Educational Routines for school performers

Doug Scheer
 Promoting your show, Doug Scheer................4

Up sells, Danny orleans..............................9

Marketing during your show, David Kaye..........11

Educational Routines for school performers

David Kaye
rose sign gag ...........................................17

Doug Scheer
Multum in Parvo .........................................19

Houdini's Squirt gun Escape...........................23

Danny Orleans
warm ups & openers................................... . 2 7

surprise dove production .............................31

remote control .........................................35

Great products for Magicians.......................38

stay in touch..............................................46

3D logo artwork by angeL contreras

www.art4clowns.com
 This Interview excerpt is from Doug scheer's book
entertaining Education, a comprehensive guide to creating
and performing Educational Magic
Visit www.dougscheer.com to purchase

A lot of magicians complain that they can't get enough work.

How do you stay busy?

First off, I don't like to call myself a magician. But that's only
because I respect our generation's top magicians so much that I don't
feel worthy of the title, magician. Besides, my first goal is not to fool,
but to teach. My clients hire me because they want their students to
be entertained, sure, but it's more important that they go away having
learned something new. The magic in my shows is secondary. The
magic is important, but it's only a visual aid to drive a lesson home.
That brings us nicely to your question which is how I get work. I
learned long ago that to be successful you had to be different. If I
marketed my shows like magic shows, I'd have to compete with every
other magician on the internet. Some guys don't perform for a living,
they have other jobs and so they can afford to charge a lot less. I can't
compete with that. So if you look closely at any of my brochures or
even read my website you'll see almost no mention of the word magic.
So now a school can hire a magician and they can hire me too. It's
funny, I'll even hear from principals saying they were surprised that my
magic tricks were even better than the magician's they had previously.
That makes me laugh because, even though they see my illusions,
they still don't consider me a magician. I actually love that.

Making the phone ring nowadays is tough. Hardly anybody calls to

schedule a show anymore. People find you on the web and visit your
site then send emails. Because of this trend, I've created videos that
actually speak directly to the viewer. Instead of showing just clips from Doug Scheer
my show, or a slick iMovie Trailer, I'm actually able to walk a potential
client though seeing exactly what they get when they hire me. My promo videos show me pulling up to the
school with my trailer, setting up my backdrop, and performing for elementary kids. I also tell the viewers
exactly what I'll be teaching and use video clips from the show for clarity. My clients know exactly what
they are buying. Those videos are at assemblyshows.com in case anybody wants to check them out. So
it's that, plus lots of direct mail marketing that gets me work. My direct mail is mostly oversized postcards,
a few flyers, and even a fold-out catalog/poster/brochure combination piece.

Note: a sampling of Doug's advertising materials is included in

entertaining Education, a comprehensive guide to creating and performing
Educational Magic. Purchase at dougscheer.com

4
 So, when it comes to marketing, It's certainly a little bit of everything. Guys ask me, "How often do
you send out your postcards?" I get this question three or four times a year. "What date do you send out
your brochures?" I say, "What?" Yeah, what date. Okay, here's a better question. What date don't I
send out my brochures? I don't send them out just before Christmas or Easter break. That's when I don't
send them out.

But if you want to make a lot of money doing shows, you need to spend a lot of money advertising. I
remember reading an interview with one of the current Las Vegas magicians and he basically drove that
point home for me. He said he spent $80,000.00 in one year on advertising. I'm thinking, "Oh, my gosh,
$80,000.00. That's crazy." But he basically said, "The more you advertise, the more you're going to
work." And it's true. Certainly $80K is not in any school show performer's budget, but $500 per month
might be. And you can send out a lot of promotional material for $500 per month.

