼt want to break the Mental Corridor.”

I then walk over to the male and begin making what could only be described as vigorous
two-handed waxing motions. Think Mr. Miyagi on crack. I circle the boy, taking care to
“wax” about 12” or so away from him, around his face, shoulders and back. I never
explain what Iʼm doing. Iʼm silent during all of this from when I clap my hands right up
until I ask both to open their eyes.

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 Author/performer Luke Jermay talks about using the Power of Silence to enhance
routines. It definitely does here.

Plus, the sight of me making goofy hand motions around my helpers, with NO
explanation, narration or apparent justification, ensures that every eye is riveted to me,
and, other than the occasional bits of laughter, Iʼve got everyoneʼs attention.

Most performers are scared to death of silence, but personally, I find it really enhances
this routine.

Once Iʼm finished doing my “Mr. Miyagi Happy Dance,” I proceed to apparently do the
same thing to the girl.

Then I move to the boy spectator again and in a very large, open, overly showy motion,
I slowly poke him in the right shoulder twice. I hesitate just a bit between pokes so the
audiences appreciates the fact that I poked him twice.

Also, I usually look at the female in between pokes and frown before the second poke.
Occasionally, the girl will say she felt only one poke rather than the two Iʼm looking for. I
donʼt know if her mind wandered or what, and I jab them pretty firmly, but once in a
while they claim to only feel one poke.

By looking at her and frowning between pokes, Iʼm nonverbally saying to the audience
that Iʼm not sure if she really felt the first poke.

It also has a nifty side benefit – on very rare occasions, Iʼve had the girlʼs weight shift
with her eyes closed, almost as if she was pushed by an unseen force. The audience
gasped out loud at this! It was really cool.

In reality, she just lost her balance with her eyes closed.

But I take advantage and try to recreate that moment every time!

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 By this point, youʼre done. I return to center stage, ask both to open their eyes, and ask
her if she felt anything.

“Did you feel anything?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says.

“Did something touch you?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“On my shoulder.”

Iʼll usually ask her to motion with her hand which shoulder, especially if itʼs a large
crowd.

“How many times were you touched?”

“Twice.” Or Iʼll get her to raise her fingers if itʼs a large audience. I could hand her a mic,
but at this point, I donʼt want to be anywhere near her. I want the audience to
experience her revealing that something touched her with the strong visual of me being
at least 10 feet away.

At this point, the audience is already reacting. I then say, “Thatʼs fascinating! I did NOT
touch you, but I did touch HIM. He must have sent that information over to you. Please
give them both a huge round of applause!”

I then gesture for both to return to their seats.

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 Closing Comments: Obviously, in terms of set-up, you only need to have the KNOW
card and the BARCODE card ready for the comedy bits. The actual touching part of the
routine is prop-less, and again, the actual working and psychology can be found in
Banachekʼs wonderful “Psychokinetic Touches” booklet, available for a way-too-low
$12 from most magic dealers.

I also want to touch upon the routine in terms of placement of the gags. My good friend
Doc Dixon wrote about the idea that starting off by making a claim that you are going to
predict any word in the universe, then showing the KNOW card, and then going on to
actual perform a mind reading effect thatʼs less impressive than it would have been with
the “any word” plot is bad theater.

I completely agree with him. In other words, heʼs saying not to use those gags if youʼre
going to follow those gags with an actual effect that isnʼt as good.

In this routine, Iʼm following the gags with an effect that defies explanation – the
transference of a physical sensation from one person to another…apparently without
me doing a thing. If youʼve never performed Banachekʼs “Psychokinetic Touches,”
youʼre missing out on one of Mentalismʼs strongest possible effects.

In other words, Iʼm following the gag predictions with something that is a LOT stronger.

Another thing I wanted to touch on here (no pun intended) is the idea that I do not
explain what Iʼm talking about when I say weʼre going to open up a Mental Corridor. Itʼs
an intriguing, wonderfully ambiguous phrase.

I first came across the idea of using interesting terminology and/or gestures in “Building
Blocks,” by Luke Jermay. In it, he references ʻthe witchcraft effectʼ or something like
that, which is basically the idea that youʼre doing something or saying something
(incantation? Waving of a wand? Scribbling symbols?) that is very important to you and
the success of whatever youʼre doing, but itʼs never communicated how important it is.

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 In other words, youʼre not going into a long, boring speech about PK activity, ESP cards,
and the background info that so many performers jam into their scripts in an effort to
make what they are doing sound believable.

This idea of explaining everything - Itʼs called plot exposition by writers in the TV and
film industry and itʼs regarded as the lowest form of life in a script and most film makers
do their best to keep it at a minimum.

To state it differently, Iʼm simply dropping in an intriguing phrase and acting like itʼs
important. I further this idea by slapping my hands together and rubbing them before I
go into the “wax on / wax off” hand movements around the boyʼs and girlʼs heads.

I never explain what any of this has to do with anything, but it works because I ACT like
it matters. Plus, itʼs amusing and there are always chuckles when I do it. Remember, the
process is the thing, not just the destination.

Cris Johnson in action performing at a school show

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 Teaching Someone to Read Minds
“A Hilarious Presentation for the Split Deck”

Cris Johnson

The Basic Method: Two people are called up to the stage, one on the performerʼs right,
the other on the performerʼs left. A deck of cards is introduced and shown to be cut
entirely in half, diagonally, so each card in the deck is now in two halves.

After showing each half of the deck to be well mixed (and obviously comprised of
different cards) one person selects a half card. That half deck is put away.

The second person is instructed by the performer on the proper way to “read minds.”
The performer demonstrates and then asks the second volunteer to do the same thing.
After some general silliness, the second volunteer chooses a card half out of the second
half of the deck.

When both pieces are held up to the audience, they are shown to be both halves of the
same card – success!

Introduction: Iʼve always been fascinated by routines where two people apparently
send thoughts back and forth to each other or read each otherʼs mind, apparently
independent of anything on my part.

Iʼd been using the split deck of cards for a long time. This version had a lot going for it –
it was a Jumbo version so large audiences could see it, the handling was clean and

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 angle proof so I could do it anywhere, and the working was simple – itʼs based on the
old ʻrough and smoothʼ principle. Nothing to it.

Eventually, when I started doing shows professionally, I set about creating a routine for
the Jumbo Split Deck. Up until that point, the entire “script” if you could call it that was
simple stage directions of ʻdo this, do thatʼ until the outcome.

Not very compelling.

I eventually dropped the effect from my adult Mentalism shows, feeling the prop was too
suspect. I added it to my elementary and middle school shows because the simplicity of
the effect played much better than just about any other mental magic or mind reading
type effect.

The presentation that you are about to read was developed, like much of my stuff, over
several years from a series of ad-libs.

This routine is a prime example of the value of realizing that the journey to the outcome
is often more important than the destination itself. Itʼs a great example, if I may say so
myself, of how to generate a lot of laughter and fun from a throwaway trick that most
magicians roll theirs eyes at.

To do this effect, youʼll need a split deck for parlor audiences (available for about $8.00
for a regular sized deck and about $32 for a jumbo deck. I personally have always used
the jumbo deck because Iʼm often in front of 400 or so kids at a time.

Again, it operates on the ʻrough and smoothʼ principle, so from a technical standpoint,
you should have this up and running in no time. As far as the working, each card in the
deck that appears different actually has a duplicate of one card ʻstuckʼ to the back, but a
light touch allows your fingers to separate any of these duplicates from the back of any
of the indifferent cards in the deck. Looking at the faces, the audience sees all different
cards. Touching or pointing to any card while looking at the back means you can only

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 select one of the duplicate force cards. In my deckʼs case, I always wind up with two
halves of the Ten of Clubs.

As far as this routineʼs appeal, I perform this exclusively for kidsʼ groups several
hundred times a year, usually in front of 250-450 kids, grades K-8…or ages 5 to 12. It
never fails to get a great response, due to (I believe) two reasons: one, the audience of
mostly kids is seeing a teacher – usually – do something outside of the norm. Secondly,
the physical comedy just WORKS.

Try it and youʼll be hooked!

The Routine:
“Letʼs get an adult up here!” I announce to the group of mostly kids. I pick a teacher off
to one side and invite them onstage. “Donʼt worry,” I reassure them, “I wonʼt do anything
bad to you.”

AUTHORʼS NOTE: I add this line because very often Iʼll do this routine after my Arm
Chopper routine and I donʼt want a teacher to think Iʼm going to ʻcut off their arm.ʼ)

As they approach, I introduce myself and get their name. Letʼs say itʼs Mr. Smith.

AUTHORʼS NOTE: I hate coming up with names for these imaginary helpers in books.
Generally I go with names that are easy to spell and fast to type, so chances are youʼll
never see a spectator named Hildebrand in any of my books.

“Mr. Smith is going to do something amazing…heʼs going to read the mind of one of
YOU!”
Kids excitedly start raising their hands in the air. I eventually pick one – Iʼm generally
going for an older girl as they react well and ʻgiggleʼ when I need them to in the routine.

“Great! Mr. Smith, please stand on my left, Katie, please stand on my right.”
Iʼve positioned the two helpers roughly 15 feet apart.

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 “Mr. Smith, have you ever read the mind of someone on stage before?” I then listen for
his answer and react appropriately.

AUTHORʼS NOTE: I try to remember these are people. When I ask a question, I try to
remember to fully engage in their answer. Itʼs too easy to just run over their response on
your way to your next scripted line! If Mr. Smith says “no,” heʼs never read minds, Iʼll
reassure him and explain Iʼm going to show him how I do it. If he says “yes,” I say great,
maybe heʼll like how I myself do it. Either way, I ENGAGE.

“Mr. Smith, weʼre going to do this in a very easy way – using a deck of playing cards. I
have right here - “Here I reach into my case and take out the jumbo deck.- “a BIG deck
of cards.” Sometimes kids react. A jumbo deck of cards is not commonplace to
laypeople.

I continue, “Not only is it a BIG deck of cards, but this deck of cards has been…CUT IN
HALF!” This line is timed so that as I take the cards out of the case and hold up the
halves, I am doing so right as I say “CUT IN HALF” and I dramatically split the halves.
Very often there is an audible gasp from the audience, even middle-schoolers.

AUTHORʼS NOTE: I noticed this a few years ago. The idea of cutting cards in half
sometimes gets a reaction. Itʼs a ʻmoment,ʼ so if the audience wishes to treat this as a
ʻmoment,ʼ who am I to argue? Filling the routines with ʻmomentsʼ adds flavor, interest
and texture. I never intended the revelation that the deck is split in two to be a moment,
but it evolved as such and now I play into it.

“For some reason, that gets a response,” I reply to Mr. Smith. I then put one of the
halves down and spread the other half out to the audience and back and forth to both
Katie and Mr. Smith.

“As everyone can see, all the cards are different. Iʼm going to let Katie pick one of these
half cards. Then, Mr. Smith is going to try to pick the matching half card out of the other
half of the deck, forming one whole card. Got it?”

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 After I receive confirmation, I continue. “Mr. Smith, I donʼt want you seeing what Katie is
picking, so Iʼll need you to turn your back for a moment. Donʼt worry, Iʼm not going to do
anything to you. No peeking!” Mr. Smith turns his back and I turn to Katie.

AUTHORʼS NOTE: I used to, once Mr. Smithʼs back was turned, wave my hands
frantically near the back of his head and all kinds of other silly sight gags that admittedly
played well and got laughs, but I ultimately dropped them as I truly did not want the
teacher to hear the laughter and wonder what in the hell I was doing.

“Katie,” I say as I lower the cards in their fan to a horizontal position, parallel to the floor,
backs of the cards up, “Just put your finger on any card you like.”

Katie puts a finger on the back of a card. “Katie, keep your finger right where it is…Iʼll
cut the cards there and put yours on top…keep your finger there…” I cut the cards
where Katie has touched, bringing her card to the top. I then square the deck and hand
Katie the card sheʼs touched. Itʼs a very innocent, natural action to do this and because
of the rough and smooth nature of the cards, Katie can only touch the back of one of the
force cards. Iʼll repeat this procedure with Mr. Smith using the second half of the deck.

“Katie, hold onto your card. Keep the face tight against your tummy so no one sees it
just yet. Iʼm going to put this half of the deck into my case – I will not touch it again.” I do
indeed put the first half of the cards away and then turn to Mr. Smith. “Mr. Smith,” I
continue, “You say youʼve never read minds before. I tell you what, Iʼll show you how I
do it and then after Iʼm done, you can try it to read Katieʼs mind and figure out the half
card you need.”

I then turn to the audience and say, “The first thing I do when I read minds is this: I open
up my eyes REALLY wide…” I open my eyes bug-eyed style, as wide as I can and say,
“…in a big FRIENDLY stare!” This effect is comical to the audience and they always
start laughing.

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 “Then,” I say, “I turn to the person whose mind Iʼm going to read in a slow, comforting
fashion.” I wait a beat and pivot abruptly and robot-like to my right, so Iʼm now facing
Katie, causing the audience to laugh, as Iʼm not exactly being comforting!

“Then, I walk toward that person in a calm, reassuring manner!” I then bring my hands
up and hold them in front of me, slightly below my eye level, claw-like, kind of like a
Michael Jackson zombie from the “Thriller” video.

AUTHORʼS NOTE: If youʼre under the age of 30, you can certainly find it on Youtube. In
this stiff position, I then begin walking toward Katie, zombie-like and the entire effect is
really funny!

“When I get to right about here,” I say as Iʼm about 5 feet away from Katie, “the person
starts to GIGGLE uncontrollably!” As I say this, I also nod to Katie very slightly as a
subconscious cue. Sheʼs already starting to crack, and my little suggestion of giggling
along with the nod usually gets her to let go and start laughing at the absurdity of the
whole situation.

AUTHORʼS NOTE: Oddly, the kids ALWAYS try to ʻhold it inʼ until I give them the little
suggestions to laugh. Seeing them try like heck to not laugh only to bust out really is
funny.

When Iʼm just a few feet from Katie (sheʼs usually started backing away from me) I wave
to her and say in a silly, high-pitched voice, “Hi!” This also gets a laugh.

I then turn around to face Mr. Smith. “Okay, Mr. Smith, take it away! Give it your best
interpretation!” Mr. Smith usually looks at me with doubt in his eyes and eventually goes
along with it. The teacher always gets the bug-eyed thing and the hands raised…and as
they start to ʻstalkʼ their way toward Katie, I stop them about 5 feet away and say, “Oh,
look, heʼs stalking her like a Velociraptor! Better not get TOO close, we donʼt want to
send Katie into therapy!” I then re-position Mr. Smith back to his starting point on my left.

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 “Mr. Smith, by now, on a subconscious level, you should have a good idea of where the
matching half to Katieʼs card is in this half…” I hold up the second half of the deck, fan it
and show it to both Katie and Mr. Smith and also to the audience en masse.

“Mr. Smith, hold out your first finger…and allow your subconscious mind to draw you to
any card…” I then hold the deck out to him and look at him. If I look down, people might
think Iʼm ʻcuingʼ Mr. Smith. Once he touches the back of the card (via the same
handling / selection process as Katie, I say, “Great, hold that card facing you against
your tummy so no one can see it.”

I turn to address the audience as I put the rest of the cards away. “There are 52 cards in
a deck of cards. Cut them in half and you have 104 half-cards. Mr. Smith only has one
chance in 103 of picking the SAME half card as Katie.”

AUTHORʼS NOTE: This is not really true if you think through the logic or lack thereof of
what Iʼm claiming, but it sounds good and makes what weʼre doing more impressive!

“Therefore, Iʼm sure if these two cards match that youʼll give them BOTH a HUGE round
of applause! Katie, let me see your card…”

AUTHORʼS NOTE: The line of script I underlined is something I say with more
emphasis. Itʼs actually an embedded command – a subconscious cue or strong
suggestion to the subconscious buried in the middle of the sentence. This helps
increase the amount of applause. I try to inject NLP, or Neuro-Linguistic Programming,
into many of my presentations. Contact me for more details if this kind of stuff interests
you. Email: crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net

I take Katieʼs card in my right hand without showing it to Mr. Smith or the audience. In
fact, I keep it pressed against my chest as I turn to Mr. Smith. “Mr. Smith, let me see
your card…” I take his card and again, using my left hand and holding it against my
chest. I then face the audience, both cards held tightly against my chest. I smile
nervously and take a big breath and exhale, as though Iʼm really nervous.

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 I then take a peek at both cards, freeze for a full second, and then let my face fall and
my shoulders slump, hinting to the audience non-verbally that the two half cards in fact
do not match. I hold this pose for maybe two beats and then I dramatically whirl both
halves around and hold them together diagonally, showing that they do form,
completely, one whole card. At the same time, I exclaim, “THEY GOT IT!”

The audience bursts into applause. The little false-ending of me non-verbally telling the
audience that the trick did not go according to plan only to reveal that it did is a nice
emotional dip in the road and that little embedded command from earlier helps to jack
up the reaction.

Closing Comments: Please donʼt overlook this. This routine gets a great response and
can be done anywhere, indoors or out, surrounded, for many different ages. I routinely
use this for school age audience from Kindergarten through 2nd grade and from 3rd
grade through 5th grade and also 6th grade through 8th grade. Teachers and students
LOVE the comedy, itʼs interactive and youʼre involving a teacher or adult. Great stuff
indeed.

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 Mental Monopoly
Danny Archer

Effect: A triple prediction using a Monopoly game. This effect sprang to mind while I
was trying to come up with an effect to perform at a sales meeting for real estate
agents. That was the genesis and here are the methods I worked out. First is a stand-up
presentation, which is followed by a close-up handling. Feel free to try other methods or
techniques that may work well for you. This effect was award the Best Mental Effect for
2003 by the IBM.

Note from Editor: Not only is this a great effect for adults, but kids and teenagers love
this. I tried this routine out recently and it got a great reaction from both adults and
youngsters.

Set-Up:
• On a large sheet of paper print a predication that says “I knew you would keep the
dog, choose $220 and pick Kentucky Avenue.” Seal it in a manila envelope. Or you
can take the actual deed, dog and money from a Monopoly game (take these from a
second game as you will need the tokens and deeds for your performance set) and
seal them inside a manila envelope. Take a full set of Monopoly cards and remove
Kentucky, States and No. Carolina (the sides with color are the fronts/mortgage side
are the backs). On the table place BACK UP; No. Carolina, Kentucky the rest of the
cards and on top goes States.
• You also need 6 game tokens (one of which must be the dog).
• You also need one Chance card (“You have been elected Chairman of the Board pay
each player $50”) and one Community Chest card.
• Print “Go directly to next trick, do not pass GO. Give me a nice round of applause as I
return to my seat” by hand or computer as large as you can and affix it to the printed
side of the Community Chest card. Place both cards in an accessible pocket.

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 Routine: When you ready to perform, introduce the props (game tokens, property
deeds), sealed prediction and have a spectator join you on stage. Explain that the
spectator will play a game of Mental Monopoly and show and place the sealed
prediction in a prominent place. The three items will be forced as follows.

THE TOKEN
I use the PATEO (pick any two, eliminate one) force invented by Roy Baker. Basically
what happens is the spectator picks any two tokens, one in each hand. The magician
then touches one hand and that token is eliminated and the remaining token is placed
back on the table. Then you pick up two tokens and they eliminate one. All you have to
do is remember to NOT pick up the dog. It will end with the spectator holding two tokens
and you touch the hand that does not contain the dog. If using an odd number of objects
the magician goes first, an even number and the spectator would go first.

THE MONEY
You use the backs of the Monopoly cards (Mortgage values) to force the amount of
money. Spread through the cards and explain that each card has a mortgage value on
the back and show that the values are different. Explain that they will pick two cards by
chance, and remove the Chance card and have the spectator hold the card face down
and insert it anywhere they want into the face down stack of cards and leave the card
outjogged. LH thumb should obscure the top cards name (States), as much as possible.

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 Using Bill Simonʼs Prophecy Move, you will turn the Chance card face up. You spread
through the cards and take all the cards above the Chance card into the RH. The LH
thumb holds the Chance card on top of the pack. The RH revolves palm down and the
RH thumb contacts the face of the Chance card. As the RH turns the Chance card face-
up the LH places its cards on top - sandwiching the card in the middle of the pack. This
move appears to do nothing more but turn the Chance card face-up, but it really places
the Chance card between States & North Carolina. As I do the move, I make a comment
about the Chance card (pay each player $50). Now as you spread through cards take all
the cards ABOVE States, and place on table face down, remove States, Chance card
and No Carolina and hand to spectator with the request that they total up the mortgage
amounts. Balance of deed cards are placed on top of tabled cards, (Kentucky is now the
bottom card of the pile).

THE DEED
Now do a Cross-Cut Force. Invite your spectator to cut off a portion of the pack and
place it to the side. You pick up all the cards that were not cut, turn it crosswise and
place it on top of the portion they placed aside. For the needed time delay, retrieve
Chance card and as you put it away, take out Community Chest card and have them
pocket it without looking at it. Now you lift up the crosswise portion and tell them to “look
at the card you cut to”, and show them that they have cut to Kentucky. Recap, and have
spectator opened sealed envelope, and read prediction (or show token and deed) and
count the money. To finish, have them remove and read aloud Community Chest card.

PATTER
I talk about the fun of growing up and playing indoor and outdoor games with my
siblings. Our favorite game was always Monopoly. In fact I brought along a set tonight.
Open box remove and show sealed prediction. We donʼt have time to play a full game
but letʼs try a little experiment. Basically the rest is explained as we go along. When
selecting the token, I explain how my family always fought over who would be the hat.
Thatʼs why we are going to use random elimination to select a piece. When your helper
is left with the dog I say, “I wanted to be the dog”! The trick lends itself to many patter
possibilities because Monopoly is one of those shared human experiences we can all
relate to.

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 NOTES:
To make the trick play big and increase visibility, I made a copy of the Monopoly Board
and had it laminated. I have memo stand (available from office supply stores) that holds
the board upright and I write in their selections with a dry erase marker. Here is a
handling, which allows for a free choice of properties by using sleight of hand. The
money and the dog token are inside the prediction envelope. They are both forced the
same as before. The property would now be a totally free choice.