So the answer is, you need to advertise every month. You really do. And I think it's a combination. I
get shows from the internet too, but my SEO is lousy and I know that’s an aspect of my marketing that
needs to be improved, but the majority of my clients are not searching for a generic magician. They are
searching for me. My website supports my hard copy brochures and postcards. YouTube has videos of
my performances and promotional videos. So when people search for assemblyshows.com or search for
my name, they are going to find me regardless if my SEO stinks. I do some email marketing, but that
rarely generates new shows from people who have never heard of me before. Email blasts to past clients
remind them that I’m still available and they can contact me. I’ve been working in my market for nearly 30
years so former school teachers are now principals. Former principals are now school superintendents
and they know who I am already.

This is working for me: I send out mostly oversized postcards and brochures. I do zero cold-calling.
For me it's basically repeat customers. It goes back to if you have one show and it's great, they're going
to want you again three months from now, five months from now, or next year with another show. So my
goal when I go into a school is not just to do a great show for them that day. My goal is to get invited back
for the next year, and I think by doing a great show, you're going to get invited back. But they have to
know who you are. There are always new faces in the
crowd. These are people who have never seen your act.
All the teachers have teacher friends at other schools.
They have spouses who are teachers in other schools
and they have principal friends who can and will book
you if they have a budget and know you are great.

The important thing is that you tell them you

want to come back. I always say something like,
"Hey, your kids were awesome. They were great. I
had a great time here. Please invite me back for
your next assembly show in a few months or next
year or keep me in mind if you're doing a family night
thing. I also do magic shows." Just keep in mind that
you need to be always selling. Just don't be obnoxious
about it. People hate pushy salespeople.

Whenever I leave a school I always stop by the

office and compliment the secretary on how wonderful
the kids were. Then, I 'trick' her into helping promote
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my show. I'll tell you what I get her to do then I'll tell you
how. Imagine this, you walk into a school office and say,
"Hey, would you mind sticking an advertising brochure in
each teacher's mailbox for me?" You can guess what the
answer is going to be, right? You'll likely be told no then
you'll become the butt of her jokes the rest of the day
because she thought you were thick headed. But that's
pretty much exactly what I'm asking her to do and, get
this, she tells me how thoughtful I am and what a nice
gesture that is. So the secret is to turn your advertising
piece into a generic thank you card for every teacher.
Now I enter the office, say words about how nice and
wonderful the kids were (even if they weren't) and say I have some thank you cards for the teachers. I just
wanted them to know that I appreciate the time they took out of class to attend my performance.
Suddenly, I'm a thoughtful and generous guy. The secretary happily takes my cards and offers to stuff
each mailbox for me. It's never failed and gets my name and website info into every teacher's hand. I get
repeat shows all the time this way and it's something I'll never give up doing. I use just a standard size
postcard, color on one side with a listing of my shows a message on the back.

I see a lot of magicians make the mistake of only having publicity photos on their advertising materials.
And that includes the photos on their websites. Publicity photos let others see what you look like, but
generally don't show your client anything about what they are buying. I'm not saying pose around every
prop you own so it looks like a magic garage sale --no client has any idea what the heck that tube with
three colored balls is anyway -- I am suggesting that you hire a professional photographer to come to one
of your shows and take 300 pictures of you in action at a live event. Put a mixture of those photos on your
websites and marketing materials. Those are the pictures your client will understand. Those are the
pictures that show you interacting with the audience, how you are dressed, your backdrop, props, and
audience reactions. You may need to get permission to use some of those pictures, but that's usually not
too much of a problem. Most people are thrilled that you might use a picture of them on your advertising.
Just be open and honest without being sneaking and you'll get what you want 90% of the time.

I was told you've gone against some traditional advice when it comes to having your show
introduced. Can you share that with us?

(Laughing) You make me sound like some kind of rebel, but yeah, I know what you're talking about.
You hear this all the time, "Well, the most important thing you can do to show yourself as a professional is
hand the person introducing you a three by five card with your introduction written down on it, and they will
read it, and then you'll get the introduction you want." I think that is good advice for some shows, but
what if the guy can't read? That's happened to me. What if he's nervous? He's going to stumble over it
and look uncomfortable.