I hand them the marker and ask them to circle a property on the board (ex. Boardwalk).
Offer them a chance to change their mind if they wish. Whatever one they decide, as
they are circling the selected property on the board, spread through the cards and get a
break below Boardwalk as you say “you know, if Iʼd of had a hotel on there you would
owe me $450.00.”
Double Undercut at the break (bringing the selected card to the bottom). Turn the cards
over and ask spectator to pick up and verify that the prediction envelope is sealed shut.
As they do this (which gives you tons of cover), Top Palm the property card in the RH.
As they state that the envelope is sealed shut, you say “Oh, I almost forgot to give you
something important.”

Several things happen here. Follow the choreography with props in hand and youʼll see
that it flows along naturally and logically. Your LH reaches out to retrieve the sealed
envelope. Once it has the envelope, the LH transfers the envelope to the RH which
holds it concealing the palmed property card behind the envelope. The LH reaches into
your pocket and removes the Community Chest card and hands it to spectator as you
say “Put it in your pocket and donʼt look at it”. As they are doing that, the RH transfers
the envelope (and palmed card) to the LH.

The RH picks up the box lid of the game and hands it to the spectator who is instructed
to hold it waist high in both hands. The RH rips open the top of the envelope and the left
hand inverts the envelope and lets the contents (and concealed property card) come
falling out onto the box lid. The envelope is shown empty and discarded. Have the
spectator first pick up and show the correct token, then display the correct property card

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 and lastly count the money to show all three predictions are correct. Have them read the
Community Chest card for the finish.

Here is a version you can use in close-up situations. All you need are the six tokens, the
set of property cards (stacked as before) and the Community Chest and Chance cards.
You also need a Kaps style wallet. In an envelope place $220 and gaff and seal the
envelope and set it so that it is ready to receive a load in the wallet. Using paper clips,
fasten the two cards (Community Chest and Chance) to the outside of the inside jacket
pocket where the wallet resides. Introduce the six tokens and have one freely selected.
Give them the chance to change if they wish.

Retrieve all the tokens in RH and retain the selected token in the RH as you dump them
in the LH, which places them in the outside jacket pocket and emerges with the stack of
property cards. The RH goes inside the jacket and loads the token into the wallet and
emerges with the chance card. The money is forced just like the stand-up version. They
freely name any property card, and like in the stand-up version, the card is controlled,
palmed and loaded in the wallet as the RH emerges with the Community Chest card
(message would be slightly different). Recap, cleanly remove wallet, open zipper, tear
envelope and let spectator remove contents and verify.

Archers Additions:

Not a lot that I can add to the effect. It has a great hook, because Monopoly is such a
part of so many peopleʼs lives. Most of us played it when we were young and then as
parents, we start playing again with our own children (I just looked at our game shelf
and we have 3 regular Monopoly games, 1 Catopoply and 1 Beatles version).

Back in the day, it was a real hassle to try and make the laminated Monopoly Board
(and the prediction). Today with the internet, computers and Kinkoʼs it is the work of a
few minutes. I use a paperclip stand (purchased at an office supply store) to hold the
board upright and using a dry erase marker, I write down the selections so the audience
can remember them. In one version, the spectator uses the marker to circle the property
they want.

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 There are so many triple predictions in the literature (the classic Rule of Threes) and
Mental Monopoly adds a fun, playful presentation. I mentioned that the effect was
awarded the Best Mental Trick for 2003 by the IBM. I am not sure of the date, but there
is a funny story about how I found out. One day in 2006, I was out running errands and
my wife calls and tells me that a big box had arrived in the mail for me. I wasnʼt
expecting anything, and when I got home I looked at it. It was a rather large box
addressed to me and with a return address from the International Brotherhood of
Magicians. I opened the box and nestled among a huge pile of packing peanuts, I pulled
out a statue. The plaque attached to the base declared that Mental Monopoly had been
selected as the Best Mental Trick for 2003 by the IBM. Unfortunately in the three years it
took to get to me, the magician at the top has broken off, but I was still honored to have
my effect singled out.

Mental Monopoly appeared in my first set of lecture notes called Working Alone.

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 Time Warp
Paul Romhany

The following routine is one of my favorite walk-about routines for both kids and adults.
Iʼve even done this in intimate settings as a stand-up routine at private parties. The age
group for this would range from ten year olds upwards. When performing this for
younger kids I would slow the patter down so they understand what is happening, but
trust me, they get this and theyʼll talk about it for a long time! This particular effect
definitely falls in to the magic/mentalism category.

Effect: A stack of cards with a photo of a pocket watch is shown, the time on the pocket
watch is written on the card and signed by a spectator which is then placed on a table.

A wrist watch is borrowed and the magician pulls out the stem to show the hands turn
freely. The spectator then takes their watch face down and turns the stem to a random
time. Magician claims that the time on the wrist watch will now match the time on the
signed card. However, when the watch is turned over it does NOT match. Magician then
snaps his finger and the card with the photo of a pocket watch is turned over showing
that the time on the POCKET WATCH has now changed. The signed card is then
handed out for the spectator to keep.

Twelve years ago, my good friend, the late Ricki Dunn borrowed my wrist watch and
predicted the time. Ricki was known the world over for being an amazing pickpocket but
what people didnʼt know was Ricki had a passion for mentalism.

Ricki showed me his method for predicting time using a borrowed watch, which has
since become popular with many mentalists. The original idea for the watch prediction
came from Bev Bergeron. I contacted Bev and he gave me the full story on this amazing
prediction that he created.

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 The original watch bit was Skull's from San Francisco. I could not afford one. In the
early 1950s, a close friend who ended up in Dallas, Texas, Bob Torson made a better
pocket watch than Skulls. Bob would not tip the working to me, but after seeing him
do it about 10 times I figured it out. In about 1965, I asked Joe Berg to ask one of the
local watch repair men that he used to make trick watches to make me one that would
allow me to set the time, but disconnect when turned over. Joe messed around for
months and never came up with any one. In 1971 I was doing my third tour for the
USO to the Far East when I was in Saigon and was told that I could not wear my
watch. I had to get a new one. I got a Seiko alarm watch and when setting it one day
just froze -- I realize that I had a watch that I could do all that Skull's and Torson's
pocket watches could do and I could do it with a wrist watch. It became one of my
very closely guarded secrets. Years later, after several trips to Mexico, I was talked
into showing Craige Snader, Jr. the workings. A few years later he than talked me into
putting it into writing. I wrote a very small booklet on the subject with several ideas
that could be done with the routine - that was 1989. Craige sold them out of Mexico
before he died.

The cards used in this routine are my own design and something I have been using for
a few years. The actual method using the half card is not my invention. The principle
first appeared in print in “The Interrupted Flap” in “Spirit Slate Writing and Kindred
Phenomena,” by William Robinson, 1898. Its first use in paper form was described by
William Larsen Sr. in “Finger Prints” in the July 1923 Sphinx magazine. The principle
took its current name “Out to Lunch,” from a marketed trick invented by Clare
Cummings and Bob Ellis in the mid-1940s, consisting of a business card sized stack of
cards. On each card was imprinted a drawing of a little boy climbing up the famous East
Indian Rope trick. A spectator is asked to sign or initial the bottom of the card with that
picture on it, and then the card is removed from the stack so the spectator can sign or
initial the reverse side. When the spectator next sees the design, the little boy has
“vanished” from the rope, leaving behind a sign that reads “OUT TO LUNCH.” The
spectatorʼs initials are still on both sides of the card. Many magicians had their contact
information stamped or printed on the blank back, thus leaving behind a valuable
marketing tool in the hands of the spectator.

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 This routine has two parts. The first is the card. Using the ʻOut to Lunchʼ principle you
get the spectator to sign their name, and the time shown on the photo of the pocket
watch; it will say 2:15. They sign on the bottom half of the card. This card is taken out
face down, and placed on the table or in their hand. When performing for kids I have
them sandwich the card between their hands, this avoids them sneaking a look at it. You
can turn the stack of cards over and show the next card also has 2.15 on it. I usually just
put the cards back in my pocket without drawing attention to them.

From another child, borrow a watch. For this you will need the type of watch where you
can pull out the stem and one will move the date, pull it out further and the time will
move. You pull it all the way out and by moving the stem show the spectator how time
changes. Just as you are about to give them the watch, you turn the stem so the time
reads 8.00. In other words, you have secretly set the time for 8:00. The spectator does
not see this as you place the watch face down in their hand. You also need to push the
stem in one step so when they move the stem, only the date will change, NOT the time.
Once the spectator has moved the stem, and in their minds turned it to a random time,
they are asked to push the stem all the way in. The great thing about this is that they
can hear and see the stem go in, and in their mind they have ʻsetʼ the watch to an
unknown time.

You ask the child, “wouldnʼt it be amazing if the time on the watch matched the time on
the photo”. They turn over the watch and it reads 8.00 ... NOT 2.15 which was on the
photo. Not to worry, you snap your fingers and turn the card over showing that the
PHOTO has changed to match the time on the watch. The card can then be given away.

Note about the Cards: I have put up graphics on my website for you to download the
cards so you can print them yourself.
Visit: http://www.extrememagicmakeover.com where you will find the graphics under the
bonus download section.

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 1. SHOW PACK
Show stack of cards to spectator. They take
note of the time which is 2.15. Notice rubber
band keeps half card in place so the
face card looks like one card.

2. THEY SIGN TIME AND NAME

Spectator then signs their name and the
time on the photo on the pocket watch

3. MENTALIST PULLS OUT TOP CARD

Start to pull out the ʻtopʼ card by taking the
bottom part of the card with their name on it
and pull it out. As you do this turn the stack
over.

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 4. STACK IS TURNED OVER
Continue to take the bottom card out as you
turn over the stack so it is now face down.

5. SIGNED CARD PLACED FACE DOWN

The signed card is then placed face down
on spectators hand or on table. The stack
can now be placed aside. If the stack is
turned over the next card will show the time
as 2.15.

6. WATCH IS BORROWED
A watch is borrowed. It is best to borrow a
watch with a ʻdateʼ function. This way you
can pull out the stem full to show that it
moves the hands in a random order.

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 7. BY MOVING STEM YOU CHANGE TIME
When the stem is fully ʻoutʼ you can show
how the time changes, demonstrate this to
show the spectator.

8. SECRETLY SET WATCH TO 8.00

Just prior to turning the watch face down to
give to the spectator, you quickly set the
time to 8.00. As you go to hand them the
watch you ʻpushʼ the stem in ONE click, this
way, when they turn the stem only the DATE
will change.

9. SPECTATOR TURNS STEM

The watch is then turned face down and
placed in spectators hand. They turn the
stem as much as they like apparently
changing the time to a ʻrandomʼ time. Of
course, all they are doing is changing the
date.

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 10. SPECTATOR PUSHES IN STEM
Once the spectator has had enough turning
the stem you ask them to PUSH the stem in.
This will ʻset the timeʼ.

11. TIME ON WATCH IS 8.00

Ask spectator to look at the random time, it
will read 8.00. Ask if they remember the time
on the card, they will say 2.15. Make a
magical gesture over the card to reveal ...

12. POCKET WATCH TIME HAS CHANGED

Show that the time on the pocket watch in the
photo has now changed to the time on the watch
which is 8.00. The signature and original time of
2.15 are still on the card which can be handed
out.

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 Final Notes: As I said, this is one of the effects I never leave home without. I have
started to print these cards now with my business card on the other side. This way the
kids have something they will keep, and show their friends. One idea I tried was writing
the time 8.00pm on the top card. The card underneath will have the clock change as
well as the actual time. The fact that the picture changes isnʼt as obvious to younger
children, so if I find the kids are just at that age where they are learning to tell the time, I
will write it on the top half of the ʻhalfʼ card. This means that each time I perform I have
to change the top half card, or you could just leave it written in. Of course youʼll need to
write the changed time on the full card underneath in the same spot..

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 Mind Reading to Africa
Ken Ring

Imagine a dream piece of mentalism in which you threw a shuffled deck into an
audience, then have four kids, selected completely at random, select four cards, which
the performer then divines, even, if he wants to, with his eyes shut! That would be mind-
reading to Africa, would it not?? Well, here it is folks, I will tell you how this can be done,
first my shortened version, and then my super-duper deluxe full monte reputation-
making-mind-blower. The inspiration for this came recently from watching visiting
mathematics Professor Persi Diaconis at Massey University do something vaguely
similar as part of some high-brow mathematics lecture, which 99% of the audience
could not understand. Ex-magician Persi used so many equations and mental
calculations that you had to be a NASA rocket physicist, which I think he was, to keep
track of what was going on. I was astounded, not at the trick itself, but that he was
making so much work for himself. So here's my way, and I think you'll love its simplicity,
and I think it's strong enough to, if not be a whole show, then to finish a whole show
with.

Basic Version
A deck is taken from its case and shuffled, then returned to the case. The performer
turns his back and throws the packet backwards over his shoulder into the audience. He
then asks that it be thrown again to another section of the audience. Finally a third throw
ensures that a random person is now holding the packet.

“Now”, says the performer, “will the person holding the packet carefully take out the
cards, keeping them all together and face down. Thank you, I see it is you, madam.
Please put the deck on the table in front of you, carefully cut the cards anywhere and
complete the cut. That's right, would you like to do that again or are you happy that the
cards are well mixed? Very well. Please now take the top card and put it in your lap

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 without you or anybody else able to see it. Now please slide the packet to your right, so
that the person next to you can do the same thing.

I see that is you, sir. Please take the top card, put your card on your lap without looking
at, then, then please slide them again to your right and to the next person.
Would you (next person) also do the same please and pass it along again to the next
person along. Now this last person, please, once again, take the top card, put it face
down on your lap, and leave it there and itʼs now your job to put the rest of the cards
back in the case. And now throw the packet back to me. Thank you!”. (at this point you
really are thankful, you are home safe, all the dirty stuff is done. It's acting from here on)
“I am now going to try and identify the cards.”

"But let us recap. I shuffled the cards, I put them back in the case, I threw them into the
audience, the audience selected a random person, and the random person, person
number one, did a final mixing. Now we have four people each with a card they have not
yet seen.

So I would like everybody who has a card, to take a look at your cards. I don't mind if
you see each other's cards, and hopefully no one has got a joker. Just don't let me see
them. A moment's silence please, while I try to contact the energies in this room.." (shut
your eyes as if concentrating, and you can even keep them shut)

"Aha.. "(finger in the air, you have a sudden revelation) "Would the person holding the
black card please stand up. (someone does) Thank you, I thought it might be you
because as we know, black signifies determination and intelligence and a willingness to
explore the deep unknown, some even call it The Dark Side.." (apologies Richard).
"..Please remain standing. Now.."(more thinking deeply, fingers tapping brow).."I believe
that person (pointing to another subject) is holding a red card but it is not a court card.
Would you stand? Tell me, was I correct? Thank you".
"So that is two people and two cards".
"Now for ..you "(pointing to yet another of the four subjects) - "I think you are also
holding a red card, and, let me see, once again it is not a court card. Am I correct?
Please stand up if I am correct. Thank you.”

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 "That leaves one person to go. Let see, I am getting an impression that you (pointing)
are not holding a black card, in fact it is a red card, and, oh that's interesting, do you
have any royal blood? because I am indeed picking up not only passion but also some
sense of inner quality and perhaps aristocratic lineage, you have in fact a red COURT
card. Please stand if I'm correct. Thank you".

Extended Version:
You will want to do this if there is time, because you are now going to tell each subject
what their exact cards are. You say, looking at Mr Black whom you have already
identified and who is standing, "Person with the black..I get the impression you are not
holding a black Ace, would I be correct? "(you have removed all the aces before the
trick began, so it would be a miracle if he/she was). Then you say "Now.."(This is the
crucial moment in a fishing expedition. You wait patiently for some silence)"..a court
card?” You stop speaking, with the word in the air. Alarm, alarm. There are two ways to
go at this point. If you watch and if the person is hesitant, puzzled, confused or looks
down or away, you know they do NOT have a 'court' one, so you quickly continue. “Is
NOT what you're holding, because we have predicted that THAT person (pointing to Mr
Red Court) has that. No, in fact I shall name your card. YOUR card is the 2 OF
CLUBS ..would that be correct?" Now you can point to the other subjects one by one,
see below, and say "And yours, madam, is the ..." etc, etc, etc. But, second scenario, if
after you say "Now Mr Black One..a court card..?”, they smile and appear amazed and
keep looking at you with some gormless grin on their face, you can safely say "Yes, in
fact your card is the KING of CLUBS. Would that be correct? Thank you."
Then you can go through and say what the others are. "You have the..", "..and you have
the..". "and finally, you have the...".
Thank you.

Method: You have probably guessed by now that a sequence is employed. The initial
shuffle performed by you is of course a false shuffle that does not destroy the sequence.
When person number one takes the deck from the case, cuts and completes the cut, the
sequence is still undisturbed. You can get away with fanning them at the start and briefly
holding them up, they will look like a regular deck if you do it fast and casually, and from

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 the distance of the stage away no one without military strength binoculars will detect
anything. Make sure the first person who handles them is confident and not a bumbling
dodo, and keep a close eye on things so no one peeks the rest of the deck until you get
it safely back.

For the short version two decks only can be wrecked to use, but for the longer version,
which I would much recommend, six decks taken apart are needed.
48 cards are arranged in 6 sets as follows
(B=black card), R=red court card), r =red card) R B r r R B r r R B r r R B r r R B etc.. for
all 48. If you are doing the shortened version, than any cards would do as long as they
conformed to this pattern, and the reason you would need the two decks is to get
enough red non-court cards.

The secret is, you'll always know from the position of the Mr Black Card, what the other
cards will be, from the sequence possibilities in the groupings of four. So if Mr Black is,
as you look at the audience, at number 1 on the left of the subjects, then Mr Red Court
is next to him, number two on his right. If Mr Black is at number 2, Mr Red Court is
number 3. If Mr Black is number 3, Mr Red Court is number 4. And if Mr Black is in the
number 4 position, Mr Red Court is number 1 at left.

For the longer version, it is a repeating 8-card sequence; 2c, Qd, 3h, 8d, Kc, Qh, 10h,
4d.. and you will need six lots, of this repeating twelve, to make 48 in all, so:

2c, Qd, 3h, 8d, Kc, Qh, 10h, 4d, 2c, Qd, 3h, 8d, Kc, Qh, 10h, 4d, 2c, Qd, 3h, 8d, Kc, Qh,
10h, 4d, 2c, Qd, 3h, 8d, Kc, Qh, 10h, 4d, 2c, Qd, 3h, 8d, Kc, Qh, 10h, 4d, 2c, Qd, 3h,
8d, Kc, Qh, 10h, 4d, 2c, Qd, 3h, 8d, Kc, Qh, 10h, 4d.

Now you see why you need to wreck six packs of cards to get them. (But you have
enough cards to also make up another set, with different possibilities, with the suits
switched so you remember them, which you can have in another pocket, in case
someone drops the whole deck by accident before you can do the routine.

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 And all you have to do is make up a cheat card with one of these groups of combination
possibilities written on each side. It can sit in your gear box unseen by the audience, in
big enough letters to be referred to at a glance.

(If Mr Black is holding a Court) $ (If Mr Black is holding a NON-Court)

Kc, Qh, 10h, 4d$ $ $ 2c, Qd, 3h, 8d
8d, Kc, Qh, 10h$ $ $ 4d, 2c, Qd, 3h
3h, 8d, Kc, Qh$ $ $ 10h, 4d, 2c, Qd
Qh, 3h, 8d, Kc$ $ $ Qd, 10h, 4d, 2c

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 The News in total
Ken Ring

This initially came about because I wanted an effect using a tabloid newspaper that may
be lying around in an office that I could casually pick up and do an instant trick with. This
is my extended version because I find itʼs more magical to do something twice and
come up with a different result. I have been performing this in my school shows with a
lot of success.

Effect: The performer divines the total of four newspaper page numbers freely selected
from a chosen page by a subject. Then he repeats it for a different result.

Performance: Holding a tabloid newspaper, the performer approaches a member of the

audience.
"Please check to make sure that this is a regular newspaper," he says, "and that the
dates are constant from page to page, and there are no page numbers left out. Take as
much time to check as you want. When you are satisfied that there are no irregularities,
I want you to carefully remove one double sheet of your own choosing."

As the performer turns his back, the free choice is made, the subject removing the
double page spread.

“Now, please add the page numbers that are in the top corner of each page. There will
be four in all; those on the front and those on the back. Whilst you are doing that, I will
read the total from your mind. Let's see now, oh thank you, done it. I'll just write it down
on this pad."

You write your number.

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 "Now please tell us your total."

As he says it, turn the pad.

"Aha, mine too!"

"Perhaps you thought we cheated. We'll have someone else choose another page;
perhaps someone from the other side of the room."

Grab the newspaper again and hand it out to someone else. Turn your back whilst the
selection is made.

"Now please madam, as before, add up the page numbers. I should tell you that before I
left home I felt sure a particular number would be chosen tonight. Please tell us your
number? And now please open this envelope and take out my card. What does it say on
the back?"

Method: This is, of course, nothing more than a disguised application of magic squares.
It is a mathematical fact that in any newspaper, the numbers on any double sheet will
have the same total as those on any other double sheet throughout the whole
newspaper. However the double sheet total in one edition will be different from that in
another edition if the second edition has a different total number of pages. For instance,
for a tabloid edition of 44 pages, each double sheet total will be 90, whilst for an edition
of 32 pages, the double sheet total is 66.

You have on hand two different editions of tabloids, but on the front of both appears the
same cover page because later you are going to do a switch. The first tabloid edition
you use is the one with more pages than the second.

You know the total of any first edition double sheet because you have previously added
them. That is your first total, which you write during performance, on the pad.
On the back of your business card, you have previously written the total that would be
on any double sheet of the second edition.

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 Remember, you handed out a tabloid to be examined. Of course there is nothing
irregular to find. If they did you must be at the wrong meeting - the Misprint Society
instead of the Magic Society. It is a perfectly normal newspaper. Therefore it is unlikely
the second assistant will want to gawk through their document.