And then I thought, "You know what? I work in elementary schools, and the people introducing me are
either teachers or the principal, and a teacher's job is to speak in public every day. They speak to 30 kids
at a time. And the principal's job is to speak in public every day." So the people introducing me are not
the people who really need a handwritten introduction. I'm listening to these experts tell me how important
an introduction is and I thought, "Okay, handwritten introduction, I get it. But maybe that's not the best
thing for me as a school performer."

6
 If you're doing a show and the company executive is doing an intro for you, yes, you better give that
person something to say so you get the proper introduction, but, honestly, in an elementary school kids
don't care what my name is. They don't care who I am. They don't care that I turned down an invitation to
perform at the White House Easter Egg Roll or anything else really. They just want the show to start. So I
would just tell the principal to ad-lib the intro and say a few things about minding manners and do general
housekeeping announcements. Then I'd tell her to just bring me on with a round of applause. So they'll go
out the first show and she would say exactly that kind of thing. It'd be fine.

Typically in a school, I'll do two shows. So just before the second show, the principal will again get up
in front of the kids and ad-lib again. But this time, I'll get the best quotes. I will turn on my little voice
recorder on my phone, and I'll stand behind the curtain, and this is what I get: "You kids are going to love
this show. It is the best assembly show I have ever seen in the 25 years I have been a principal. There is
so much fun in this show, and you kids are going to get to help out, and it's just maybe the most
remarkable thing... and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."

So now I just got a quote from this principal, and it comes from her heart. I get great quotes that way.
Principals will go out there and say, "This show is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome,
and you're gonna love it." They're not going to say that to your face. They're not going to write that in an
email, but they're going to say it to 400 kids 'cause they just saw the show, and they want the kids to know
how good it is.

So I just record those, and I go home and I write them down. I put down the principal's name and,
bam, I just got the greatest quote in the world and I didn't even ask them for it. So it's sneaky, but they
can't deny it. They said it. I wrote it down. I put their name on it. And I've done it for a long time that way
and it works out great.

If I had told them I was going to record them, they would be censoring themselves. And if you stand in
front of a principal with a video camera and say, "Can you give me a video testimonial?" they look
uncomfortable 90 percent of the time. Sure, you can get some great testimonials that way. I've seen guys
do it. But I'm busy packing and heading out the door so this is really also my way of saving some time.

Let's talk about pricing your shows. You have all your prices on your brochures and websites. I
don't see that very often. Usually, clients have to contact me before I can quote a price and I think
that's the same for most magicians. Can you explain your thinking on this?

I was told two things by a principal once that I've lived by religiously. First, I was told that if a brochure
doesn't have a price on it, it immediately goes into the garbage can. He told me he doesn't want to call a
performer and have to negotiate. He wants to know up front exactly what the show is going to cost. Ever
since then I've always included my prices and include a line that travel may be extra. The second thing he
told me was that they don't have time for magic shows in school. He will hire assembly performers, but
will not hire a magician for a school day performance. He said that magic is a waste of time. Because of
that, I've always been careful not to market my shows as magic shows even though I use magic and
illusions in eleven of my thirteen different shows.
Also, so many performers are afraid to discount their shows because they feel it lessens the value of
what they offer. But here is the thing, everybody wants to know they are getting a good deal. So whenever
someone calls me and asks for a better price they are simply opening the door for negotiation. You can't
blame them for this. Recently, I had a call from a school that wanted me to come present three different

7
assembly shows, twice each. She was asking for a total of six performances and told me her budget
was about $1300 shy of what I would normally charge. This was even after I explained that I was giving
her my multi-show discount, but she wanted to pay even less. I gave her options to reduce her total bill
and told her I'd like to help her out. I suggested alternate days that I'd already be in the area. I
suggested combining her audiences to reduce the number of actual performances, I suggested
alternate, less expensive programs and the benefits of teaming up with another school in her area. She
stood firm and didn't want to meet me anywhere in the middle or make a counter offer that would
sweeten the deal even a little bit. I walked away from the transaction because I felt like she was just
trying to beat me up on price. That woman didn't want to negotiate and didn't understand that I wouldn't
reduce my price so dramatically just because she asked. I'm not a garage sale. More often than not
those are the kind of clients that would be difficult to work with anyway.