Returning to your props and dropping the newspaper in, you do the switch with your
back still turned, picking up the pad along with the second edition. Because the covers
match, the audience wonʼt to give it a second thought.

By going to the other side of the room for your second assistant, not only do you wake
up the other half of the room, you ensure that even if both select say, page 2; as neither
helper reads out anything except the totals, no one will suspect that more than one
newspaper is involved. Use the edition with the greater number of pages first, because
the second newspaper is perceptibly slimmer. The audience will assume that this is
because one double sheet has been removed.

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 ESPompoms
Ken Ring

Sometimes the good thing about magic is the challenge to the old grey matter. I
dedicate this one to my good friend and great mentalist Wayne Rogers, because
watching him one day doing a nice trick with colored pompoms and bags, I afterwards
wondered if I could come up with a completely different routine. This routine plays well
with the younger audience because it uses lots of color, and you can get a lot of fun out
of the kids holding the objects.

Preparation and procedure: All you need is three different pompoms and three
identical black sealable bags, with one secretly marked such that you can recognize it
from a few feet away, like a hair or cotton trailing off it. Iʼll refer to the marked bag as MB
from now on.

Ask for three subjects to come and stand behind a table. In your mind they are Left
Person, Middle Person and Right Person. They are each given a different colored
pompom. Explain:
“Sometimes a mind reader can find out what whose object is where, where the objects
might end up. Tonight by using only ESP Iʼm going to attempt to detect in which bags
your pompoms will end up”.
“On the table you can see we have 3 identical black bags. I shall randomly shuffle them
until someone says stop.”  Do so.
 
(When you replace the bags on the table make sure the MB is in the middle position.
Thatʼs going to be the key to the whole thing)

You hand each person one of the pompoms. Suppose Left Person has the gold one,
Middle person has a silver one, and Right person has a green one.

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  “Please would you remember which pompom you had, and put it in the bag in front of
you, then close and seal the bag.”
You completely turn away so you are facing the wall.

“Iʼm going to ask that one person will be the Mover, one person will be the Caller and
the third will be the Checker, to make sure that everything is done correctly. Decide
amongst yourselves who is going to be what. You have decided? Good. Now Mover,
when we get going you can move ANY bag one move either left or right, thus changing
the order. And when you do, Caller will call out MOVE on each move. Any bag can be
moved, as long as each time a move occurs the word MOVE is called out by
Caller.Checker – you make sure it is done correctly. Mover - you can keep doing this
until you get sick of it and decide to stop, upon which Checker will call out WEʼVE
STOPPED. At no time will I look. Any questions? Please proceed now.”
This is done. You turn back.

You remind them:

“The bags were shuffled. I had no way of knowing their final order. The pompoms were
placed in identical bags. I had no way of knowing who would move them, nor where the
bags were being moved to in their new positions, nor which actual bags were being
moved each time. I had no way of knowing when the mover would stop. That covers all
possibilities for random, on other words the who, the where, the which and the when.
This couldnʼt be more randomized. So itʼs a good job Iʼm a mind-reader, isnʼt it!”

After some mumbo-jumbo feeling the air over the bags you nervously pick up one bag
and hand it to one of the subjects. Carefully pick up another and hand it to another.
Profusely sweating you pick up the third and give it to the last player.

Addressing the Left Person: “which pompom did you have?” She says “Gold”. “The first
one is difficult because the probability without ESPompoms is only 1 in 3. Not good
odds. Please open your bag and if you find the gold one, you will receive thunderous
applause.” She does so and it is the gold.
Addressing the Middle Person: “which pompom did you have?” She says “Silver”. “The
second one would have been easier because the probability once we know the first one

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 would be 2 in 3, aha, but we didnʼt know the first one, so without ESP we have to add
the probability of getting the first two absolutely correct, which is two lots of 3 cubed,
which is 36 x 6 which is 1 in 216. Virtually impossible. Please open your bag and if you
find the silver one, you will receive double the last thunderous applause.” She does so
and it is the silver.

Addressing the Right Person: “which pompom did you have?” She says “Green”.
“Hmm..now obviously it must be the green. But the chance of getting 3 out of 3 has just
jumped up to a higher number power. But maybe I cheated and there were some other
secret pompoms in the bags all the same colour or something. To show that there is one
and only one pompom left and it is the green one, please remove it and show
everyone..”
She does so and it is the green.

Method: All you knew at first was that MB belonged to Middle Person. As soon as you
sight where the MB has ended up, at the end of the routine you will know to whom the
other bags also belong.

Let me explain. An easy way to think of it is as in the game Scissors, Paper and Rock. If
these words were written on cards and placed Left to Right on a table in that order, then
the pecking order would go L-R for all three. But imagine one move in which any card is
moved to a different position one over, say by Scissors. So now we would have Paper,
Scissors and Rock, and the new pecking order would now go R-L for all three cases. All
that has happened is that one move has occurred. The amazing thing is, each time one
move happens, the whole “pecking order” changes direction, from L-R to R-L.  So now
you have all the theory.

The routine starts off with the MB in the centre, in front of Middle Person. So in your
mind the sequence is set to start L-R. (I generally scrunch my left big toe inside my shoe
so I know which direction things are going to start. I then swap feet each time Move is
called, so I can keep track of changing directions of the pecking order. In other words
each time MOVE is called out I change to scrunching the big toe on my other foot).

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 When you finally turn around, you look immediately for the MB. Bearing in mind an odd
number of moves changes the direction of the original order and an even number of
moves restores the original order, you instantly know to whom the other bags belong.
Examples:

1. Suppose there are 4 moves (even, so left toe scrunched meaning the sequence is
now L-R) and upon turning around you see MB on the left. Give the MB to Middle
Person. You know the sequence is now L-R, so if it was like scissors-paper-rock, MB
“beats” the bag to its right. Give the bag in the middle, to Right Person.  The
remaining bag goes to Left Person.

2. Suppose there are 5 moves (odd, so right toe scrunched meaning the sequence is
now R-L) and upon turning around you see MB on the right. Give the MB to Middle
Person. You know the sequence is now R-L, so if it was like paper-scissors-rock, MB
“beats” the bag on its left (the middle bag). Give that to Right Person.  The left bag
goes to Left Person.

Suppose there are 6 moves (even, so left toe scrunched meaning the sequence is now
L-R) and upon turning around you see MB in the middle. Give the MB to Middle Person.
You know the sequence is now L-R, so if it was like scissors-paper-rock, MB “beats” the
bag to its right. Give the bag on the right, to Right Person.  The remaining bag goes to
Left Person.  

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 King Book Test
Christopher Berry

Description: A child volunteer is selected from the audience and is given two kids
books. The books can be freely looked at, showing that there is no gimmick or set-up.
The child selects one of the books. The other will be used by the magician. The
magician riffles through the pages and stops when the child said so. The magician read
aloud the page number and the child turns to that page in their book and remembers the
first word on that page. The Magician taps into an ESP state of mind and says the
thought of word from the book.

Background: I first came across this book test while attending a magic class at ABC
Entertainment (it was located in Clinton Township, Michigan at the time). The method
allowed the magician to use any 2 books, even borrowed books. I decided to put
together a routine with this book test for a stage/parlor setting. I used 6 Stephen King
books and a force to have the spectator choose the book I want them to have. I
designed this shorter routine for kid shows and schools that have a reading month.

Need:
• 2 books – preferably childrenʼs titles like Dr. Seuss or Harry Potter.
• A child volunteer

Explanation: you misread the page number and force a specific book on the volunteer.
Set-up: go though one of the books (Book 1) and memorize the page number and the
first word of that page. Have both books in your case or on the table.

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 Performance: Select the child volunteer and invite them up with you. Show them the
books and ask them are they real or have they read them before. Have the volunteer
pick one of the two books to use. (Letʼs use in this explanation “Book 1” and “Book 2”).

The child picks “Book 1” so you let them hold on to it (or if they pick “Book 2”, take it and
have them hold on to “ Book 1”. Itʼs a magicianʼs choice). With “Book 2” in your hands
riffle through the pages and have the child say stop. The child stops you and you look at
the page (donʼt let the kid see the page number) and say your remembered page
number from the other book. The child turns to that page in their book and have them
remember the first word on that page (In this case, letʼs say the word is “ship”). At this
point, it is all about hamming it up “I will use my tela-pathetic powers… Iʼm sensing that
Iʼm on the high seas (rock back and forth a little) and feeling a little sea sick! (snap out
of your “trance”) that was close, I almost lost my lunch there for a second. Anyways, you
word is ship?” child says yes and both you and the volunteer take a bow.

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 Guessin’ Gumballs
Jack Dean

Note from Editor: This is one routine I include in all my shows for kids, especially school
shows. This effect includes all the great elements that make up a fantastic piece of
mentalism, and in particular one that teenagers love! I am indebted to Paul Alberstat
and Richard Busch who own the rightʼs to Jack Deanʼs routines and effects. When I
approached them about this book they gave me permission to print it.

Here is the response they sent me:

“Hi Paul,

I wholeheartedly agree with your views on "mentalism for kids" which really aren't
opinions in the least, but time tested conclusions based on years of performing
experience on levels of success and depth that few in the business have attained,
especially me. The fact is, a kid is going to react to an ultra visual super needled balloon
with a big *POP* more than any of the stuff that you and I will perform for adults. I
always thought that there were not one but two performances going on.

#1 - The kids engaged, following everything, and laughing their little heads off.

#2 - The parents seeing their kids happy - that is all they wanted. It always seemed to
me that even if a parent was royally fooled and entertained, they wouldn't show it
because after all, it was "for the kids". So when I worked for kids (early on so many
years ago), it was "for the kids". THAT IS all the parents wanted. So, to do one was to
do the other. A double play, two for the price of one.

RE the Dean effect, I am absolutely positive that Judy and dear Jack would be pleased
as punch that we both give the go ahead on this. Judy told me and charged me with the

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 dictum: "Richard, keep Jackʼs stuff out there as best you can." That's why I then
contacted you, because you are the best! This seems like a great project for our aims.
So we are in 100% agreement, of course.”

Effect: The Mentalist displays a large jar, filled to the brim with colorful gumballs. The lid
is tightly screwed in place.

“How many of you have ever entered one of those contests in which you are required to
guess the number of pennies in a jar? Perhaps instead, the jar contained jelly beans,
popcorn kernels, or as this one does, gumballs, but the principle is the same. The
person who comes closest to guessing the quantity of items is the winner.”
“Hereʼs an intelligent looking person. Whatʼs your guess? How many gumballs are
inside?”

After soliciting guesses from several audience members, the performer continues, “It
takes more than guesswork and luck to come up with the proper total. Perhaps if we
put our intuitive senses to work on the problem, we might succeed. This young lady
here,” indicates the performer, “seems to radiate intuition. Close your eyes, please, and
let your mind arrive at a figure. Iʼll give you a hint. There are more than a hundred
gumballs. Do you have it? Please tell us how many you perceive.”

The participant says aloud the three digit number which comes into her mind; this time it
is 237.

“There are three ways to confirm that you are correct. Since Iʼm the person who counted
these gumballs, I could easily attest to your estimate. But there are skeptics among us
who might take exception to my verification.”

“We could count all of these gumballs, but surely there must be a less time-consuming
way.”
“The best procedure is the simplest. Do you see the folded business card inside the jar?
After I placed the gumballs into the jar, I wrote the count on one of my business cards,
folded it in half, and slipped it inside.”

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 After handing the participant a large bowl, the Mentalist unscrews the lid of the jar and
dumps the contents into the bowl.

He requests the participant to dig out the folded card and open it to read the handwritten
message inside.

The note says, “Gumball count is...237!”

The illustration should tell the entire story. Obtain a 40-ounce Skippy peanut butter jar.
The kind made of plastic. Along one of the seams, use an Exacto knife or single-edge
razor blade to cut a narrow slit about 3 inches long. Smooth the edges of the slit with a
nail file so it wonʼt bind or “talk.” Fill the jar with loosely packed gumballs (count and note
the quantity, just in case the guess is correct) and screw on the lid. Prepare a business
card as in the first illustration, leaving room for your nail-writer entry of the count.
Fold the card in half with the writing on the inside. Push half of the card through the slit
and open the other half against the jar.

You have ample time while holding and displaying the jar while discussing your
verification options to thumb-write the correct three digits onto the card. Fold the card to
the left and push it into the jar through the slit as in the illustration at the right.

When you are finished, you can display the folded card to the audience as you unscrew
the lid to pour out the contents. If you are worried about the audience seeing the slit
(which should be much narrower than shown here), you can use several short strips of
black vinyl electrical tape to seal the lid to the jar.

When you remove the strips to open the lid, stick the strips to the side of the jar, one of
them covering the slit. A rapid twist of the jar will shift the gumballs within, moving the
card away from the slit.

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 When you use wrapped, hard candies, you can pass the bowl among the audience,
inviting folks to help themselves. This buys some goodwill and destroys the evidence as
well! If the guess nails the correct number of candies, leave the bowl in a skepticʼs lap.

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 Child’s Play
Bev Bergeron

“We all have dreams which presage future events,” begins the Mentalist, “but these
premonitions are useless unless we awaken and remember them. And, altogether too
often, they forecast the trivial far more regularly than the crucial. Still, itʼs a concept with
which we can have some fun.”

Applying a marking pen to a sizable square of posterboard, the performer takes a few
moments to sketch (on the side away from the audience) an impression. He says, “This
is a picture from a little dream I had last night. It involved a competition.” He signs the
bottom of his artwork and places it aside.

“You appear,” the performer remarks to a person near the stage, “to be a person who
can be a high achiever. Come up here with me. We have a use for that competitive
spirit.”

The participant is shown a second square of posterboard, identical in size to the one
just placed aside by the performer. The Mentalist continues, “You must promise me that
in our contest, you will exercise every effort to win. Agreed? Youʼre already familiar with
the rules...”

While speaking, the performer has drawn four lines on the panel, two parallel and
horizontal, the other two parallel and vertical. They make the grid for the childrenʼs
game of Tic-Tac-Toe, or as it is known in other countries, Noughts & Crosses.

“The object of the game is simple. I mark my move in an empty square with an ʻXʼ and
you use an ʻOʼ. We take turns until one of us wins with three in a straight line, or until
there are no empty squares remaining. Remember, you must try to win.”

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 “ʻXʼ goes first,” smiles the Mentalist, placing his mark in the center square. He hands the
pen and board to the participant who choses his move and marks the square with an
ʻOʼ. Taking back the board, the performer studies it and places his ʻXʼ in an empty
square. The participant and the performer alternate making their entries until all the
squares are marked.

“It looks as if neither of us can claim victory. I have the idea,” the Mentalist says, “that
we could do this all evening and remain tied. So instead, how about signing your work
for posterity?”

The participant writes his signature below the grid.

“Remember the dream sketch I made earlier? It was about this moment.” The Mentalist
turns his prediction to face the audience.

The sketch is an exact duplicate of the game just played!

Method: The secret is simple. Begin by making your prediction exactly as in the
illustration. Sign it at the bottom and set it aside.

You control the final ʻXʼ and ʻOʼ pattern by first taking the center square. If the participant
responds in a corner, every subsequent ʻXʼ you make will be immediately clockwise from
each ʻOʼ. Should his first mark be in an edge square, all of your ʻXʼ marks will be placed
directly counter clockwise from his most recent ʻOʼ.

The posterboards must be square and the grid must be drawn leaving wide margins.
When your match is complete, show the grid to the audience, rotating the card so the
ʻO-X-Oʼ is at the top, to match your prediction. Then hand it to your participant to sign.
The final rotation arouses no suspicion because during play you are constantly turning
the panel as it is handed back and forth.

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 Emoti- Con
An Emotional Design Duplication

TC Tahoe

“In these days of mass electronic communication, some believe that we are losing the
personal touch.
How often have you written an email and had it miss-interrupted?
We can not always, effectively, convey feelings through texts and emails.
That is why so many people use emoticons, little smiley faces and such.”
The performer brings out a stack of cards.

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 “I have printed up some of those Smileys, like the ones used in emails, onto these
pieces of paper.”

The performer spreads the cards, and shows a few of them, explaining what they mean.
He then turns them face down, and cuts them a few times, as he speaks.
Two audience members are asked to help.

“In a moment I am going to have the two of you cut to one the Smileys. I want you to lift
up a portion of the stack, look at the emotion that is being conveyed on it and hold the
card against you chest so nobody else can see.”

The two audience members do this, the reaming cards are, once again shown to be
different and dropped onto the table, and the performer picks up a pen and a clipboard.

“I am going to try…try, to pick up the emotions you are putting out…so please focus on
the cards and the images printed on them.”

The performer begins to draw.

“Good.”

The performer stops and flips the paper over on the clipboard as he turns his attention
to the second audience member.
“Ok, good…I am getting…oh, well maybe not that good I am getting something like
this…”

“,,, Which I think means Worry. Is that right?!”

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 It is in fact right. The performer takes the stack of cards back from this helper, and
shows the rest of the audience that his drawing is a match. These cards are dropped
onto the table.

The performer turns the paper back over and continues on with the first audience
member.

“Ok, I think I have it…Just on a side note here…is there somebody at your work that is
bothering you?...I just want you to know that you do not need to let it bother you, at the
end of the day you know where you stand. (Pause) Got it!”

The performer turns to show his drawing:

“Is it laughing you are thinking of?”

It is, and the performer takes his bow.

This routine was inspired by Extra-Sensory Perception by Theodore Annemann from

his book “Practical Mental Magic”. And in part by an email that was supposed to have
been a joke but was taken way out of context.

Method: The Smileys are printed up on a thick colored paper and then laminated. They
are then put into a “stacked” order. The order? Whatever you want it to be because you
donʼt have to memorize it.

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 The stack I use, you will find in the boarder of the sheet of paper that goes on the clip
board.
I print up two sheets on white paper and laminated the together. This way I have the
cheat sheet boarder on both sides.

Once you have the cards “stacked” you can cut them as often as you like without
disturbing the cyclical order.

Have the first spectator cut a small portion of cards and hold the card they cut to, (the
card at the face of the cut) to their chest.
The second spectator does the same.

After the second spectator cuts their cards, you turn up the remaining cards to show the
audience they are different and if the would have cut differently they would have chosen
different images.

All you have to do is glimpse the top card of the stack remaining in your hand. Look for
this Smiley on the drawing / cheat sheet and note which Smiley is to the LEFT and that
is the spectators chosen card.

I start by directing my attention to the first spectator. I focus on them, draw a circle and
then stop. At this point I donʼt know what Smiley they have, but they donʼt know that.
I then turn to spectator number two, flip the paper over and divine their Smiley.

Once you divine their Smiley you take back the stack of cards and show the audience
the match.
As you lay the cards on the table you glimpse the TOP card of that pack and look for
that Smiley on the Drawing/cheat sheet and other spectators card is the one to the
LEFT of it.

I use a wet erase marker for this. It writes well on laminated paper and will not smudge
or rub off on your hands. You can of course use a dry erase marker.

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 If you do not want have the cheat sheet out in the open you can print up the alternative,
print and tape it to the barrel of a marker.

But I have never had anybody question the cheat sheet boarder - remember your
audience shouldnʼt know about cyclical stacked order.
Try to refer to the cards as anything but cards. Calling them “images” or “emotions” will
help move this away from “magic trick” in your audiences mind.

I like to start one drawing, then flip the paper over and do the second spectators card
first and then go back to spectator number one. This works well for me, you will find a
rhythm that suites you.

On the following pages you will find the Smiley images I use, you can find images you
prefer. You may want to use Full Color Smileys, I like the black and white because then
my drawing matches a bit closer.

I have the words printed on the cards along with the Smiley and I use these words when
I am “picking up” the thoughts of the spectator, it plays well for me. I have included
graphics with words and without.

I have also included a couple of different version of the Drawing/Cheat Sheet. I donʼt
know that I prefer one over the other.

There is also a page with cheat graphics that you can put on to a marker or where ever.
The advantage in performing Emoti-Con this way you can use the back of your business
card to make your drawings on. This leaves them with you contact information.

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 BIRTHDAY PRESENT
Richard Webster

This is an effective way to give the birthday child a small gift.

Required:
• a change bag,
• a number of small sponge balls about one inch in diameter,
• a gift (suitably wrapped) for the birthday child,
• and a small consolation prize for all the other children. I use fortune-telling fish, as
theyʼre cheap, and take up no room in my bag. I was able to buy a lifetimeʼs supply of
small balls for a few dollars at my local two-dollar shop.
$
Before the party find out how many children will be present. Youʼll need at least one ball
for each child, plus six balls for the birthday child. Choose the color that youʼre going to
force on the birthday child, and place six of these in one side of the change bag. Letʼs
assume the birthday child will “choose” a red ball. This means you place six red balls
into your change bag. Wrap another red ball inside a silk for your prediction. Make sure
that no red balls get placed in the other side of the change bag. Again letʼs assume that
the birthday child is going to have seven friends at the party. Place ten or eleven balls of
different colors into the change bag. They might, for instance be: yellow, blue, orange,
green, purple, brown and white. It doesnʼt matter if there are duplicates, but try to have
as many different colors as possible.

$ “Weʼre going to have a competition,” the mentalist says. He holds up the prize.
“Inside here is a prize for the person who chooses a ball the same color as the one Iʼve
hidden inside this handkerchief. (The magician holds up the silk with the red ball inside.)

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 In a moment Iʼm going to ask you all to put your hand inside this bag and pull out a ball.
Keep it tightly closed in your hand, so no one knows what color ball youʼve chosen.”

$ The mentalist moves through the audience asking each person to put their hand
in and take out one ball. After a few people have chosen a ball he has the birthday child
put his or her hand in and take a ball. Obviously, at this stage the magician does
whatever is necessary to force the child to take a red ball. Switch the bag back again,
and have the other children each take a ball. Once everyone has a ball, put the change
bag away.