If someone wants a better price on a show, I'm usually flexible, but they have to be able to offer
something in return. There are dozens of things you can ask for in exchange for giving a lower price:
assistance unloading or setting up, help at your back of room table for a non-school day show, a second
booking later in the year, a shorter performance, etc. Certainly those things might offer very little help to
you but the client perceives they are giving something in return for a better price and they will respect
you for that.
I actually created a take-home DVD and
book of one of my school shows called
Diversity Circus as an alternate 'payment
plan' for schools needing financial
assistance affording my shows. When the
economy started falling apart back in 2010
and schools were losing enrollment, I put
together a plan to sell my DVD and Book to
the students after performing the show. With
enough sales, the plan worked well. The
school's cost would be eliminated or greatly
reduced. If anybody else wants to try this
idea I suggest putting together the highest
quality product you can. Here's what I did.
We had the show filmed and professionally
edited then I created a 64 page graphic
novel that uses photographs from the show
as the artwork. The schools aren't really
interested in the DVD as much as they are
interested in the book. As an author, my
credibility in the schools goes through the
roof. Authors have been selling their books
for years in schools after a presentation. I
pretty much followed the path they already
set out for me.

During the performance I announce that the kids can watch my show again and again if they like
because they will be taking an order form home at the end of the day. Prior to my appearance, I
email a pdf order form to the school. They then send it home with the kids as a printed flyer or even

8
attached to an email to every family. The kids have three to five days to bring in their payment and take
home their book/dvd that day. I simply leave enough copies in the school office and provide a prepaid
return address label so they can return any unsold copies. Typically, thirty percent of the student body will
make the purchase and the profits easily pay for the show. It's a win-win. The schools have to do a little
work collecting and filling orders, but they get a free assembly and I get a paycheck.

Add-­ons  and  upsells  for  the  Birthday  Party  Magician

by  Danny  Orleans
Many  full-­‐time  or  part  time  children’s  entertainers,  who  specialize  in  performing  at  private  parties,  
are  always  on  the  lookout  for  a  way  to  obtain  additional  income  from  each  performance.    Truth  be  
told,  as  an  “artist”  I  Bind  the  idea  of  attempting  to  suck  extra  dollars  from  clients  distasteful.  But  as  a  
businessman,  I  am  aware  that  ignoring  these  upsell  opportunities  is  just  “leaving  money  on  the  
table.”

So,  to  satisfy  both  the  artist  and  businessman  in  me,  I  mention  the  idea  of  “magic  gifts”  for  the  
birthday  child  and  his  or  her  guests,  only  after  the  contract  has  been  signed.

I  call  or  email  the  client  and  say,  

Hello  Mrs.  Kaufman,

Just  letting  you  know  that  I  received  your  signed  contract  and  deposit.  When  we  chatted  on  the  phone  
last  week,  I  neglected  to  mention  that  I  could  provide  special  magic  tricks  for  each  guest  at  your  party  if  
you’d  like  to  include  one  in  each  child’s  goodie  bag.    During  the  show,  I’ll  demonstrate  the  trick  and  
teach  the  kids  the  secret,  so  they’ll  be  able  to  perform  it  when  they  get  home.  

Each  one  cost  $3.50.  If  this  is  something  you’d  like  to  consider,  please  click  on  the  following  links  to  
learn  about  each  trick.

Then  I  provide  links  to  tricks  such  as

PENNY  TO  DIME
TEL-­A-­VISION
MIRACLE  CARD  CASE

These  tricks  are  made  by  Fun,  Inc.  in  the  Chicago  area.  
(www.funinc.com).  The  wholesale  price  allows  me  to  
have  a  stock  of  them  at  my  home  and  make  the  time  
and  effort  to  order,  store  and  sell  them  worthwhile.  
Those  of  you  who  are  more  enterprising,  may  want  to
make  a  video  clip  of  you  performing  the  tricks.  Surely  
a  link  to  a  well-­‐made  video  could  be  an  effective  selling  
tool.

When  my  wife,  Jan  Rose,  performed  her  “Miss  Magic  Show”

9
 at  kids’  parties  in  the  1980s,  she  taught  “The  Vanishing  
Rabbit”  geometric  vanish  created  by  Mel  Stover  (with  his  
permission.)  We  had  these  printed  on  perforated  card  stock.  It  
was  a  great  giveaway/upsell  for  children’s  parties  –  especially  
kids  in  the  3  –  4  year  age  range.
The  proBit  margin  on  printed  items  is  excellent.

If  you  perform  shows  at  libraries,  community  centers,  or  

venues  for  the  general  public,  you  might  want  to  try  a  strategy  
that  I  saw  a  professional  comedian  use  to  get  money  for  his  
DVDs  that  had  highlights  of  his  show.  It  made  him  seem  like  
more  of  an  artist  and  less  of  an  entrepreneur  taking  advantage  
of  his  audience.  

Just  before  the  end  of  the  show,  the  comic  said,  …
You  guys  have  been  a  really  great  audience.  I  want  each  of  you  
to  have  one  of  my  DVDs  Iilled  with  hilarious  highlights  of  my  
stand-­up  act.  On  my  website,  they  sell  for  $20,  but  I  don’t  want  
you  to  drop  a  bundle  to  share  my  comedy  with  family  and  
Danny Orleans friends.  If  you  have  a  $5  or  a  $10  and  can  drop  it  into  the  box  to  
help  me  pay  for  the  production  and  duplication  costs  that  would  be  
great.  But  if  you  only  have  a  couple  of  dollars,  that’s  okay,  too.    If  you’re  broke,  or  recently  lost  your  job,  then  just  
take  one  and  enjoy.  Do  whatever  works  for  you.

Then  he  told  a  few  more  jokes,  Binished  his  set,  and  stood  by  the  
only  exit  in  the  room  with  a  huge  stack  of  DVDs  in  his  hands  and  
a  cardboard  box  on  the  Bloor  to  collect  the  cash.  He  handed  one  
to  everyone  as  they  exited  with  a  big  friendly  smile  on  his  face.  
Given  the  fact  that  replication  for  DVDs  with  a  cardboard  sleeve  
can  be  under  a  $1  in  the  right  quantities,  he  probably  took  in  
more  cash  than  if  he  had  set  up  a  traditional  “shop”  in  the  back  
of  the  house  retailing  DVDs  at  $20.

For  upscale  events,  I  have  sold  entire  magic  kits  to  clients.  Dollar  stores  and  retail  establishments  
such  as  Costco,  Sam’s  Club  and  even  major  bookstores  occasionally  acquire  magic  kits  from  
manufacturers  at  close-­‐out  prices  and  sell  them  at  20%  of  their  retail  value.  

In  2005,  when  Scholastic  did  this  with  the  ten  magic

kits  from  their  “Ultimate  Magic  Club,”  (I  was  the  
consultant  on  the  project)  I,  and  many  other  magicians
and  magic  shops,  took  advantage  of  the  $4  price/kit  at  
Border’s  Book  Stores  and  stocked  up.  Many  magicians  
were  able  to  resell  them  in  the  $10  -­‐  $15  price  range.

 In  closing,  I  think  it’s  important  to  restate  that  I  never  

mention  these  upsells  and  add-­‐ons  when  selling  my
show.  When  a  client  calls  for  a  kid’s  party,  I  don’t  think  
they  want  to  be  overwhelmed  with  goodie  bag  and  party
favor  choices.  Sell  your  show  Birst.  Get  the  gig.  Then,  after
your  relationship  is  established,  give  your  client  the    option  to  purchase  additional  swag  for  the  party  
guests.