$ “Now there are (mentalist pretends to count the children) 87 people here today.
(Naturally, the children will correct you.) Sorry, I didnʼt go to school on the day they
taught us how to count. Anyway, thereʼs only one prize, which is sad. In fact, I felt so
sad, I thought everyone should get at least something, so Iʼve brought you all a pet fish.”
$ “Would you all open your hand very slowly and carefully, so we can see what
colors you chose. Oh, look – you chose blue. And you chose green. Weʼve got all sorts
of colors here. Iʼve forgotten what color ball I wrapped in the hanky. Letʼs have a look. Iʼd
better tell you, if none of you have chosen the right color, I get to keep the present. Is
that fair? Oh, well. I havenʼt won it yet. Letʼs see,” The mentalist slowly opens up the silk
to reveal a red ball.
$ “Fantastic! None of you chose red, so I get the present! What? Who chose red?
Kiera did? Thatʼs amazing. Kiera, did you know thereʼs a girl called Kiera whoʼs having
her birthday today. You did? Oh, itʼs you! (The mentalist hands her the prize.) Happy
Birthday, Kiera!”

$ The mentalist then hands everyone, including the birthday child, a fortune-telling
fish, and shows them how it works.

$ I guess this could be done at any point during the show. I always left it until last,
and presented it almost as an encore, or an extra bonus trick, once the show was
ostensibly over. Itʼs served me well. I hope you have fun with it, too.

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 Pointilism
Greg Arce

Effect: You show a connect-a-dots page and a bunch of cards that have long stringed
numbers on them like 24-87-34-2-75-91-25,etc. You explain that each card has
numbers that will a draw different picture. You randomly take out two cards and use the
numbers to connect the dots and one picture is a bell and another is a house.
You take out another page and hand it to a spectator.
You have them take any number card without you looking at it.
They walk away and connect the dots while your back is turned. You now take blank
card and proceed to draw the exact picture theyʼve drawn.

Method: Youʼve put a bunch of numbers all over one page that can be connected to
form just about anything.

Make sure the numbers are all over the page and in no particular sequence or order. If
youʼre still unsure what this would look like then get a Connect-a-dots book and get a
general idea of what you are trying to duplicate.

Once youʼve made one sheet for yourself, Xerox that sheet so you have multiples of it.
Take one of these numbered sheets and draw a couple of pictures then check out what
numbers are used to make those pictures. Make up a card for each of those pictures
that have the numbers used to make them. Those will be your cards that you prove any
picture can be painted by the numbers.

Mark the back of the two cards that make different pictures from your force picture
(more about that in a bit). Mark them so you can easily spot them from a distance.
Now make another drawing connecting the dots and make up a card that makes up that
picture. Make the same picture about three more times, but each time using a different
area of the dot sheet to make it. Each time copy the numbers that were needed to make
that picture.

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 You should now have four or five number cards that have different numbers on them yet
will make the same picture on the sheet somewhere. For example: numbers
3-18-67-24-99-56-34-64 & 66-90-34-12-33-31-76-5 & 30-67-62-91-41-26-7-15 all make
a picture of a HAT, but in different places on that numbered sheet.

Now you will make multiples of all those force numbers yet make them look different.
Hereʼs how: if one of your force drawings was made by connecting 18-67-24-99-56-
34-64 then make another card where the first number is 67 and ends in 18, but all the
numbers in between are in the same progression. This will also make the same picture.
Then make another one where the card starts with 24, but ends in 67 and all the
numbers are in progression in between. This will also make the same picture.

You see you will be able to make cards that look like the numbers are different, but yet
the same picture can be constructed. Because you made four or so pictures in various
areas you will have that many different strings of numbers that can then be changed to
other strings by shifting the numbers. You should end up with a packet of thirty or more
numbers, but any card chosen will make the same picture somewhere on that sheet.
Display the sheet filled with numbers and hand someone the stack of cards with
numbers on them. Have them fan the stack face down and randomly take one card
out… actually take one of the marked cards and then draw the picture. Now pull out
another card, a marked one, and draw that picture. Youʼve proven many pictures can be
drawn from the numbers.

Whatʼs left in the stack is all force numbers that will draw the same picture. You can now
completely walk away and let one spectator pick a card from another spectator then
draw that picture and reproduce it.

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 Reverse Q & A
Anthony Lindan

Note from Editor: Q & A type acts work really well for high school aged students.
They really seem to respond well to this type of mentalism routine. What Anthony
offers here is perfect for this age group and a unique twist on most Q&A routines.

What the Audience Sees: By using their intuition or powers of observation, five
members of the audience correctly answer questions about the performer, and in the
process reveal secret information about him.

The performer hands out a photocopied question sheet to five different people in the
audience. The sheet contains five multiple-choice questions that pertain to private
information about the performer.

A different question is circled on each sheet so that each person answers a different
question. The performer instructs each helper to answer their respective question and
remember their answer. The performer announces the answers. He then instructs the
helpers to crumple up their question sheet and toss it on the stage if they heard their
answer. Amazingly, each helper crumples up their sheet and tosses it on the stage.

Method: This trick was designed to be a quick, rapport-building opener with the
emphasis on the audience helpers using their powers of intuition or observation to
divine the right answers.

This effect is accomplished by using the ʻTossed Out Deckʼ principle. The same
question is circled on each paper so the helpers are all unknowingly answering the
same question.

On the attached sample question sheet I circle the third question – “My oldest sonʼs
middle name?” – as the force question.

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 So when the performer announces the answers he can say, “If you heard your answer,
please crumple up your paper and toss it on stage.” As with the standard ʻTossed Out
Deckʼ presentation, the audience assumes each helper provided a different answer and
is responding to hearing their particular answer.

The force question has two multiple-choice answers – ʻEricʼ and ʻThomasʼ. The correct
answer is ʻThomasʼ. The correct answer to the last question is ʻEricʼ (Eric Weiss –
Houdini). So when the performer announces the answers - 1997, Taurus, Henry,
German and Eric - he is covered regardless how the helpers answer the force question.

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 Sample Question Sheet

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 Prized Balloon
Ozzy D

Effect: You blow up six colored balloons, and have a child pick the color they think is
the ʻprized balloon.ʼ You place each balloon in its own sealed bag, so nobody can see
them. The bags are mixed, and one by one five balloons are ʻpoppedʼ inside the bags so
only one bag remains. The last remaining balloon is removed from the bag, and it is the
color balloon the child chose as their ʻprized balloon.ʼ

You will need:

• Six colored balloons of any size,
• Six bags either paper or cloth. The important thing is that one of the bags is marked
with your favorite method. I use a bag with a button on it, and a shorter tassel.
• A needle

Presentation and Method:

“Hi children, who would like to see some dangerous magic? I need somebody who has
a time machine, nobody? Okay somebody who thinks they can see into the future?”
Select a child to help you with this.

“I have six balloons of different colors. In a minute I will pop five of them, which one do
you think will be left? You can chose the red, blue, yellow, white, pink or GREEN.” Try
and force one color by emphasis in voice and handling for comedy effect.

“These balloons get scared, so we will place them into their own bag.” Place each
balloon into a bag with the chosen balloon going into the marked bag.

“I know need five more children to help.” Give each child a balloon in a bag.

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 “I will now turn around and I would like you to swap bags until I say stop.” Turn around
while the bags are swapped.

“Now you have the bags, shuffle yourselves around,” play some music while the
children shuffle around, when the music stops the children stop. You need to stop the
music when you see the marked bag is at position number FOUR. Because the bag is
visibly marked you know which one contains the chosen color.

“The balloons are now totally mixed up”, point to a child, “please give me a number
between one and six, and this will be my balloon bag.” I use the ʻhot rodʼ method to
force bag number FOUR. See below for explanation. You can also use PATEO force or
equivoque if you prefer. Bag number four is put aside as the ʻchoiceʼ.

“We will now do the dangerous bit,” play this up as dramatically as you can, and show
the NEEDLE OF DOOM.

“Hold your bag between both hands and I will come along and pop all your balloons.”
Make this as dramatic as you can, and look nervous as you pop the balloons.

“Open your bags, and reach in and slowly take out your balloon remember we donʼt
want to see the GREEN BALLOON,” (or whichever balloon was chosen). Do this one
balloon at a time. “If we donʼt see the GREEN balloon, give yourself a cheer.”

When you get down to the last bag, bring your balloon bag back out and show your
balloon and say, “if this is the chosen balloon you win and will get a prize.” This would
be better than showing the last popped balloons as it will be an anti climax.

You can finish there or you can take it further with the following endings:

Pop your balloon and produce a large tube of candy, this can be achieved with the tube
in your waistband. Hold the balloon between your finger and thumb, and the candy with
your little finger. Pop the balloon, and bring your hand up showing the candy in a large
movement.

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 Ask the children if there are any prizes in their bags, there wonʼt be. Secretly palm a
prize such as candy, and as you pop your balloon drop the candy in the bag.
“The reason why this balloon didnʼt pop is because it is the toughest,” proceed into
needle through balloon routine.

HOT ROD METHOD FORCE

Have the chosen object in the fourth location starting from the left.

If they choose one, two or six you spell that number starting from the right.
If they choose three, count three from the right.
If they choose four, count four from left.
If they choose five, spell five from the left.

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 The Fortune Teller
Paul Romhany

The Out to Lunch Principle is one of the most under valued tricks in magic. In our
book “Lunch Is Served”, TC Tahoe and I put together a huge list of over sixty different
routines using this principle. Here is an effect I always perform for kids because itʼs very
simple, and the ending is a real kicker.

Effect: The mentalist brings out a set of cards with a picture of a mind reader. He has a
child sign the bottom card, which is taken out and placed on their hand. Three coins are
then brought out; a penny, a dime and a quarter. A coin is chosen by the child; the card
is turned over and written in the blank space is their chosen coin.

History: The Out-to-Lunch Principle gets its name from a marketed trick devised by
Clare Cummings and Bob Ellis in the mid-1940s, consisting of a business card sized
stack of cards. On each card was imprinted a drawing of a little boy climbing up the
famous East Indian Rope trick.

A spectator is asked to sign or initial the bottom of the card with that picture on it, and
then the card is removed from the stack so the spectator can sign or initial the reverse
side. When the spectator next sees the design, the little boy has “vanished” from the
rope, leaving behind a sign that reads “OUT TO LUNCH.” The spectatorʼs initials are still
on both sides of the card. Many magicians had their contact information stamped or
printed on the blank back, thus leaving behind a valuable marketing tool in the hands of
the spectator.

Method: You will need to print a set of cards with the ʻmind-readerʼ and an empty
thought bubble. In the thought bubble write the words “you will choose the penny.” Cut

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 half a card from the top part, and lay this on top of the packet. Wrap a rubber band
around the packet
Have a penny, quarter and dime in your pocket, along with a pen.

Performance: The stack of cards is taken out. Ask the child to sign the bottom half of
the card. Tell them about the fortune teller in the card and how he seems to know what
will happen in the future. The packet is turned face down as you pull out the bottom
card. This will leave the half card behind and bring out their card that now has the
thought bubble with the prediction. This is placed face down in their hand, have them
place their other hand on top so they wonʼt turn it over.

Take out the three coins and place them in on a table. You will now force the coin on
them. Ask them to point to one coin. If they point to the penny tell them the mind reader
knew they would choose that one - have them turn the card over in their hand and it
reads “you will choose the penny.”

If they chose the quarter or dime, take that one away so you are left with two. Tell them
to pick up one coin and place it in your hand. If they give you the penny, tell them the
mind reader knew they would choose that one”, have them turn the card over in their
hand and it reads “you will choose the penny.”

If they leave the penny on the table, put the coin in your hand in your pocket with the
other one leaving just the penny and say, “The mind reader knew they would choose
that one”, have them turn the card over in their hand and it reads “you will choose the
penny.”

You have simply forced the penny on them, but combined with the OTL principle it will
be a strong effect. Quite often Iʼll be asked to repeat this, so I alternate the coins that
are written in the thought bubble.

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 176

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 Puzzled
Magical Michael

Effect: The mentalist shows a puzzle, missing one piece, and tells the audience that the
final piece is in one of five, numbered envelopes. Audience members freely pick four
envelopes, leaving the mentalist with the last one. As if by magic, the mentalistʼs
envelope holds the right piece to finish the puzzle.

Props: You are supplied with a puzzle and a wood frame to display the puzzle, five coin
envelopes and five non-fitting puzzle pieces.

Secret: All five envelopes contain a non-fitting piece. The piece that actually fits is held
behind the envelopes (photos B & D) and simply moved, using your thumb, to remain
hidden while handling and passing out envelopes. With just a little practice, you can
move the hidden piece with almost no effort.

Preparation: Print the numbers (1-5) on the front of the envelopes (photo A). Print
smaller, matching numbers on the left side of the flap (photo B), so you will know the
location of the remaining envelopes without looking at the front. Remove one middle-
piece from the puzzle. Put a non-fitting piece in each of the five envelopes. Stack the
envelopes from 1 to 5, from the top down, and put a rubber band around the packet,
holding the fitting piece against the back of envelope 1 (photo C).

Routine:
“When I was a small boy, one of my familyʼs favorite pastimes was putting together
jigsaw puzzles.

“Early on, I would sneak a piece of the puzzle and hide it. When the puzzle was getting
close to being done, I would fetch my hidden piece and start helping with the puzzle.
Since I had the last piece, I would plunk it down into the last hole and say, “Look mom, I
puzzled you!”

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 “After a couple of times, mom figured out what I was doing, but never said anything. She
let me have my fun. After all, family pastimes are supposed to be fun and exciting. I still
remember the fun of shouting, “Look mom, I puzzled you.”

“But, Iʼve been puzzled!” Show puzzle, point to location where piece is missing.
“Someone hid the last piece of my puzzle. It may have been my wife or one of my
children. Or it may have been my mom, trying to keep the fun in my life. But, Iʼve been
puzzled!”

“I do know that the last piece was hidden in one of these five, numbered envelopes,”
show envelope packet, but donʼt let them see the hidden piece, “along with four pieces
from a completely different puzzle that wonʼt fit.” Take off the rubber band and fan the
envelopes – photo B. “Letʼs see if I can magically puzzle all of you, or if Iʼm the one who
gets puzzled.”

“Young lady, would you please name a number from one to five,” give person that
envelope – holding hidden piece behind #1 envelope. “Donʼt open it until weʼre all ready,
OK?” Continue until four envelopes are chosen. Explain, as you go, that the people will
choose the magicianʼs envelope, by leaving him with the last number. If they choose the
envelope with the hidden piece, slide the piece behind the envelope to the left (photo D)
before handing them the chosen envelope.

“Make a very fancy magical pass over your envelope.”

“That should do it! Ok. Everyone open your envelope and pour your puzzle piece into
your hand.” Everyone opens his or her envelope. You open your envelope and pretend
to remove the piece inside, but actually slide the hidden piece up and into sight, tossing
your envelope aside, with the non-fitting piece inside. All try to fit their piece into the
puzzle. The magicianʼs piece is the only one to fit. After you put last piece in, look
upward and say, “Look mom, I puzzled them.”

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 A. Audience View

B.Magicianʼs View

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 C. Packet

D. Position 2

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 Tips:
Seal the envelopes, so they need to be torn open. Replace them each show from your
local Office Depot. It makes for a bigger impact.

Instead of puzzle pieces, put a piece of corrugated cardboard in each envelope, with
your contact info stamped on each piece OR put a gold, plastic coin in each envelope,
as a souvenir. In either example, you wonʼt have to worry about the childrenʼs
willingness to return the puzzle pieces after the effect.

You might try gluing all but one piece of the puzzle into the wooden frame. I did and it
makes it easier to handle.

Ask your dealer about other Magical Michael effects..

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 Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Andrew Gerard

A Bank Night routine for kids.

Effect: The mentalist shows four pictures of a donkeyʼs face, and one picture of a
donkeyʼs tail. He talks about the game ʻPin the tail on the donkey.ʼ He tells the
children he will see how good they are at using their sixth sense. Each card is placed
inside an envelope and the kids get to mix them up. They eliminate one card at a time,
completely free choice, until one card is left, which is the tail card. Their senses seem to
be working perfectly.

Method: This is a great bank night routine for kids. This works perfectly for ages six and
older. Each of the cards is double sided. On one side is a picture of a donkey, and on
the other side is a picture of a tail.

The envelopes you will need to make yourself. They need to look the same on both
sides, and without a flap. This way, when you take out the card there is no front and
back side of the envelope. Put a little pencil dot in one corner of each envelope so you
know which way the donkey card is facing and which way the tail card is facing.

Performance: Bring out the five cards showing four are pictures of a donkey, and one is
the tail. Tell the children about the game ʻpin the tail on the donkeyʼ and ask them if they
know which one is the tail and which one is the donkey. Key to any performance for
children is getting them involved as much as possible. Mentalism for children is very
different than performing mentalism for adults. The key here is involvement.

Have the four donkey cards placed each in one envelope and the tail in another. Have
five children come up and mix themselves around. Itʼs fun to play some music while they
do this, a bit like musical chairs. Ask a child in the audience to point to one envelope

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 which they think doesnʼt have the tail. It doesnʼt matter which one they point to because
you simply take the picture out with the donkey facing the audience. This continues until
only ONE envelope is left, the picture is taken out with the tail facing the kids. They are
correct!!

This routine plays well with younger children; of course you can make up any picture
you want, or any story other than ʻPin the tail on the donkey.ʼ

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 Mystery Ball
A routine for Kevin James Bowling Ball Effect

Paul Romhany & Hal Spear

Note: This idea first appeared in our book of routines “Extreme Magic Makeover”, where
we took standard magic effects and re-scripted full routines for them. This idea of using
the standard Bowling Ball Production by Kevin James works well with younger people. It
has all the elements that make up a great piece of mentalism magic. It is visual, involves
children and has a surprise ending. Because I fly a lot with my shows, taking a bowling
ball started to become more costly with luggage allowance. I think discovered large
tennis balls, the same size as a bowling ball. The weight of the pad of paper was more
than the ball. I started using this in all my school shows with great success. It is
definitely in the realm of a mental/magic effect rather than straight mentalism.

Effect: The mentalist brings out several large picture cards, each with a different sports
ball on them. He tells the children he will make a prediction on a pad of paper, which he
does. He then has the cards mixed and shuffled, one is chosen. It is revealed and the
prediction is also shown. Both pictures match. The final is when the mentalist squeezes
the pad of paper and a large tennis ball drops from the pad. It is opened and the picture
previously shown has now gone.

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 Method: This uses the standard Kevin James Bowling Ball from Sketch Pad trick. You
will also need several cards made up, each with a different picture of a sports ball. I
made up a set of cards that were rough and smooth. By using rough and smooth spray,
you can make up a rough and smooth set of cards with the front cards being the
different objects, and the cards on the back the force card, the tennis ball. Another easy
way to force a card is to use a method devised by magician Wayne Rogers that is
previously explained in this book.

Routine: “Being a magician, I deal in mystery. Do you know what Albert Einstein, a man
who is regarded as one of the best thinkers in human history, said about mystery? He
said, "The most beautiful thing we can experience is mystery. It stands at the cradle of
all true art and true science.” Einstein came to this conclusion about a year after he
gave the world his “E equals MC squared” equation, and about six months before he
released his special theory of whoever smelt it - dealt it. At least thatʼs what it says on
his Facebook page.”

“Be that as it may - I promise that my next effect will supply you with what Einstein
called the most beautiful thing we as humans can experience -- mystery. He also said
another beautiful thing we as humans can experience is winning super lotto and who
couldnʼt disagree with that.”

“In order to perform this mystery, I need a volunteer. I will attempt to read their mind.”
The performer chooses a child from the audience.

“Websterʼs Dictionary defines mystery as; “a truth that one can only know by revelation
and then cannot truly understand.” This means that a mystery is something that even if
you know how itʼs done - your mind will still not be able to comprehend. Mysteries like;
How did life begin on earth? How did they build the pyramids? How did Spongebob end
up at the bottom of the sea?! Weʼre talking about things incomprehensible to the mind.”
By now youʼre back onstage with volunteer.

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 “Thank you for volunteering, now tell everyone your name and how old you are.” The
child comes up and the mentalist shows jumbo cards with pictures of sports objects on
them.

“Tell me, do you like sports?” Purposely donʼt wait for the answer - as soon as he opens
his mouth you jump in and respond with a loud and enthusiastic - “GOOD!”

Show the cards to the volunteer and the audience. “Iʼm holding a packet of sports
themed cards. If you look close, you will see that printed on each card are pictures of
objects that are all associated with professional sports - letʼs see if you can all guess
which ball belongs to which sport?

1. Baseball
2. Basketball.
3. Soccer ball.
4. Bowling ball.
5. Football
6. Tennis Ball

To volunteer, “Now touch any card that you want. Free choice.” Had the child the card
he touched.

“Now look at your card -but itʼs important to this mystery that you do not show it to me.
Have the child hold his card to his chest and position him facing curtain with his back to
you and the audience. You take out pad and face audience. “I will now read (volunteerʼs
name) mind - and will then attempt to draw a picture of the image Iʼm receiving from his
brain in full view of the audience.”

Concentrate as you look back at volunteer. “I am now receiving brain waves direct from
(volunteerʼs name) mind… Wait…do you happen to have a metal plate in your head?
Because Iʼm picking up Sirius Satellite radio. Weird. Hold it, now Iʼm getting an image. I
am now drawing exactly what I see inside (Volunteerʼs name) mind…” DRAW A CIRCLE
and show it to audience and pause like youʼre finished.

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 “Thank you! Sorry, thatʼs all I see in there! Zero. Just kidding. Now, you had a free
choice to touch any one of those cards. You could have picked the football - the soccer
ball - the baseball - the basketball - the bowling ball - Hang on…Iʼm receiving more
information…” (Write the word ball)

“The card you picked is some sort of ball! Thank you! Wait - Iʼm receiving more
information… (Sketch the tennis ball and write the word tennis). Now for the first time,
turn around and show the audience the card you chose.
(Volunteer reveals he indeed chose the tennis ball.) “Look at that, we match! We both
picked Tennis.”

Close the pad by flipping the cover over the prediction. “Thatʻs right, Tennis. BUT - I
promised you a mystery. So, just to prove to you tonight that I knew without a doubt that
(volunteer name) would choose the tennis ball… WATCH…” Make the tennis ball fall out
of pad - reveal page with tennis ball missing - stand with foot on the ball and wait for
applause.

“Iʼm glad you like it, but donʼt be so astounded - this effect is old. Itʼs so old; its original
name was “tennis ball from stone tablet.” This joke is really for the parents in the room.

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 Spot the Pole
Wayne Rogers

This routine is not strictly mentalism, but it does get the children thinking about a chosen
item.

When I last visited The Magic Castle I had lunch with a member whose name I have
unfortunately forgotten. I had just launched my Appearing Rainbow Pole and together
we worked out the following routine. Since then I have performed this routine in all my
kid shows using my Appearing Spotted Pole, but you can adapt any Appearing Pole. I'll
explain later.

Effect: The performer says the bag he is holding contains some colored silk scarves,
and he guarantees he has any color the children can name. He points to several
children, and asks for their favorite color. No matter what color they do name, he brings
out a different one and replies, "Yes, I've got that one."

The mis-calling the colors continues until about six scarves have been removed.
This never fails to get laughs and a great response form the children.

Once all scarves have been removed the performers admits he has been kidding them
about the colors. He holds up the bundle of scarves and asks them to think of one color
and one color only.

The scarves are dropped into the bag and mixed. "When I say go, I want you to call out
the color you are thinking of. Whoever calls out the loudest, something magical will jump
out of the bag . . . of that very color."

Note: If you are a magician I think it is a good idea to have fun with mis-naming games
then grin and admit what you have been just having fooling with them. This does not
lessen the amount of fun you can have, but with today's children it does not leave them

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 thinking you are a color-blinded twit. Of course if you work as a clown, you may not
have to do it this way.

The children all shout their color and out of the bag pops a 5ft or 8 ft pole decorated in
all the different colored spots.

THE POLE
You can purchase a ready-made Rainbow or Spotted Pole, or simply add spots to your
existing wood grain Appearing Pole. Visit your local sign writer and buy some scraps of
colored sign vinyl. Assemble all the colors that match the scarves you are using. An
exact color match is not required.
Cut out the spots using a craft knife and the bottom of a small paint can as a cutting
guide.

APPEARING POLE TIP

In place of rubber bands to hold the pole closed, use a large rubber "O" Ring. These are
easy to roll off the end of the prepared pole using one finger as you pretend to mix the
scarves. The bag is simply a large Change Bag, BUT it could be any deep bag that has
an extra pocket to hold the pole.
After all this is not really a case of scarves turning into a pole. It conditions the children
to "think" and the pole is the surprise ending.

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 The Mind Reading
Hat Routine
Magic George

Effect: The performer shows a pack of cards with

various pictures on them. 
The Child the picks a card. You attach a mind-reading hat with two head sockets to you
both. You start trying to make what was on the card out of balloons. You seem to get it
wrong then get it right.

You will need:

• A pack of ʻpicture snap cardsʼ and some modeling balloons. Snap is a game that kids
play with either playing cards or picture cards. I use these Picture Snap Cards which
cost £1.34. The brand I use are from a company called Falcon. You might as well buy
a few. I actually use two decks to make up my deck. You can do it with one but itʼs
easier with two. Three decks will allow you to make up two packs.
• Some 260 twisting balloons.

Set up: The snap deck has nine different animals pictured and repeated eight times.
Take all the bears, flowers and giraffes from one deck, and two of each out of another
deck. The first eighteen cards in the deck are ordered bear, flower, giraffe, bear, flower,
giraffe etc. The second eighteen are a random mix of the other pictures. I put a mark on
the card, two pen dots on the back, under the last giraffe so I donʼt spread past it.

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 Performance: Iʼm not going to write patter out word for word. Iʼll tell you a couple of the
gags you can do along the way, though.

Invite a child up on to the stage, and do all your usual shtick. Show the pack of cards by
spreading the indifferent ones at the bottom then cutting to various pictures and getting
them to call out what they are. I often cut to one in the top half too. There are only nine
different pictures so why not come up with a joke for each of them. Hereʼs one to get
you going.
They: “Ice-cream”
You: “Donʼt you mean we scream?”

Spread out the top half and get the child to take a card. If you get a digger i.e. a child
who wants to handle all the cards before taking one, you can withdraw, and either tuck
the bottom half under the spread or do a just dribble the cards and get them to call stop
slowing down after you spring half the cards.

Have the child take the card. Itʼs very important that they donʼt show the card to their
friends as one of the little mites is bound to tell you. I would tell them if I didnʼt guess
what it was they would win a prize then tell them to hide it in their pocket and not let
anyone see it.

After they have chosen their card cut the cards above it to the bottom of the desk.
Glance at the bottom card while squaring up. Because they are in the order Bear,
Flower, Giraffe you will know what the next card (their card) is i.e. if you see a bear they
have a flower or if you see a giraffe they have a bear.

Thatʼs the magic prep done so all you need worry about now in entertaining the children.
Next claim you will use a mind reading hat. This is simply two hats connected together
at the top with a single 260. I used to make a fancy mind-reading hat before the show
with added spirals and such but I found it more fun to make the hat on stage (less prep
time too). 

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 So make yourself a helmet and twist the end of a 260 to the top of it. You can do visual
gags here where you get the child to hold the other end of the 260 and not putting your
hat on properly so you walk away and itʼs on the end of the childʼs balloon. When you
eventually get it on your head you can also do jokes trying to catch the far end of the
balloon and end up chasing it round in circles like a dog going after his tale. You then
make the child a helmet and attach it to the other end. Thereʼs room for more visual
stick as the hat pops off the kidʼs head too.

Eventually when you both have the hat on your head thereʼs a lot of comedy you can do
by the restriction of being attached head to head to the child. So I go to get more
balloons and jerk back kicking forward like a cartoon dog coming to the end of his leash
then directing the childʼs movement so you donʼt get stuck. Play around with it - youʼll
see what I mean.

Sometimes I call the hats Brain Sockets. I donʼt know if this is that funny but I like it.
Then pretend to read their mind and start making their balloon.

Depending on what card they have I get it wrong while making the balloon.
If itʼs the flower at the point that I have two loops, for the flower, and a sword stem I
claim the picture is of Zorro, and stick the loops to my face, and muck about with the
sword.

The giraffe I make backwards so will do the back legs first and say itʼs a rabbit. Then
claim itʼs a rabbit eared sausage dog, with longer front legs than back legs which means
itʼs good at going downstairs but rubbish at going up stairs.
 
The bear I think I claim is some kind of cross between a mermaid and a reindeer. It
never really made much sense...

Anyhow, you claim they have won and that they win the balloon as a prize. Ask them to
take their card out of their pocket and tell everyone what it is. As they are doing this
make the final few twists in the balloon to reveal your bear/flower/ giraffe.

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 I then say “What was it a bear? I canʼt even make one of those” as I hand them a bear
and send them on their way.

Afterthoughts: The nice thing about this routine is it has 3 different endings so itʼs fun
for repeat bookings and also keeps you on your toes as even you donʼt know what will
happen.

It is textbook pack small play, play big. As I will always have balloons with me anyhow it
means I can add a good 10 minute stage-filling routine to my show by simply putting
one pack of playing cards in my bag.

Have fun
Magic George
www.magicgeorge.co.uk

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 The Magic Square
Dal Sanders

For several years now I have been using a centuries old math puzzle called The Magic
Square in my school shows, and in my motivational shows. My friend David Hira first
showed it to me years ago and he challenged me to make it more than just an
interesting stunt.

I have been using it with The Thought Transmitter from John Cornelius. With this
ingenious device you can instantly learn the secret thoughts of spectators. You can gain
the thoughts or give the appearance of sending thoughts to a spectator. The Thought
Transmitter is a custom-designed note pad built into an opaque black wallet that can
be freely handled by any spectator. They will never find the gimmick. An audience
volunteer draws a design, name of a card, ESP symbol, etc on a post-It note inside the
wallet. They close the wallet and hand it to you. Thatʼs it! Now you know it. Some people
are hand cutting the post it notes but I just took the large pads that I bought in bulk to
Samʼs to my printer and had them cut all of them down to size at once. It comes
complete with several routines as well as an everything-on-one prediction card. It is a
great close up item but by itself, had no real stage application. Likewise the Magic
Square is only an interesting math trick by itself. When these two are combined you
have a miracle.

Note from Editor: There are other similar note pads on the market. The one I use is
Nomad Pad by Nikola Pelletier & Mathieu Bich. It allows me to get a spectatorʼs
thought instantly after they have written it down on the pad.

Method: First, ask someone from the audience, in schools I use a teacher, to write a
number on The Thought Transmitter pad between 35 and 100. After you secretly see
the number, subtract 20 from that number in your head. This will be N. Then tell the kids

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 in your audience that you are not going to read the mind of the person on stage, they
are. I then introduce a large dry erase board that has an empty chart on it. The chart is
four squares across by four squares down.

I then ask the audience to call out whatever number they think was chosen. As the
audience yells out various numbers, I use selective hearing and fill out the spaces on
the grid using the table here. With everyone in the audience yelling they will never know
that you are not really writing down the numbers they are suggesting while you are
writing the numbers needed to make the trick work.

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 For example, if the chosen number is “42” then N will equal 22. Then the chart would look
like this.

Ask your volunteer on stage if they see their number on the chart. They will say no.
Then ask them to reveal their number from the pad to the audience. I act surprised that
no one in the audience was able to guess the correct number. And then I reveal that if
you add each row of four numbers horizontally they will add up to the chosen number.
Also if you add them vertically they will add up to the chosen number.

The same is true when you add the numbers diagonally. If that isnʼt enough, the same is
true of the four boxes in the upper right hand corner, the upper left hand corner, the

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 lower right hand corner, the lower left hand corner and the center four boxes. In fact,
there are thirteen other combinations that also add up to the chosen number. The
combination of The Thought Projector and The Magic Square is a miracle that amazes
the kids and the teachers. It isnʼt magic, it is Math-Magic!

Many teachers have come back to report that their kids have been asking for Magic
Squares as part of their assignments. This is easy for the teachers because there are
literally hundreds of different magic squares that are out there and every math workbook
has several examples of them. If you want more information about the magic square, do
a general search on the Internet. I have tried to give a quick explanation of what can be
a wonderful addition to your show and I hope that it is clear.

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 Gift Wrapped
Ken Dyne

This piece was the original opening routine for my Headliner Act. I wanted something
that would involve a few members of the audience, something not too deep, something
that would display my abilities and of course something to display my playful personality.
I came up with this, and much to my surprise, when I showed it to some people who I
consider to be extremely knowledgeable in the world of magic and mentalism, they all
had to ask how Iʼd achieved it.

My friend Martin Duffy was invited for lunch one day. Martin is a great childrenʼs
entertainer here in the UK. We sometimes talk magic, mentalism and psychic
phenomenon over a sandwich. I decided that I would show him the latest thing Iʼd been
working on. Martin came in and noticed the five colored gift bags on the table.

“What are all the bags for Kennedy?”

“Martin, inside one of them I have placed something really valuable. However, Iʼve filled
the other four with worthless rubbish. I want you to tell me which bag you want me to tip
upside down, which-ever you name Iʼll take it off the table and turn it upside-down,
letting the contents come crashing down all over the table.”

“If youʼre sure,” came his reply. “Start with the green one.” Being a man of my word I
took the green bag, and tipped it upside down. Balls of paper bounced, and rolled all
over the table. I folded the bag flat and threw it on the floor.

“Which one shall I tip next?” and the game went on, each time the one colored bag he
names was tipped upside down, folded flat and thrown on the floor until only one bag
remained.

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 You could see it in his eyes that Martin was curious as to what was in the bag all this
time. I reached over, and took out a pint of cold larger, handed it to him, and raised my
glass as a toast “to mystery.” Martin instantly saw the huge potential for performing this
for younger audiences - without the appearance of the beer of course.

What is that makes this piece so astonishing? I really enjoy how free each choice is,
there is no convolution at all. There are five bags, all different colors. They name one
and that is the one I tip upside down. No awkward or strange procedures, cards or dice.
Whatʼs more there is nothing extra for you to carry, no secret devices what so ever.

Another feature of this routine that I really enjoy is that like the other pieces in this
manuscript, the performer comes off looking like a nice guy and not a smart-arse. The
emphasis is that the kind volunteer is ʻgetting it rightʼ each time, and then successfully
leaves you with the one containing the lager, water or cola, depending on your style.
This makes YOU look like a nice guy, or girl, at the conclusion of the effect.

In addition to this, the current trend of dressing mentalism up as psychology fits in

perfectly. You could claim that each color has a certain psychological appeal, that
certain colors will stand out and drawn people. The lines I use are:

Yellow is a warm color, associated with the sun.

Red is a warning, danger and to be steered away from.
Green is the color of fantasy, the Emerald City and often the color of envy. Although
green can also be the color of nature.
Silver is a runner up, not good enough to achieve or so a person might think.
Orange is a powerful color. People who like orange are usual thoughtful and sincere.

Depending on the colors you can make up anything that might fit when performing for
children. Yellow for example could have something to do with SpongeBob - Green could
have something to do with Shrek. Mentalism for children can be done as long as you
can relate what you are doing for them.

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 Routine:
“One of the five bags I have here contains something of value, something so valuable in
fact, that the rest of the show can not be done if we donʼt save it. That responsibility is
going to lie on you.” Point to somebody in the audience. “One of them contains the one
thing we really need for the show, the others contain worthless rubbish. I want you to
have the first choice of which one you think contains the garbage.”

Set-Up: Whenever I read a routine that has preparation involved I usually discard it. I
am too lazy and donʼt have the time to be making things for my show. However, the
good news about this preparation is that it is a one time preparation that, so long as you
take care of your gift bags, you need never do again.

You are going to gaff your five colored gift bags. Make sure you have five bags that are
all different color. Color suits me, some people may choose to have them all as brown
paper bags with numbers, letters or pictures on them. Color is great when performing for
kids. The bags must be large enough to comfortably fit a pint glass inside.

Take the bag in its folded condition, you will notice that the base of the bag is now
covering some of one of the sides. See figure 1.

Figure 1.

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 This is what you are going to be taking advantage of. Take a pencil and make a mark on
the side of the bag, right at the edge where the bottom starts. See Figure 2.

Figure. 2

Now, open the bag out, and cut a hole in the back of the bag, being careful not to make
it any taller than the pencil mark you made, and making it wide enough to easily fit a pint
glass through.

Of course, you will notice that the hole is not as tall as a pint glass, there is no need to
worry about that just yet. See Figure 3.

You do this with all five of your gift bags.

Now, the challenge is to be able to produce the pint glass from any one of the gift bags,
depending on which one is not eliminated by your participant.

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 Figure 3.

I have played around with all kinds of ways of doing this from Splash Bottles, and other
hold outs, but I prefer to very crudely conceal the glass by tucking it in the waist band of
my trousers, to the right.

If you do this, as you enter, the natural flow of your jacket will cover the fact you are
concealing anything, any you immediately stand behind the bags, on your table. Now,
once the bags are eliminated one at a time, you fold them flat. Of course, by doing this,
the bottom of the bag covers the secret hold you cut out of the back of the bag.

In order to produce the glass from the final bag, you take the bag in your left hand,
bringing it close to your body. The stretching motion of holding the bag causes your
jacket to move, allowing you to reach in to the bag, and straight out the back of it

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 enabling you to grab hold of the glass with a firm grip. Of course, now you can easily
produce the glass from the bag.

Another small action you can do to assist in the production of the glass, it to gently
thrust your hips forward at the time you are reaching in. The audience will be unaware
of your hip action as the table is covering it. This will make it easier to get the glass out
of your belt band in your trousers.

This was how I performed it for around four months, until one day I was playing around
with it, and came up with a small detail that made the effect much stronger.

Instead of having the other four bags empty when I tipped them upside down, I wanted
to have balls of crumpled paper fall out. When this happens, the audience can see that
things are falling out, therefore indirectly you are telling them that if these things are
falling out, the bag must be empty, without the need for showing them.

Of course, we are unable to show them the inside of the bag as they would see the
huge hole you cut out the back of it, so this additional idea of having crumpled paper fall
out really sells the idea of ʻemptinessʼ to the audience.

To do this, put three of four crumpled pieces of paper in to each bag. The paper doesnʼt
fall out because you left a small lip at the bottom of the hole. Now regardless of which
they name, you can be sure that a whole load of paper is going to come falling out. Of
course, on the final remaining bag, when you produce the glass of cola, there is no
need to crush the bag flat as it was the one they chose, the one that contained the prize
so I just place it behind the table, and move on with my presentation.

So there it is, a slightly different bank night for kids with a surprise finish.

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 Magicians Choice
Keith Fields

The concept of mentalism for kids is an interesting one. The challenge is to make mind
reading (and its associated presentations and plot lines) entertaining for an audience
who are not aware of what mentalism actually is. The following storyline is an idea that I
have played with a number of times, and in a number of different ways. It uses the
concepts and methods of mentalism but I think that the gambit of giving the power to the
child because it is their birthday is a lot stronger, more entertaining and more logical to
kids than any alternative presentation. If you like the idea then you will soon see that a
number of different tricks can be slotted into the presentation.

Also, if you try the first scenario below, it gives you an opportunity to play with and
master the magicianʼs choice in a real performance situation. The magicianʼs choice is
great fun to do as you never know which way it is going to go, you have to learn the
structure and make the right responses. There is always a new audience and always a
new response to the same situation so you have to learn to let go of the known and
work with the unknown, in other words, you sometimes have to improvise. When you
have mastered the techniques it is a skill which is transferable to other shows and other
effects from close-up to stage.

Children's entertainers fall into two camps. Old School – Which is generally driven by
tricks and effects, where performers expect children to sit and watch a demonstration of
legerdemain; and New School – which is more character and performance driven,
where they expect to create an interactive experience that the children join in with. The
terms old and new are not meant to be value judgements, it is just that the interactive
style is more modern and therefore newer, although this style has been around for
longer in the UK. Readers of my book 'If Ever A Wiz There Was' will already know that I

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 favor interactive entertainment for children. I try to build every routine in such a way that
the children simply HAVE to respond. This is achieved through questions and answers
and setting challenges in such a way that the kids want to win or they want me to lose.
The result is maximum excitement and entertainment for the children.

The basis of the idea.

During the show you 'discover' that someone claims that it is their birthday party, a claim
that you are unsure of. To prove that this person is actually a birthday boy (or girl) they
have to take the birthday test. You explain that it is a little known fact that at someone's
birthday party, if they have been very good all year, they sometimes acquire special
powers. And if it really is their birthday they will be able to pass the birthday test. Three
boxes are shown, two of which contain a nasty surprise and one of them contains a nice
surprise – only a birthday boy (or girl) will be able to pick the right one.

The above storyline could be applied to several tricks but two of my favorites are a
simple magicianʼs choice or a bank night / just chance routine.

Magicianʼs Choice Version

Props:
You need three different colored boxes about 4 to 6 inches square - red, yellow and
green would be my choice. Put the numbers 1, 2 and 47 on one side of the box and the
letters A, B and K on another.
In one of the boxes put a big ugly rubber spider, in the second put a set of chattering
false teeth with a foam insert to stop them chattering prematurely.
In the third box put a box of candy or a small plush toy – something that you will give to
the birthday child. You could use other items for the nasty boxes, a spring snake, a
rubber fried egg, any revolting item from a joke shop will do.

I get into this routine by saying something like the following...

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 “Who likes candy? (me, me etc) Who would like me to do the amazing candy making
trick (me, me etc) Oh no... I just realized... The magician's union rules! They say I am
only allowed to do the amazing candy making trick where I make loads of candy for
everyone if it is a birthday party and seeing as this is not a birthday party then I am not
allowed to do it.” The kids should lose no time in telling you that it is a birthday party and
you will be incredibly slow in catching on.

Eventually you start to get what the kids are saying to you but you resist believing them.

“You mean this is a birthday party? (yes) then why didn't you tell me? (we did) then why
didn't I listen? Hang on a moment... how do I know that you are not just tricking me into
thinking it is a birthday party just so I make magic candy for everyone. I know... who
ever thinks this is their party will have to take the birthday test.”

You have now set out the challenge which will get the interest from the audience – they
will want to win. Get out the three boxes and put them on your table and get the birthday
child out to help you!

“OK, the birthday test. In one of these boxes is a nice surprise, in the other two boxes
there is a nasty surprise. Have you heard the story about the princess that slept on
seven mattresses but could feel a pea under the bottom one because she was a
princess. Well a birthday boy (or girl) can pick the nice surprise out of these three
boxes. If he gets it right then we can try the candy making trick... but if he gets it
wrong... there could be a very nasty surprise for someone!” Surreptitiously point at
birthday child.

“So Mr it-really-is-my-birthday, we are going to find out if it really is your birthday. I have
three boxes here: a red one, a yellow one, and a green one. You need to point to one of
them,” as the child goes to point you interrupt, “BUT that may be too easy for you. So I
have three letters on the boxes A, B and,” pause and let the kids say C. “No K. And you
have to choose a letter.” Once again you look at the child and as he goes to chose you
interrupt again. “BUT that may be to easy for you. So I also have three numbers on the
boxes 1,2 and,” pause and let the kids say 3, “no 47! And you have to choose a

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 number...” as he goes to chose you keep interrupting again and again, “or a color... or a
letter... Well go on then... are you ever going to chose?”
If he chooses the good box then open the other two with the line, “well let's see what is
in the boxes you didn't chose... I bet you made the wrong choice and this is something
nice.” Open the box and take out the spider, double take and scream, act scared etc.,
“Well, I bet in this one there is something really nice.” Do the same thing with the
chattering false teeth, taking them out and letting them chatter and acting scared.

“Wait a minute, maybe these were the nice boxes and there is something really scary in
the box that you chose, you had better open it and find out.” As he goes to open it stop
him. “Hang on a moment just in case it explodes.” Put your fingers in your ears and
stand back.” As he goes to open it a second time, stop him again and put cotton wool in
your ears and stand well back.

The child's box is finally opened and the treat is revealed and you agree that it must
have been his birthday after all and give him a great big clap.

If he chooses the wrong box then you take it from him and get him to chose a second
box, if this is also a bad box you take that from him, if it is a good box you say, “are you
sure you want that one? Well that leaves me with these two and I bet I have got the
surprise box.” Proceed to open them as above.

If you are anything like me you would then go on to say, “but we have run out of time
now so I can't do the trick where we make loads of candy for everyone even although it
is a birthday party.” This sets up another moment of comedy interaction with the
audience!

The above is used as a prelude to the Amazing Mr Wiz Candy Making Trick which can
be found in the book mentioned above.

Bank Night/Just Chance Version

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 For slightly older children I have used the above scenario in a bank night routine. The
advantage of this routine is that it packs flat, takes up no space in your bag and is
always ready to go when the situation is right.

The effect is basically the same as the above so I am not going to go through the
structure and patter again. The main difference is that instead of three boxes there are
three colored envelopes. I still use the letters and the numbers gags as above, letters on
one side, numbers on the other. Two of the envelopes contain a bad promise, things
which I end up having to do when we read them out, and one of them a good promise
and the birthday boy/girl has to read out their promise at the end. It is always a good
idea to be aware of the reading age of the birthday child before doing this version.

Sample bad promises:

• I promise to clean my bedroom every day for a year

• I promise to clean my sisters bedroom every day for a month

• I promise to eat snail sandwiches

• Instead of spaghetti I promise to eat worms

• I promise to go to bed early every day

• I promise to do my homework and my sisters homework and my brothers homework

then eat slugs on toast for breakfast

The good message would say something like 'See I told you it was my birthday so now
we can do the candy making trick'

There are many different versions for doing this effect from simply hiding the good
message behind the envelopes, using a just chance tray which will let you slip the good

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 message behind the right envelope, or using gimmicked envelopes. Look in Tarbell if
you need some details of the methods.

If you want a real cheeky method for achieving the above effect which relies more on
your acting ability than anything else, just put a copy of the good promise in all three
envelopes. When the moment comes you open the first envelope and red your first
promise, but instead of reading what is written you just say out loud one of the bad
promises and pretend to be totally dismayed at what you have to do!

A Final Thought

There are many different plot lines for mental tricks but if we are going to use them in
children's shows we need to be sure that we make them entertaining and that the
audience understands the concepts. We must attach a storyline to the trick that they can
understand which is what I have attempted to do here.

Every day children learn something more about the world and so often what they learn
seems magical. I think we should strive to encourage a sense of awe and wonder about
the world in which we live but also encourage them to learn and ask more questions. Yet
at the same time we need to let them know that we are primarily purveyors of fun and
entertainment, not a source of truth.

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 P.S.I Fari
Tony Chris

Effect: The performer introduces an envelope and removes three cards depicting three
African animals: lion, elephant and chimpanzee, and a fourth card depicting a camera.
He invites a spectator to embark on an imaginary African safari, where the spectator will
be taking an imaginary “picture” of one of the three exotic animals. The performer
places the three animal cards and the camera card on the performing area and instructs
the spectator to take an imaginary snapshot of only one of the animals.

Once this has been done, the performer explains that he made a prediction of this
“psychic safari” and that he knew which animal would be chosen. Now for the climactic
ending to the African safari adventure as the performer shows the spectator the
prediction in a very entertaining and startling manner as it matches the freely chosen
animal. Easy to do, very commercial, quick reset and a fantastic mental magic miracle!

Props:
You will have to make the props, which shouldnʼt take long. First, start by going on the
internet and do a Google search for a lion, chimpanzee, elephant and a camera. Use
the Images search tool so you get only images, and choose at least medium images in
size to get decent quality images. Once you have those four images, save them to your
computer, and use whatever photo editing program you are comfortable with to edit
them. You will be printing out the four cards in a special way that makes the effect work.

Make sure when you print the final cards, they will all be the same size and will fit into
your envelope. Use a good thick paper stock such as 65 minimum up to 100 stock.
Essentially, you will be printing out four different cards to be used in the effect: one with
a chimp, the others with a lion, elephant and camera on them.

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 You will need to have the cards printed so that one card will have the chimpanzee on
one side, and either the words “You will choose the chimpanzee” on the back, or a
duplicate picture of that chimp on the back.

The other other two animal cards will have the lion and elephant on their faces but need
to be blank on their backside. The fourth card will need to have the camera on its front
and must have a picture of the lion on its back and finally you will need to print out
another image of the elephant and cut it to size so that it fits on the backside of the coin
envelope.

Just glue that one the back of the envelope. You now have your props and all three
predictions.

You will need one small coin envelope that is big enough to accommodate four standard
sized playing cards.

Figure 1 shows the front of the cards plus the envelope that contains the picture of the
elephant on the back of it.

Figure 2 shows the back of the cards which also have the predictions on them. The
bottom card has a lion on one side and camera on the other.

Secret: This effect is based on the “multiple outs” principle. This is very easy to perform
and is, to this day, one of the best magical principles ever created. It will not matter
which animal is chosen by the spectator because all three choices have a magical
ending.

Note: until now, most versions of this effect use playing cards and pens, pencils, and
envelopes. I have been performing my version for decades using more picturesque and
commercial variations as a departure from the “card trick” impression. I first released my
original take on my “African Safari” theme over 15 years ago as “Psychic Safari”.

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 Set Up: Place the three animal cards in the envelope face up. Their order does not
matter, but I prefer to have the lion on the bottom, the elephant in the middle, and the
chimpanzee on top. This is the classic “psychological force set up”, and there will be
more on this later. Be careful not to show the side of the envelope with the elephant to
your audience when removing the cards from it. Place the camera card on top of the
animal cards and you are ready.

Figure 1.

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 Figure 2.

Routine and Patter: Choose your willing assistant and you are ready to perform. Say to
your audience – “I would like to show you all something that I learned while on African
Safari in the summer of ʻ95 or was it the spring of ʻ97? I donʼt quite remember but thatʼs
my problem. I would like to take one of you on an imaginary African safari where we will
experience the lush jungles and beautiful wildlife of Africa. This will all happen in your
imagination so I guess you can call it a psychic safari. We wonʼt be armed with any
firearms. Instead, we will take shots with a camera.”

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 Introduce the envelope being careful not to flash the elephant side. Carefully open it and
remove the camera card and the three animal cads, and place them in front of your
spectators and assistant. I place them in a row, face up and favoring the view of my
audience (upside for me). Continue with – “As I mentioned, we will be armed with only
this camera. You will take a picture of either this cheeky chimp who loves to swing
around all day in the trees, this king of the jungle lion who is of course the most feared
of all African animals, or the unforgettable elephant with its amazing memory. Now I
have to tell you that we only have only one picture left and then the camera is full, so
you only get one photo opportunity here.”

Lay the camera card in front of the three animal cards and ask the spectator to choose
one of the animals. You may hold the camera card in your hand if you wish but avoid
allowing the spectators to hold it, or they may turn it over revealing an early outcome.

Continue with – “I want you to name the animal that you wish to take a picture of.” Once
they have chosen, you will reveal the appropriate the magical outcome. You will prove to
everyone that you predicted ahead of time which would be chosen.

OUTCOME 1: The chimpanzee is chosen. Slide the camera card in front of the
chimpanzee card and continue by saying – “You picked the chimp! I had a feeling you
might take a picture of him. As I mentioned, you only had one picture left to take and I
knew you would pick him.” Turn over the lion and elephant cards to reveal their blank
backs.

Now turn over the chimpanzee card or have the spectator do it to reveal the duplicate
chimpanzee and announce – “This really was a psychic safari! There was no doubt in
my mind that you wanted to take a picture of the chimp.”

OUTCOME 2: The lion is chosen. Slide the camera card in front of the lion card and
continue with – “You picked the lion! I had a feeling you might take a picture of him. As I
mentioned, you only had one picture left to take and I knew you would pick him.” Turn
over the camera card revealing the image of the lion on the back and announce – “This

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 really was a psychic safari! There was no doubt in my mind that you wanted to take a
picture of the lion.”

OUTCOME 3: The elephant is chosen. Slide the camera card in front of the elephant
card and continue with – “You picked the elephant! I had a feeling you might take a
picture of him. As I mentioned, you only had one picture left to take and I knew you
would pick him.” Turn over the envelope revealing the image of the elephant on the
back and announce – “This really was a psychic safari! There was no doubt in my mind
that you wanted to take a picture of the elephant.”

RESET: Finish by stacking the three animal cards in the same order that you removed
them along with the camera card on top. Place them back into the envelope. The effect
is now reset.

Final Thoughts: If you are new to the “multiple outs” principle then this will be a real
staple in your close up act.

Once again, very simple but packs a wallop! I love this premise and have created many
different variations that I have been performing for over twenty years. You can also have
the spectator announce their animal choice and then ask them to say the word “click”,
emulating the sound of the camera taking a picture.

About the psychological force mentioned earlier, most people veer away from the middle
of the cards when choosing.
I believe the likeliest “choice” for this effect is the chimp, which is the strongest reveal.
Just a subtle little idea for you all!

P.S.I. Fari plays strong for adults but also for children who are approximately seven and
up. I have had great success with it for kids at that age!

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 Scrabbled
Jasper Blakeley

Most magicians might know me more readily as the Russian-esque mentalist ʻKockovʼ,
but up until a few years ago I was also a childrenʼs magician. Even though I stopped
doing ʻchildrenʼs partiesʼ, I do continue to provide what I like to call ʻfamily
entertainmentʼ. Most recently I performed 30-minute shows at all twenty-one Cardiff City
Football Clubʼs home games on a purpose built stage in front of anything up to five
hundred people aged between 3 and 103. Having roughly fifty percent of your audience
see you at least twice a month over nine months, meant I had to be constantly finding
new material to appeal to quite a large demographic, and more often than not I turned to
mentalism for family-friendly effects.

Itʼs important to understand that I believe you have to entertain everybody at an event,
and when there are children involved you canʼt ignore the adults, after all theyʼre your
future bookers and you have to make them laugh just as much.

The Set-Up to a mentalism effect

Like all good magic effects for people seven and under, you have to explain the plot
beforehand and manage their expectations. This explanation is also critical for the
adults since theyʼre not always fully engaged at children-heavy events. When it comes
to mentalism effects this explanation is even more paramount as you have to rule out
any chance of a kid shouting out ʻbut you didnʼt etc…..you just did this…..ʼ – more often
than not if you donʼt frame an effect correctly a child can quite easily shout out the
actual method. The fact that children can see through so much magic is not always the
magicianʼs fault; I like to believe that a child has so little information in their head that
they can see clearly where an adult canʼt. This theory holds true when you consider how
much easier it is to fool an adult at a grown-up gig.

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 Keep It Simple & keep them Involved

It might sound obvious, but the strength of any effect relies on simplicity of plot and
simplicity of execution. Nobody in the real world cares if you used a gaffed card or a
sleight of hand that took you six months to learn alone in your bedroom – magicians
care, your audience doesnʼt. However somewhere along the line you have to attain a
certain amount of magical skill, otherwise youʼre not truly helping to keep an art form
alive and you donʼt want to keep spending your money on packet tricks. More important
than all of this, I believe that to be a great entertainer you have to entertain, to entertain
you have to create laughter, to create laughter you have to be funny – most magic isnʼt
funny, so you have to make it funny. Making magic funny for children is very
straightforward – get them involved and keep them involved.

ʻScrabbledʼ

As a magician and especially as a mentalist, I insist on only using everyday items in my

magic, I see no place for silver tubes and flashy colored boxes. With this in mind, I
always look about the house for inspiration, and this is how ʻD.I.Y. Scrabbleʼ was
created.

The Effect: ʻD.I.Y. Scrabbleʼ

The performer produces a childʼs Scrabble game and places the box on a table and
removes the lid, and places the tray of the box on top of the lid to show an empty cloth
bag and a load of lettered tiles. He then asks who is good at spelling and brings a
volunteer onto stage.

The performer talks about Scrabble and makes sure everyone knows that itʼs a game
where you randomly pick up little tiles of letters and try to make words and the longer
and better the words are, the more points you make.

The performer boasts that he always wins this game because heʼs much cleverer than
the volunteer, but to make it even fairer; heʼs going to let the volunteer choose the

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 letters, because this is D.I.Y. Scrabble – the volunteerʼs got to “Do It Yourself”. As the
performer picks up the empty cloth bag, and with all the tiles facing down, the volunteer
is asked to put a dozen random tiles into the cloth bag. Once this is done the performer
shakes up the bag and explains that “normally Iʼd choose my own six letters, but
because I always win this game, Iʼm going to let you choose them for me – Do It
Yourself”. As the magician holds the bag, the volunteer pulls out six tiles and puts them
down on the table in front of the magician, theyʼre then asked to pull out the remaining
tiles for themselves.

The magician puts the bag down and without touching the tiles, asks the volunteer to
turn over the magicianʼs tiles – all the while boasting how great he is at this game. As
the tiles are turned over, the magician shouts out the letters, but the letters are awful
and as the magician struggles to make any words from them, he turns his attention to
the volunteerʼs letters. As the volunteer turns over his own letters, they are much better.
Despite the magicianʼs best efforts at trying to convince the audience that e.g. ʻXVNYʼ is
a word – everyone realizes that heʼs going to lose. With all attention now on the
volunteer, the magician begins to imply that heʼs been cheated somehow and that the
volunteer deliberately picked good letters. Slowly (and with a little prompting) the
volunteer makes up a six-letter word – ʻHAMMERʼ. Itʼs now that the magician slowly
recaps what has happened.

“Hang on a minute, I ALWAYS win this - ʻHammerʼ? – YOU chose the letters at random
from all these letters; YOU picked all the letters out of the bag, including mine? I NEVER
touched anything from start to finish and you had ʻHammerʼ? – Thatʼs amazing – You
really did “Do It Yourself “ give him a round of applause (applause) – but wait a minute
–- I always knew you would.”

The magician now points to the lid of the game on the table and asks the volunteer to
slowly lift it up to reveal a real hammer.

Method: This effect works really well for children and adults alike, especially if you hit
the right tone. Children love to be challenged and told upfront that theyʼre going to be

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 beaten in a game, itʼs a golden rule of childrenʼs magic – ʻPride before a Fallʼ – but I
chuck in a magical kicker to redeem my powers.

This effect is extremely simple and costs almost nothing to make as all it uses is a
standard childrenʼs scrabble set, a hammer and a double opening cloth bag (a cloth bag
with a central divider to make two separate sides).

Preparation:
Inside one side of the cloth bag, put six tiles with the letters ʻH A M M E Rʼ and close the
bag. In the bottom tray of the box, put all the letters except the vowels ( A E I O U ) and
have a few tiles face up but mostly tiles face down to save time later.

Taking the largest hammer that you can find that can fit inside the lid of the box, have
half the hammer sit in the bottom tray and resting on the edge of the tray hanging out
the back with the box lid covering it. In this way you carry the box to the table with the lid
resting partway into the bottom tray so as you put it down, you can grip the lid and
hammer together as one before placing the lid down and the bottom tray on top of it.

This will take some practice to achieve without making a noise; I use a rubber-handled
hammer to cut down on noise. Sometimes itʼs been more practical to have the lid
already on the table covering the hammer and the bottom tray on top of it and once the
tray is lifted and (watching angles) tilting up the lid to show the scrabble picture on the
front. Which of these you do depends on how clean you want it to look, you can in fact
attach the hammer to the inside of the lid if you wish or use a very strong magnet like a
chop cup which can make a much cleaner and magical finale when you pick up the lid
and with a shake a hammer falls out. I tend to have it set up on a Spiderflex table
behind me with the hammer already hidden under the lid and the bottom tray on top.
The other way Iʼve done it, which looks very clean, is that the hammer is hiding
underneath the molded plastic inner tray that holds the letters.
I can then display the Scrabble box closed, tilt the lid open to create a momentary
shield, lift out the moulded plastic inner tray with the bag and letters on it and put the lid
back on the box hiding the hammer.

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 Be sure to do all this prior to picking a volunteer. When you pick a volunteer out, try and
pick someone six years old and above and try and go for a girl as they are statistically
better spellers at that age than boys, plus theyʼre more mature and better at following
instructions with much less chance of messing about.

As you boast and explain about the game, no matter what dozen letters the volunteer
picks, you wonʼt be able to make a word without a vowel. As the volunteer picks up the
twelve letters, open up the empty side of the bag so he can drop them in. Once the
letters are in, give the bag a shake, explain to make it even fairer he must pick your six
letters for you. The volunteer now takes any six tiles from the bag and as he puts down
the final letter just ask him/her to arrange them nicely in a line, use that moment to
readjust your grip to expose the pre-loaded side of the bag with the HAMMER letters in
it. After the volunteerʼs picked out their letters, put the bag into your pocket and the
effect is done.

Things to remember: Spelling and number magic is sometimes difficult to gauge with a
young audience since we all learn at different speeds. Even a worse case scenario and
you have to bring up an adult as the volunteer, you can still make it work for all but the
very young because everyone knows what a hammer is. Sometimes if you can get
someone to shout out the word ʻHammerʼ it can seem more random e.g. “so what letters
have you got? – o.k. Everyone think thereʼs an H A M M R and an E ……..Ham – m
…….who shouted hammer? – is that a proper word? Really? What about mine ʻXVNYʼ?
Hang on, did you managed to use all six letters as well? No way!”

The kicker ending works really well as they simply canʼt backtrack, they looked clever
and you looked magical.

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 Balloon Bank Night
Wayne Rogers

This was inspired by two commercial effects, a balloon prediction and Martin Lewis'
Technicolour Prediction. I wanted a routine for a Shopping Mall job that would involve
giving away balloons which would help generate balloons sales after each show. This
was the item.

Effect: The Performer shows an open top box containing five 260Q modeling balloons.
Hanging from the end of each balloon is an envelope. Four of the balloons will be given
away and the last one left will be for the performer. Each envelope contains a card, and
one envelope contains some money. Who will get the money?

A volunteer comes on stage and they are asked to select another random spectator to
call out a color. The selections are entirely up to the volunteer and the performer
genuinely has no influence on proceedings.

The performer takes each chosen balloon and removes the envelope.
If the color was red and a boy was chosen, a card taken from the envelope reads: A
BOY WILL SELECT RED. The envelope is otherwise empty.

Another person is selected and they choose a color. Say, a girl chooses yellow. The
card in the envelope on the yellow balloon reads: A GIRL WILL CHOOSE YELLOW.

As each person is selected and the words on the cards are read out, they receive the
chosen color balloon which the performer quickly twists into a balloon animal and gives
to them.

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 The performer is left with the final balloon and envelope. When that envelope is opened
it contains a Twenty Dollar bill.

The performer finishes by saying, "That was lucky; the last envelope had the money in
it. Now I can buy more balloons to give away at the next show!"

The last balloon is twisted into an animal and given to the on stage volunteer.

The Secret:
There are several different ways to pull this one off. I use end opening envelopes with a
paper divider cut from a spare envelope. The divider fits into the envelope and creates
two compartments. Each envelope has a folded bill behind the divider, on the address
side of the envelope, and a double sided card in the front on the seam side.

One side of the card attached to the red balloon reads:

A BOY WILL CHOOSE THE RED BALLOON
And the other side reads: A GIRL WILL CHOOSE THE RED BALLOON.

To remove the card, push down on that side of the envelope and it will cause the card
and divider will bow backwards and release the card.
Remove the card with the appropriate side showing and display it by holding it first
against your chest as you show the envelope clearly empty. Then place the card against
the envelope as you place it in your pocket.

Follow the same procedure with each chosen balloon until you come to the last one. To
remove the money, push against the address side and the divider will bow backwards
locking the card against the seam side.

An Alternative Method:
If you will be working surrounded, the double side card might be exposed. Make the
divider from a longer piece of paper folded in half widthwise. The fold goes to the bottom

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 of the envelope, and you create three compartments. This is the Kismit Envelope. The
cards can now be one sided. I place the money in the central compartment and the
cards on either side.

A Third method:
Have the money in a thumb tip and you only need a single divider. Combine with double
sided messages and there is even no need to have a divider.

To attach the envelope to the end of the balloon, punch a single hole in one end and
thread the end of the balloon though.

I find this item is colorful interlude and it is interesting, too, watching the adult's reactions
to the boy/girl messages correctly matching the balloon colors.
The method is simple enough so you can put everything into the presentation and build
up the suspense as each card is slowly revealed.

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 Last One Standing
Anonymous

Note from Editor: This is one of my favorite routines to perform for young people. It is
completely impromptu, and perfect for any working condition. Because the contributor
wishes to remain anonymous, I will refer to him as John.

All you need for this clever impromptu effect is three volunteers. John lines them up in a
row and asks them their names. For explanation purposes, weʼll assume the volunteers
are Alice, Bonnie and Chris. Any one of these can be chosen as the “target.” In this
example, John has picked Alice.

“Thanks for volunteering,” John says. “Iʼm now going to stand in front of you, so I canʼt
see what any of you are doing. At the moment, I know where each of you is standing.
So, would you please mix yourselves up in any order you wish. When youʼve finished,
you might be in the same order you started in, or you may have created a totally
different arrangement. Have you done that? Good.” John appears to think for a moment.
“Iʼm going to ask you to make some moves. Please do this as quietly as possible, so I
donʼt pick up any clues. Please donʼt say anything, either. I think Iʼll start with you,
Bonnie,” he says. “If thereʼs someone on your left, change places with them. If thereʼs
no one on your left, remain where you are.”

John gives them time to make any changes before continuing. “Thatʼs good. Now itʼs
your turn Alice. If thereʼs someone on your right, please change places. If there isnʼt,
stay where you are.” Again, John pauses to allow them to change places, if necessary.
“We havenʼt done anything with you yet, Chris. If thereʼs someone on your left, change
places with her. If not, remain where you are.”

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 John looks thoughtful. “Letʼs see. Would the person standing on the left sit down. That
leaves two people. Would you please change places. Thatʼs good. Would the person on
the right sit down? That leaves just one person, and that person is – Alice!”

John turns around to confirm he is correct, and finishes the routine by leading the
applause for the three volunteers.

This effect may sound complicated. A good way to practice it is to write the letters A, B
and C on pieces of paper. Letʼs assume you have chosen C as the target. Mix the
papers up, lay them out in a row, and make the following moves:

Switch A with the letter to its left.

Switch C with the letter to its right.

Switch B with the letter on its left.

Remove the letter on the left.

Switch the two remaining letters.

Remove the letter on the right.

Letter C will remain.

As long as you remember to use your target person second, the routine works itself.
Despite its simplicity, John “kills” with this. Practice this with pieces of paper until you
have the moves memorized, and then try it with three volunteers. Youʼll be amazed at
how powerful this is.

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 SPOON BEND
Ray Roch

A spoon bend is extremely visual and perfect for performing for children. I got to see
Ray Roch perform this many times while doing walk-about for children and adults, and
they loved it. This routine is perfect for any type of walk-around gig and if you carry
enough cheap spoons, you can leave them with a souvenir of the show.

Effect: The performer takes out a spoon showing it is solid. He then visually turns the
head of the spoon around until it is bent. Finally he is able to restore the spoon and
leave it with the children.

Method: The easiest way to learn this is by using photos and going through it step by
step.

You will need a regular spoon that fits in your hand comfortably, and a matching head.
The cheap spoons are perfect for this routine.

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 2) Hold the head of the broken spoon in the right hand between first and second finger,
bowl facing up.

3) The full spoon is held in the left hand between the thumb and first finger.

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 4) The hands will now come together. The left photo shows an exposed view, while the
right shows the bowl hidden in the right hand.

5) The photo below shows the spoon coming over top of the bowl. The bowl will be
transferred from the right hand to the left. This is a nice way to casually show both
hands empty.

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 6) The spoon is now shown to the audience, the half bowl is now in the left hand while
the right fingers point to the words on the spoon. This is a subtle way of showing both
hands empty.

7) You are now going to perform the illusion spoon bend, but without the use of a table.
With the half bowl hidden in the left hand, the thumb and first finger grip the bottom of
the real bowl, and the right hand thumb goes to the top of the spoon.

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 8) Make a fist around the spoon with the right hand, and bend the wrist up creating the
illusion of the spoon bending. In reality the spoon doesnʼt move at all, just the right
hand moves.

9) You are now going to turn the head of the spoon around - giving the illusion that the
metal is now very soft. The fist is brought back down to make the spoon straight, as
the left hand prepares to twist the bowl.

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 10) Here you can see the bowl of the spoon is turned over, giving the appearance the
metal is now very soft. Again perform the illusion of bending the spoon.

11) From this position place the head of the real spoon between your first and second
finger of your left hand. As you turn the spoon over the fake bowl will be in view with
the real one hidden behind the left hand.

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 12) The photo below shows what the audience will see. The half bowl looks as though it
is part of the spoon. The thumb and first finger of the left hand pinch the spoon at
the break, keeping everything in place.

13) Here is a real nice subtlety that they are still both connected. The left hand thumb is
placed on top of the half bowl, and the middle finger is placed underneath the real
bowl. If you move both fingers at the same time back and forth, the spoon and bowl
will move looking like one spoon. The photo on the left is an underneath view of the
position of the hands, while the photo on the right shows the audience perspective.

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 14) Here is another view from the audienceʼs perspective.

15) With the right hand thumb still on top, the first finger now comes below the half bowl
and twists the spoon to the right.

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 16) You can now twist the bowl of the spoon several times showing it is like rubber.

17) Get the spoon back to the straight position in preparation for the finish.

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 18) The following photos will show how the fake bowl goes from the left hand to the
right hand, while showing the spoon back to itʼs original position. The right hand
comes over and twists the spoon so the front bowl is facing the audience. As this
happens the left hand fingers move out of the way pinching the spoon between the
thumb and first finger. The fake bowl is hidden in the left hand.

19) Here comes the transfer of the fake bowl. The spoon is rotated horizontally with the
bowl towards the performer.

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 20) As the hands come together the fake bowl is transferred from the left hand to the
right hand. The spoon is then held vertically.

21) The hand moves down the spoon as it subtly shows the hand empty.

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 Drawing On The Imagination
Christopher Taylor

This is the first effect I ever created. While working as a classroom teacher, I performed
it scores of times over the years for my elementary school students. They all loved it.

Effect: The Mage invites a young volunteer to demonstrate her creative powers by
making a drawing using only her imagination. The mage explains that many people try
to make drawings that are too complicated on their first try and displays a stack of
cards, each one of which shows a simple image – such as the sun, a house, a tree, and
a stick man – for her to choose randomly from. The volunteer makes her choice by
touching the back of one of the fanned face-down cards and looks at it. No one else
sees it.

When the volunteer is ready, the Mage holds up a framed blank drawing-board for the
volunteer to imagine her drawing on. Nothing happens. Undaunted, the Mage asks the
volunteer to tell the audience what she is imagining and begins to sprinkle a mysterious
dark “developing-powder” onto the drawing board. “A tree”, she says. There are gasps
as the dark powder forms itself into the clear image of a tree.

Method: The tree-card is forced and the image on the board is created by sprinkling
iron filings onto a framed board behind which is magnetic material arranged into the
shape of a tree (or any other shape or word you prefer).

Construction of Props
The Cards: There are, of course, many ways you can force the image cards you want to
duplicate with the board. I use double-blank playing cards to construct a rough/smooth
“Pop-Eyed Popper” style deck to force the tree image. My deck is made up of 30 image
cards that are printed up on my computer. Fifteen of the cards are trees (like the one
shown in fig. 1) and the others are various simple clip art images. The force cards are
sprayed with roughing fluid on their faces and the indifferent cards are sprayed on their

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 backs. Assemble the deck by alternating face-down indifferent cards with face-down
force cards, rough side to rough side.

Figure 1

The “Drawing-Board”: Figure 2 shows how to assemble the board; an inexpensive

wooden 8 x 10 inch frame works well. The actual image is made by cutting strips of peel
and stick magnetic sheeting and arranging them into what ever shape you want.
Depending on your image, you may find it better to build the image by using thin strips
to form an outline of the image rather than just cutting out the whole shape. You will

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 have to experiment. I have also used thin neodymium magnets to construct the image.
Remember, it does not have to be a perfect rendition.

A removable sheet of clear acetate is placed on the face of the board. An overhead
projector sheet work great. It is on this that you sprinkle the iron filings. After the
performance, you can recover most of the filings by laying the board on its back and
then lifting the clear sheet up and away from the board. You can then pour the filings
back into what ever container you are keeping them in.

The “Developing Powder”: Iron filings are available at science supply outlets; a pound
will cost you less than $10. I keep the filings in a small glass mason jar.

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 Ring or Watches?
E. Raymond Carlyle

Thank you to Mark Strivings and Ed Fowler for allowing me to print Edʼs routine in the
book. This was originally published in Markʼs amazing book “Mobile Mentalism.” It was
brought to my attention when talking to Richard Webster and Andrew Gerard, both of
whom would perform this when asked to do something for kids.

Effect: A pencil with two shoelaces tied to it is displayed by holding the end of the
pencil. The shoelace is untied and the pencil and laces are laid on the table. The loan of
two watches is asked for. While the two spectators are removing their watches, re-tie
the laces around the center of the pencil. The ends on your left are handed to the
spectator on your to hold. Likewise the two ends on the right are handed to that
spectator to hold. The two watches will need to have their straps closed if they have
them. If they are stretch bands or clasp types youʼre all set. Ask the spectator on your
left to thread a watch on the two ends he (or she) is holding, and push the watch to the
pencil. The spectator on the right does the same.

The left spectator is asked, “Give me one of your ends.” The right spectator is asked to
do the same. You then make a single overhand knot and hand the ends back. Note that
the ends are now switched. That is: the end held by left spectator goes to right spectator
etc. You have tied the watches on the side of the pencil closest to you. This is important
as you will see in a moment. You now ask for the loan of two rings. The same procedure
is followed with the ring except the rings are tied to the back of the pencil - the side
away from you.

The two spectators now hold two ends each and the watches are tied to the front and
the two rings to the back. Place your left hand over the pencil, watches and rings with
the pencil coming through between your middle two fingers. Take hold of the pencil end
closest to you and pull the pencil out. Hold on to the rings and watches and ask, “I have
tied one of them so they wonʼt come off, and the other so they will. So which will it be,

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 rings or watches?” After they answer, (say itʼs watches) say, “Watches it is!” and put the
pencil into the watch bands and tell the spectators to hold tight. With a downward pull
remove the watches. They will now be hanging on the pencil and the rings will be tied
together.

Method: This is a really fun effect that has something many effects in mentalism donʼt
have, a visual factor. Ed has taken an old chestnut, added a twist to the handling and a
premise to the presentation that turns it into a minor mental miracle. Everything can be
examined and all you need is the pencil and two twenty-seven inch shoelaces.
Everything else is borrowed.

This, as many of you will realize, is the old “Grandmothers Necklace.” In actuality, itʼs
Grandmotherʼs Necklace done twice, that is, a second knot on the side away from you
to hold the rings! For those of you who know the effect, you probably donʼt need to
continue reading. You will have already figured out the whole thing. For those of you
who donʼt know the effect, if you follow the directions exactly, the effect is self working.

This is going to be a real bear to explain, but here goes. To help keep things straight,
and for learning purposes only, and not for performances, I will describe the effect using
two different colored laces. Remember this is for learning only. In performance you want
two identical laces. Thatʼs so you can see the ends move from right to left and keep
them straight. Iʼll use colors red and blue.

Here is the setup. Have the two laces tied, as one, in a single over hand knot around
the middle of the pencil. In doing this you will have a red and blue end hanging at both
sides of the pencil. As you ask for the watches, untie the two laces and show them and
the pencil, but without making a big thing out of it. Now before both watches come to
you, and while you are asking that the straps be closed, re-tie the laces around the
middle of the pencil. This time though, when you drape them over the pencil with the
pencil pointing right and left, put your middle fingers of your left hand between the two
laces, tie the lace on the right around the lace on the left. The knot will look the same as
the first “real” knot. This is done while attention is on the watches.

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 The ends are handed (as in the effect) to the left and right spectators. If you have done
things correctly, the left spectator will be holding (say) both ends of the red lace and the
spectator on the right the two ends of the blue. Now the watches are given to them both
with instructions to thread them on to both ends they are holding and push the watches
to the pencil. You now ask for either end the spectator on the left is holding. It makes no
difference which they hand you as they are both, say red (for our learning!). The right
spectator does the same. You tie a single over hand knot. You will note now that both
spectators are holding two different colored ends. The tying exchanged the ends.

The second tying does nothing to the laces, there are still two laces across from
spectator to spectator. The second tying is for the rings and they will stay on at the end.
You do the same thing when having the rings tied on as you did with the watches except
the tying is done on the side away from you not the same side as the watches. With
both sets now tied on you ask the question, rings or watches. The choice is a minor
from of equivoque. That is to say, that which ever they ask for you are going to remove
the watches. Therefore you must make it sound as if that is the way it was suppose to
be. You might say something like, “that leaves you with the rings tied securely to the
pencil” or “you have asked for the watches and here they are free from the pencil as I
said I would.”

I hope this is clear and, as I have said, two black or brown laces are used not a red and
a blue one. One you go through this a few times with props in hand, it becomes
extremely simple. Present it as powerfully as you want. It can play to any close-up
crowd, large or small. If you are going to repeat the effect close to the last group you
work for put the rings on first which in that case you will put your pencil into the rings
and pull them off.

If you wish to set up a number of laces for doing many tables etc. knot the laces then
remove the pencil and leave the hole for reinserting the pencil later. That gives you a
fast reset. On the other hand if you have pencils with your “ad” on them, just leave the
pencil with the spectator and pocket the laces. Another quick reset is to simply tie the
two laces in a single over hand knot as if they were one lace and thread the pencil into

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 the opening. Tighten the knot and you are reset. Have fun and as Ed would say, “may
Kismet be kind to you and yours.”

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 The Precognitive Phinger Puppet
Mark Strivings
Routine by Terry Parrett & Mark Strivings

The original version of this effect appears in my book “Pseudo-Psi” (1999) and it, in turn
is based on a piece from another of my books, “Magic For Young-Unʼs” (1998) under the
title, ʻThe Precognitive Puppetʼ. It subsequently appeared in my lecture notes “Psi
Psampler” (2001). This has been substantially rewritten and updated for this book.

I have had this effect in my product catalog as a commercial release for many years and
still sell a bunch of these every year, as well as lecturing on the trick. But obviously you
can make your own for your own use. Put a set together and try this. Youʼll be glad you
did!

Elsewhere in this tome I briefly explained the three Key Ingredients that I use to present
mentalism to young kids. This effect is a prime example of what I laid out in that write
up. I will go into excessive detail here on what is, essentially a very simple trick that
could be explained quite successfully in a couple of paragraphs. The reason I am about
to go to those lengths is because I will do my best to completely tie everything together
for you in hopes you will have a better understanding of my thinking about the
performance of mentalism for young kids.

In essence all that this is is a very simple prediction effect.

A cloth has been formed into a small bag and the kids are informed that there is a
surprise inside. This is set to one side in plain sight. Then the wonder worker places five
finger puppets on the fingers of his hand. One of the five puppets is selected.

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 The kids are reminded of the ʻsurpriseʼ inside the cloth from earlier in the presentation.
The performer tells them that inside the cloth is the twin brother or twin sister of one of
the other five finger puppets. The selected finger puppet is shown to be a perfect match!

Hereʼs the short explanation of the method, as if it was even needed. You will require six
finger puppets in all. The puppets I use are of various animals. In my case I have one
each; lion, cow, pig, giraffe and two (2) ducks. One of the ducks is placed into a cloth of
some sort. An ordinary dinner napkin works perfectly. The other five puppets are tucked
away into your case.

Bring out the handkerchief with the duck puppet inside and explain that there is a
surprise inside. It is placed to one side but remains in sight. The other five puppets are
placed onto the fingers of one hand. Simply force the matching puppet (use YFM or one
will be explained shortly) and reveal the match. Thatʼs the short story. Hereʼs the rest.

The Key Ingredients:

In my opinion there are three Key Ingredients that must be used in the successful
presentation of mentalism for children –

It has to be fun!
The process of the effect needs to be clear without giving away the ending wherever
possible.
At the climax of the effect it must be made clear to the kids what has happened.

See my other article elsewhere for more info about each of these Ingredients. Here is
the process and application of these ingredients in this very simple effect.

As already stated the five puppets are tucked away into your case and the prediction
puppet is wrapped in a cloth of some sort. The wrapped puppet is introduced and the
kids are told that there is a surprise in this cloth. Notice I do not call it a prediction. Little
kids have no idea what a prediction is but they do clearly understand the concept of a

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 surprise, and it is something they can get excited about without even trying. You are one
sentence into your presentation and you already have them hooked.

I hold the cloth bag by the loose ends and smack the hidden puppet inside on my
tabletop. I then pretended that I may have hurt something inside the makeshift bag and I
then tell the bag that I am sorry. The kids find this to be very funny. Plus since the kids
can hear the puppet inside the bag thumping against the table, they know that there is
indeed something inside. This is then left in plain sight on the table.

I then reach inside my case and place the finger puppets on. For this particular
presentation the order of the puppets on my hand is important. The cow goes on the
thumb, the duck on the 1st finger, the pig on the middle finger, the lion on the ring finger
and the giraffe on the pinkie. This process of putting the puppets on can take a couple
seconds and while I have my hands in my case and am placing the puppets into
position I make movements and noises like perhaps something is trying to wrestle with
me in the case. I say things like, “Stop that!”, “Quit messing around” and “Donʼt bite me!”
Kids think this is way funny plus it keeps the show moving during what could potentially
be dead time, something I am deathly allergic to!

I then bring the hand out revealing the puppets on my fingers. I then go right down the
line starting with the thumb and ask what each animal is. The kids respond. I then start
again at the thumb and ask what kind of sound a cow makes. Naturally the kids bury
themselves in the part of making ʻMoo!ʼ sounds. Then I ask what sounds a duck makes,
then a pig and then a lion. These sounds invariably get louder and the kids get more
and more into it (wait until you hear the lion!) They love it. Finally I ask what sound a
giraffe makes and am met with stone-cold silence. I then say, “I donʼt know either!” The
adults howl at this point.

From here you can either go straight into the effect itself or into a teaching presentation
which I will outline in a moment. For now I will assume you are headed straight into the
effect.

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 You can either bring a child up on stage with you or do this with a kid on the front row. I
have done it both ways and it works fine either way. Letʼs say you pick a kid on the front
row. I tell this kidlet that we are going to play a little game.

All that happens now is that you are going to force the duplicate of the puppet that is in
the handkerchief on the table. Use any method you want. I use the PATEO (Point At
Two, Eliminate One) force, and do it in the guise of a game of sorts. I will give both the
basic patter as well as the method together here.

The PATEO force works with any number of objects, although five is the recommended
minimum. You need only two pieces of information. #1 – what the force object is (duh!)
and #2 – how objects total are being used. You and your spectator are going to
alternate turns. If there are an odd numbers of objects you, the performer, start. If there
are an even number of objects the spectator starts. Since there are five puppets you
start.

“Hereʼs the way the game works. I am going to point at two of our critters and you tell
me which one of those we are going to get rid of, ok? Letʼs see, how about we use the
cow and the giraffe?” Point at those two animals. This is where Rule #1 of the PATEO
force comes into play. When it is your turn to point, never point at the force object, in this
case the duck.

Remove whichever animal they pick and drop it into your case. When I do this I then
recoil and yell “Sorry!” into the case and then tell the kids that I dropped the critter on his
head, making an ouchie face. The kids think this is way funny.

“Now itʼs your turn. Point at any two critters you want and I will take one away.” One of
two things will happen here. Either your spectator will point at two animals that are not
the force object or they will point at your force object and one other. Hereʼs where Rule
#2 of the PATEO force comes into play. If they point at your force object never take it
away! Take the other one away. Seems obvious but you never can tell. Obviously if they
point at two non-force objects remove either one.

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 Regardless take that animal and do exactly as you did with the first, dropping it into your
case and apologizing to it for dropping it on its head. Here again the kids will howl!

You have three animals left. “Now itʼs my turn again. I will point at two critters and you
tell me which one to take away.” Point at the two remaining non-force animals and have
your spectator pick which one to remove. Repeat the business of dropping it into your
case as before.

You are now down to just two animals, the duck and one other. You can have your
young helper point at any two animals and then pick one, which is the usual final phase
of the PATEO force. If you do this be sure to make somewhat of a joke out of it. There
are only two animals left! Make a big deal out of how silly the notion is, and while the
kids are laughing about it simply take away the last animal as before, leaving the duck
behind.

What I generally do instead is a wonderful dodge by John Riggs wherein you shift gears
into a more traditional equivoque procedure for the last selection. I hand both puppets to
my young helper, have them place them both behind their back and mix them up. I then
turn my head and extend my hand telling them to put either animal into it. Since I know
what the duck feels like I can tell automatically whether they hand me the duck or the
other animal. If the hand me the duck I immediately tell them to hand me the other
animal and I toss it into my case, apologizing like before. If they hand me the non-force
animal I immediately toss it into the case then ask for the one they kept. Either way you
end up with the duck.

I now place the visible duck onto the first finger of my hand and display it. I then do a
quick recap of what has happened. “Ok, after all of that silly stuff little Susie here has left
me with a duck. Remember the surprise I showed you earlier?” I now pick up the cloth
from my table. “Hereʼs the surprise. Inside of this little bag is the twin brother or twin
sister of one of my other animal friends. It could be a cow or a pig or a lion or a giraffe or
a duck. Susie could have left me any one of those others, but if she managed to leave
me the exact twin of the animal I have inside this bag do you promise to clap hands and
go yay!?”

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 The kids invariably go ahead and clap and cheer at this point regardless.

I have to bring up one important thing here. As I have already pointed out, I never use
the word prediction. I use the word surprise. And now that we are getting down to the
meat of the matter I need to clear things up for the kids. I need to give the surprise some
kind of an identity that the kids can relate to. So I try to put things in their terms. Even
little kids know what a brother or a sister is, and the vast majority know what a twin is.
Either way they are now led directly to the point of understanding that a match of some
sort is what we have been after here. Obviously you can state all of this right up front,
early on in the presentation. Thatʼs up to you. I have done it both ways and have found
that saving this important point until right before the denouement plays more clearly
and stronger. The surprise element becomes much stronger and the kids donʼt
anticipate the ending.

This last point is crucial. Donʼt play it short! OK, back to the action.

I then position the hidden duck onto my other hand on the first finger, but keep the cloth
covering it. I then strike the applause position and say “TA-DA!”, indicating my success.
Naturally the kids canʼt see the other puppet just yet and they always call me on it.

At this point if can do one of two things. If I feel I need to do one more very quick recap
of what has happened this is where I do it. It gives me one more chance to make sure
that the kids understand what has happened and why they need to be excited about it.
On the other hand if I feel that the kids have a solid grasp of what the picture is then I go
straight into the reveal.

Either way I slowly draw the cloth off of the hidden puppet to reveal an exact match! And
the crowd goes wild.

Like I told you up front, this entire effect could easily have been described in a couple of
short paragraphs. But that would have missed the point of all of this. While the trick itself

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 is just fine (and I have used it hundreds of times just as I have described it), itʼs the
larger structure and thinking behind it that is important.

Throughout the presentation I followed my Key Ingredients. First and foremost the kids
are having fun the entire time. They get to make animal noises. They get to see the silly
magician pretend to hurt the puppets. There are a ton of laugh points in this routine.

Secondly the procedure keeps them involved throughout the entire routine. There is
always something happening and it seems to be headed somewhere (eliminating animal
puppets, etc.) and there certainly appears to be something coming up thatʼs going to be
fun.

And finally, the ending is pointed up (potentially two times) so that the kids can
understand that something significant has happened that they can be excited about.

Apply this same kind of thinking to the mentalism effects you want to do for your young
audiences and you will find a whole world opens up to you.

One last thing. Early on in this write up I mentioned a teaching presentation that I use
frequently use with this trick. One of the many programs I do in daycare facilities is one
on self esteem and this trick works like a charm for the topic. The idea for this was given
to me by my very dear friend Terry Parrett from New York and it is with his kind
permission that I include it here for you.

When I first introduce the five finger puppets I do all of the silly noises and such and
then I talk about how each one is unique and special. Each one has things that it can do
that others canʼt. The cow makes milk, the duck flies, the pig likes to roll in the mud (the
kids think this is funny), the lion can run real fast and the giraffe can reach way high up
into the tops of trees. They are each different. No one is any better than any other, just
different. I then draw parallels to the kids themselves. I ask how many of them can run
real fast or jump real high. Every hand in the room goes up on these. But you can
expand on this in any direction youʼd like. Musical talents, sports abilities, good readers,

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 talented artists, all are potential talking points. The bottom line becomes that we are all
different and we are each special in our own way. Iʼm sure you get the idea.

Thanks to Terry Parrett for the fabulous presentational idea. It plays like a charm and I
have used it hundreds of times. When I do this presentation I can easily get 8-10
minutes of solid fun and learning from this simple little trick. The kids laugh and they
learn. And you have done some mentalism for them!

Next time you have a show for the little ones (or even the not-so-little ones) try this
simple trick out. Youʼll be amazed at the reaction it gets and the sheer fun that can be
had with it. Enjoy!

Commercial production and distribution rights strictly reserved by Mark D. Strivings.

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 BIOGRAPHIES
Greg Arce
Greg Arce has been performing in one way or another since the age of five. At
five he became a magician and soon was performing his shows to the kids in the
neighborhood.
Over the years his exploits into entertainment have included escapes, writing,
acting, directing, filmmaking, stand up comedy, and of course, mentalism. His
love of mentalism has taken him to places he never expected to see. He has
been featured in some great new books on mentalism while also putting out
several of his own including Deep Thought, Simple Minded and Lost In Thought.
He was part of the brain team that created many of the effects for Keith Barryʼs
TV special. Gregʼs own live stage show, The Inner Walnut, got great reviews from
the LA Weekly and some of the effects within that show ended up starting new
trends in the world of mentalism.
He is at currently at work on several projects from written works to a whole new
stage show.
Some of his products can be seen at:
www.freestylebooktest.com/cashout
or you can write directly to him at: deepthot666@yahoo.com

Danny Archer
Danny Archer is a full time pro from Colorado who has performed in over thirty
countries around the world and forty-eight of the fifty states. He has lectured at
just about every major magic convention and is also the producer of the
MINDvention mentalism convention. Danny is renowned for his clever and usable
methods and presentations many of which can be found in his lecture notes and
DVDʼs and are viewable on his website www.dannyarcher.com.

Bev Bergeron

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 Bev Bergeron is a world famous entertainment professional. He was born in
Texas,
USA. Bergeron first rose to stardom was in 1958, when he created Rebo the
Clown for the television series, Magic Circus and the Magic Land of Allakazam.
His awards include the Lifetime Achievement Fellowship Award by the Academy
of Magic Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, California. Bergeron was elected to the
Society of American Magicians Hall of Fame in 1992, and was also elected as
President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1996. He continues
working publicly at Sea World of Florida doing 5 shows a day.

Christopher Berry
Christopher Berry is a 5-year professional award-winning magician and
contributor of routines, ideas, and methods of magic tricks. Chris had worked for
a local magic shop called ABC Entertainment in his home state of Michigan,
which still exists today. He has performed magic from the streets to the stage for
birthday parties, social events, and charity fundraisers. Chris is also an actor who
has performed in several high school productions and participated in performing
arts competitions. He has won awards in props, costumes, lobby displays,
programs (play bills), and stagecraft. He has performed in musical theater for 4
years including the two Michigan premier musicals “All Shook Up” and “Back to
The 80ʼs.” Chris currently owns his entertainment company named MagiChris
Entertainment Productions. This company services hirable entertainment such as
magicians, balloon artists, and Santa Claus impersonators in the Metro Detroit
area. If you live in the area and seek some fun entertainment, please contact
Chris for details at magichris4hire@gmail.com
Chrisʼ website: www.magichrisproductions.viviti.com
ABC Entertainmentʼs Website: www.abcmagicentertainment.com

Tony Binarelli
TONY BINARELLI has been interested in magic since 1952. In 1958 he became
a member of the “Club Magico Italiano” in Bologna. His interest in magic ranges
from close-up to full stage illusions.
He has reached celebrity status because of his work on Italian and International

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 television, which started with his participation of the first edition of the famous TV
show “ Domenica” presented by Corrado.
Furthermore he worked as advisor in many theatrical performances and in
movies, such as the famous “Continuavano a chiamarlo Trinita”, and “ Tre passi
nel delirio”, in which he has transformed the three protagonists Terence Hill, Bud
Spencer, Alain Delon along with Brigitte Bardot in to clever gamblers.
He has published several books (the highlights are CLASS ACT and MY WAY TO
MENTALISM) and created several professional effects as well as lecturing at
conventions in Europe and North America.
During his career he has received many international and Italian awards including
the FISM Prize in 1967 and 1970. He has been honored by some of the major
awards in magic including a Special Award for his contribution to our craft
presented at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas.
He continues to be a very busy performer with his 90 minute one man stage
shows as well as his continued work on television.
For more information visit: www.tonybinarelli.com

Reg Blackwood
Reg Blackwood is a New Zealand based hypnotist, mentalist, comedian and
trainer who has performed and trained alongside some of the biggest names in
the business.
He performs not only on stage but also at festivals and events throughout the
Southern Hemisphere with his own unique brand of walkaround hypnosis.
His approach to rapid and instant hypnotic inductions combined with feats of
mindreading, prediction, persuasion and suggestion earned him the nickname
"The Quicknotist."

Jasper Blakeley

E. Raymond Carlyle
Raymond Carlyle is one of the legendary characters in Mentalism. He was the
first medium at the Magic Castle, and performed séances there for ten years. He
is the creator of many classic effects, such as the Butter Tub Prediction, The

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 Spirit Bell and the Medium's Grip. He was a founder member of the Elders in Los
Angeles and the founder of a Mentalism group in Virginia Beach, where he now
lives.
Ed has been involved in magic and Mentalism for all of his life. His father was a
tool and die maker for Harry Houdini and knew many magicians. Dunninger and
Harry Blackstone were regular visitors to Ed's home while he was growing up.
His magical education began early. There is very little that Ed doesn't know about
the areas of magic that he is interested in. He uses this rich background to come
up with effects that are practical, well thought out, and believable.
To see a complete list of Carlyle's products be sure to visit:
http://www.carlyletouch.com/

Tony Chris

Ozzy D
From Devon in the UK Ozzy has been performing for over 20 years, winner of the
Devon Magic Circle Childrenʼs Entertainer of the Year 3 times. Most of his
experience is working with family audiences, so his routines play well for adult
and children alike.

Jack Dean

Ken Dyne

Keith Fields

Magic George
George Quinn is a magician, writer and comedian based in Belfast who has been
entertaining audiences all over Ireland for the last 15 years as “Magic George”.
How he came up with this stage name is a mystery. Although, hi full-time job is
entertaining family audiences, and crowds of children he has recently made quite

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 a name for himself on the UK and Ireland comedy circuit adapting his unique
sense of humour for the adult crowd. He also wears a hat and has written an
excellent joke about a banana.
www.magicgeorge.co.uk

Andrew Gerard
Gerard was influenced at an early age by his family. Although his father was a
classic magician, it was inevitably his grandfather and namesake “Gerard”, a card
cheating pickpocket and flimflam artist, who fascinated Gerard. Today, Gerard
has fused psychology, hypnosis, and the street sense he inherited from his
grandfather to create his unique and fascinating brand of performance art. “I want
everyone to walk away from my show knowing they had experienced something
completely unique and entertaining.”
Gerard has two separate but fascinating shows that he brings to the stage. First,
an interactive fast paced mind control show titled “Matters of the Mind.” The
second is his hilarious hypnosis show he calls...”The Hypnosis Show.” Gerard
has appeared on National TV and radio, has been a headline guest in Las Vegas
and currently is seen by millions of viewers each week on A&E ʻs hit show “MIND
FREAK” with Criss Angel, which Gerard worked as a consultant and cast
member. Gerardʼs latest venture has been as a consultant for David Blaine and
more recently the Keith Barry Special and TV Series.
Some of his effects on the market include; Mindwaves, Psyche, Falling For You,
Accuracy, Ice From Water, Street Cents, Key Accessory and Real Time.
www.gerardthehypnotist.com

Matthew Johnson

Cris Johnson
Cris has been delivering motivational and fun-filled programs to clients in 32
states across the U.S. (and parts of Canada)for over 15 years. He also offers
one-on-one clinical hypnosis services to everyday people looking to overcome
everyday problems. By offering overall messages of realizing one's potential and
taking action, Cris has made it his life's mission to help people of all ages fulfill

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 their potential and achieve their goals. Cris also offers several products to help
magicians take their performing to the next level. Send Cris an email to:
crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net to sign up for his FREE monthly ezine devoted to
magic performing and philosophy from the standpoint of a real-world "worker."

David Kaye
David Kaye has performed magic and comedy for children for more than twenty
years. Known to the lay public as Silly Billy, he is one of the best known childrenʼs
entertainers in the United States, performing for the families of celebrities like
Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, with appearances at the White House and
Lincoln Center.

David is also well known within the magic community as a leader in the childrenʼs
magic world. For eight years David wrote a monthly column about performing
magic for children in MAGIC magazine; he has appeared on the covers of U.S.
magazines MAGIC, Genii, and M.U.M., the only childrenʼs magician ever to do
that; and was featured on the magic TV show Celebracadabra. He is currently a
regular columnist for the DVD magic magazine Reel Magic and is a frequent
contributor to the podcast The Magic Newswire.

He may be best known for his groundbreaking book, Seriously Silly - How to
Perform Magic and Comedy for Children, considered by many to be the best
book on childrenʼs magic. The essay that appears here is adapted from an essay
appearing in that book.

Ken Dyne
Creative madman and mind reader. Performing a combination of corporate
shows, theatre appearances and speaking on the subject of real persuasion, Ken
is one of the UK's most sought after live acts. In fact Mensa (the high IQ society)
say that he is 'a popular must-have on the business circuit'. As well as performing
for corporate audiences, Ken has released a plethora of incredible material to the
mentalism community, most of which is exclusively available direct from Ken
himself.

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 Visit: www.MentalUnderground.com

Jim Kleefeld
Jim Kleefeld is a full-time children's performer living and working near Cleveland,
Ohio. A magician with over 30 years of experience, he currently offers eight
different school assembly programs, including shows on character, reading,
history and anti-bullying. Each summer he creates and markets a themed library
program for summer reading clubs. Past library programs include magic shows
themed around oceans, space, the wild west, insects, medieval, pets, and more.
He has devised hundreds of tricks and written routines in numerous articles for
M-U-M, Kidabra Journal, Funny Paper, Linking Ring, LaughMakers, New
Invocation and more. Jim is the author of Bug Magic, Water Magic, World Magic,
Creativity Shows and other book for children's entertainers. Many of his books
and DVDs are available on his website, JimKleefeld.com

David D. LaRue
LaRue has performed magic all over Europe, Asia and the US for more than 50
years. Twice past President of Denver's Mile High Magician Society, LaRue has
also written for several well-known magicians, including Petrik and Mia, John T.
Sheets, Lamont Ream, David Neighbors, Steve Spangler and Larry Mahan, A
career history teacher, LaRue also teaches film analysis and video production
when not working on his own film projects.

Anthony Lindan
Anthony Lindanʼs expertise has been honed over his 25-year career as a
professional magician performing at corporate events across North America.

Lindanʼs keynote presentations and workshops share practical tips about tapping
into your inner magic, maximizing your personal impact and communicating more
confidently and effectively.

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 Anthonyʼs work experience includes being a Club Med G.O., a radio news
reporter/anchor and a media analyst. Since 1997 he has run Anthony Lindan
Productions focusing on corporate training and entertainment marketing.

Anthony is a graduate of Queenʼs University and Seneca College. His

professional membership includes the Canadian Association of Professional
Speakers and the Canadian Society For Training & Development.

Tim Mannix

Larry Mahan

Magical Michael
Michael Stephanic caught the magic-bug as a child.  Now, after thrilling
audiences on the East Coast for over twenty-five years, Amazing Magical
Michael is taking the heartland of America by storm. Magical Michael's style of
magic, mentalism and comedy combine to deliver the best entertainment of its
kind for audiences of all ages."

www.magicalmichael.com

Kyle Peron

Ken Ring
Ken Ring is a former high-profile magician around New Zealand schools, having
toured the country with his Mathman math-magic show for nearly twenty years.
He has since retired from performing to pursue his other prediction-based
interest: weather. Now contracted to Australian TV giant Channel 7, Ken is New
Zealand and Australiaʼs resident long-range weather forecaster and regular
broadcaster and popular traveling speaker. Ken describes his weather
forecasting as the ultimate prediction routine, based on solid math principles and
speed calculation.

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 Still based in Auckland, New Zealand, he directs Predict Weather Ltd and an
award winning website. Ken retains his interest in performing, researching and
inventing mentalism, which he often includes in his speaking engagements.
Ken has many books on the market for the general public including; Predicting
the Weather by Looking at the Moon, Luna Code, and Predicting Weather
Almanac.
www.mathman.co.nz
www.predictweather.com

Ray Roch
Ray has performed magic for over thirty years! His experience is rich and varied
with performances in venues from private parties; cruise ships, trade shows and
even fairs, festivals and rodeos.A highlight of Rayʼs worldly travels was his
performances close to the north pole while touring with the Frantic Follies
Vaudeville Review, a venue that included the isolated DEW line bases manned
by the Canadian Armed Forces during the cold war.
It was these Follies that influenced Ray to develop a character that heʼs used
extensively while performing at themed and corporate events ... Flim-Flam
Foolery. Itʼs a depiction of an old time vaudevillian or con man with a straw hat,
baggy pants and spats, a wonderful costume that brought Ray work simply
because he was different, very colorful and stood out in a crowd. It helped that
Ray was also perform ing the old “Three Shell Game”, which in itself, is a novelty.
Ray can still recall close-up venues where to gather a crowd, all he had to do
was place the shells and a pea on the table. He didnʼt have to say a word. As
soon as people saw the shells they approached, eager to be bamboozled.
Itʼs a great attention getter and fun to watch. Hence the act, Flim-Flam Foolery
was born. Rayʼs signature piece is his coin act. Ray has performed a routine,
called “Easy Money” featuring dollar size coins in his stage show for many years
with great success. Initially, he was told that the coins would be too hard to see.
However, with good lights and music, Ray has managed to prove the naysayers
wrong by entertaining at thousands of venues with his original presentation of
“Easy Money.”

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 Performances at the famous “Magic Castle” in Hollywood, a mecca for
magicians, along with recent appearances during the illustrious Fechterʼs Finger
Flicking Frolic magic conference held annually in New York, firmly established
Ray as one of the elite in magic. The journey is not over; Ray constantly invents
new routines and was recently involved in a theatrical production at the
Waterfront Theatre in Vancouver B.C. called The Vaudevillian Experience. With
twelve acts on the bill depicting the early days of Vaudeville, Ray performed twice
a day with his original comedy renditions of “Hang-Ups” and “Easy Money”!

Wayne Rogers
Wayne Rogers (Chicane) is a full-time professional magician and magic
manufacturer based in Auckland, New Zealand. Wayneʼs original magic props
include The Appearing Ladder from Briefcase, Missing Spade, Appearing Shovel,
and Pinocchioʼs Nose. He is a regular contributor to New Zealandʼs magic
magazine Magicana, he lectured at the Magic Castle in 1993, and did a month-
long lecture tour of the UK in 2002.
Wayne has performed everything from childrenʼs parties to illusions, plus product
launches and strolling for corporate functions.
He has designed and built several illusions for other magicians and is a
consultant and builder of magic props for the New Zealand Ronald McDonald
Road Show.
These days most of his larger illusions have been retired, but Wayne still uses
regularly in his solo act two Harbin creations: the “Invisible Sawing” and the
“Chair Suspension.” He has always had a strong interest in mentalism, and now
performs more and more of the mental routines in his stand-up work.
Over the years Wayne has won most major competitions at New Zealand magic
conventions, and in 2004 was honored with the supreme award for excellence for
a New Zealand magician . . . The Grand Master of Magic Award.
Contact Wayne at chicane@nzmagic.com
or visit his website
http://www.nzmagic.com

Paul Romhany

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 Paul Romhany has been a professional magician for over twenty five years, and
in that time has become one of the most sought after comedy magicians on high
end cruise ships, and theatrical shows around the world. He has developed two
very unique styles, one is a silent act as Charlie Chaplin, the other is his comedy
magic act. Having performed in over a hundred countries and on seventeen
national television shows, Paul is constantly creating and developing new
material for his act, as well as acting as a consultant for other magicians.
As an author, he has written several books including Entertaining on a Cruise
Ship - the ultimate guide, and Lunch Is Served. He has developed over fifty
original magic effects that are being sold world wide including his biggest selling
effects Dream Prediction and Linking Hearts.
In 2009 Paul started touring with his World Tour Magic Lecture in North America,
Europe and Australia and continues to do so in 2010 with bookings for his
lectures and workshops already in 2012.
For a complete list of books, DVDs and effects vist:
www.paulromhanymagic.com

Dal Sanders

Mark Strivings
Mark Strivings is a full-time professional performer doing over 500 paid
performances per year. Working a wide variety of venues and performing styles,
Mark does everything from strolling and table-hopping to children's shows, adult
performances, mentalism, readings, home psychic parties, hypnosis and more.

Mark works primarily in the western half of the US, and is currently based in the
Denver area.

Author of 13 books on mentalism, children's magic and family entertainment, He

is also a featured performer on the Desert Brainstorm Series of videotapes
published by A-1 Magical Media , along with other members of the Arizona Six
and One-Half. Mark has released nearly 50 effects and accessories for

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 mentalists and family entertainers, including the Sight Unseen Case, used by
professionals the world over.

Mark has been published in Magick, Syzygy, Vibrations, The Magic Menu and
Laugh Makers. He is a columnist for The Magic Menu and the recently
terminated Laugh Makers Magazine.

Mark is the owner/operator of the world's largest all-mentalism mail order source,
called Mental Connections.

Professor Spellbinder
Spellbinder, Phineas
(born Victor Grimes, 1930 - )
Formerly magic assistant to Jim Gerrish, branched out on his own as a stage
magician in 1964, then fell under the influence of Wizard-style magic in 1975.
Legally changed name to Phineas Spellbinder in 2001. Co-founded (with Jim
Gerrish) The Magic Nook for Wizards, Witches and Magicians in 2003 primarily
to publish The Wizards' Journal. Spellbinder is an inventor of many Wizard-style
magical effects, most of which can be found in The Wizards' Journals and other
e-Books available on his Web site ( www.magicnook.com ). The rest are still in
his notebooks or in his head, waiting impatiently to be written down for others to
use and enjoy.
Visit:www.magicnook.com

TC Tahoe
TC Tahoe was born in Great Falls, Montana. His parents worked very hard,
thereby depriving him of a life of poverty and the chance to rise above it.
During an extended stay in a hospital TC was given a book of card tricks to “play
aroundʼ with, all these years later, he is still playing around.
As a young performer TC entered several magic competitions, winning awards in
Manipulation and Comedy. From the moment he won his first award, he knew
what he wanted to do with the rest of his life ... But his parents made him move

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 off the couch after only a few short months. TC began working at a private magic
club (Magic Island) in Newport Beach, CA. He wasted no time in auditioning at
the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Just a few years of “Working” the Castle and TC
was rewarded with a nomination Parlor Magician of the Year, for his comedy
magic. He was nominated for the next five years in that same category, along
with Stage Magician of the Year, Close-up Magic of the Year and Lecturer of the
Year.
Then, one April evening at the Beverly Hilton actress Karen Black said the words
that are still ringing in TCʼs ears, and the winner is T.C. Tahoe.
TC has been seen literally all over the world, from the Africa to Australia, Puerto
Rico to the Philippines (and way too often in Bahamas). He has appeared on TV
in our countries and hundreds of radio shows. TCʼs magic has been seen in the
Jack Nicholson fi lm the Crossing Guard and in private “private home” shows for
celebrities like Pierce Brosnan, Paula Abdul, Minnie Driver, Josh Brolin and
Steven Seagal.
Visit www.tctahoe.com for more fun TC things.

Christopher Taylor
Christopher is a recently retired classroom teacher. He is also a former prison
guard, Kung Fu instructor and childrenʼs author. He currently runs his company,
Taylor Imagineering full time, producing cutting edge mentalism products. His
most popular electronic products include Equinox, The Pro Thumper, The Real
Ghost and most recently, T•3.
Christopher has also authored two well received books on mentalism and story-
based magic. These are, Inside out and Unconventional.
His most recent release was the DVD set, Outside the Conventional through
Inner Mind Productions in the UK. He enjoys sharing material from his books and
DVD through his lectures.
Christopherʼs upcoming projects -- including new electronic products and his
“Poor Mageʼs Billet System” -- can be seen on his website.
www.tayloriamgineering.com

Richard Webster

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 Richard Webster is a psychic entertainer, stage hypnotist, magician and author,
though writing is his main focus nowadays. He has written twenty seven books
for psychic entertainers and magicians, and dozens more for the general public
that have been translated into twenty two languages. Richard lives in New
Zealand, and travels to the US and Europe at least once a year to promote his
books. His effects have been published in many magic magazines including
Genii, Magick, The New Invocation,Magigram, Abracadabra. Syzygy, Vibrations
and Magicana.
Richard has also produced several DVDs and CDs for the mentalism market.
He has appeared on several radio and TV programs in the United States and
abroad including guest spots on Hard Copy, WMAQ-TV (Chicago), KTLA-TV (Los
Angeles), KSTW-TV (Seattle) and the Mike and Matty Show (ABC).
http://www.psychic.co.nz

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