10
 Marketing During Your Show
How to promote future bookings at a live show
By David Kaye

My name is David Kaye. I have been a full-time children’s magician for… well, for ever. I specialize in
children’s birthday party shows.

Ninety-five percent of my bookings are from word of mouth. That is to say, 95% of all the shows I book are
for people who have seen my show before or heard about me from someone else who has seen my show
before. The remaining five percent of my bookings come from every other kind of marketing – Google Ad
Words, internet searches, listings in parent magazines and parent web sites, etc. That means that my best
marketing tool costs me nothing to implement. That is a good position to be in.

It isn’t just good enough to have a great show and expect the little kiddies to call you up and hire you. There
are things you have to do during your show to inspire that action - both in the kids and the adults. That is
what I am going to teach you here.

This material comes from my e-book called Power Marketing for Magicians, available on my web site
sillymagic.com.

1. The Silly Billy Theory of Success

After I had been performing full-time for a couple of years, I realized an exciting principle about marketing
my show. Since then, I think about it nearly every day. I believe it has helped make me as successful as I am
today. I call it the Silly Billy theory of success:

Two conditions must be fulfilled in order to be successful:

1. People must want to hire you, and
2. People must be able to reach you.

Let me explain what that means. When I

say, “to be successful” I am not referring
to an internal feeling of satisfaction. For
our purposes, success is defined by
working more, charging more, or both.

In order to create a situation where “people

must want to hire you” you have to have a
great product. In the case of a candy bar, it
should taste good. In the case of a magician,
it means doing a great show. The better your
show is, and the better you are as a performer, the more people will want to hire you.

“People must be able to reach you,” means that when the customer is ready to make a purchase, the product
must be available. In the case of a candy bar, it must be on the shelf next to the M & M's. In our case, when
the customer is ready to make a purchase -- to call you and book you -- they must have access to your
telephone number or email address. In the case of a birthday party show, the purchase might take place
eleven months after seeing my show.
11
Let’s look at an example from the magic world. One night Mrs. Kotkin is watching The Tonight Show. On
the show is a magician doing amazing magic tricks. So she decides he would be perfect to hire for the
birthday party of her son David. But because the magic act is part of a longer segment with other variety
performers, Mrs. Kotkin never finds out the name of the magician.

In this story, Mrs. Kotkin wanted to hire Mr. Magic (condition #1 exists) but Mr. Magic didn’t have “a
way to reach him” (condition #2 did not). Since one part of the two conditions for success was missing, he
didn’t get the gig. You could be the best magician in town, but if people can’t reach you, you won’t get the
gig.

The next day, Mrs. Kotkin took David to a magic show at their local library. In the library there were big
signs with the magician’s name promoting the show. There was also a table with promotional material
about the magician including a brochure with beautiful photographs and business cards. Unfortunately, the
magician was 30 minutes late. When he finally showed up, he did such a bad job that the children got
fidgety, and stopped watching the show.

In this story, all the promotional material, advertising, and name recognition in the world (condition #2
exists), wouldn’t get this loser hired because he had such an awful show (condition #1 did not). Since one
of the two “Silly Billy conditions for success” was missing, he didn’t get the gig, either.

What does all this mean? Well, it means two things. 1) You could be the best magician in the world, but if
people can’t find your phone number or another way to reach you, you won’t work as much as you could.
2) If people see that you are a terrible performer, no amount of advertising or promotion will make a
difference in persuading people to hire you.

There are exceptions. For example, people are motivated by price. So if you do a terrible show, but your
price is really low, you will probably get work. We all know someone in our area who fits this description.
On the other hand, even if you fulfill both conditions of the “Silly Billy Theory,” you do a great show so
people want to hire you, and they have your phone number, you still may not work as much if your price is
too high. But price is an aspect of the total marketing picture to be examined at another time.

The first condition for success, making people want to hire you, comes from doing a great show. Every
time. I will leave that task to you. There are currently many wonderful books available regarding the tricks
in your show and other aspects of your performance. (Especially my own book on performing magic for
children, Seriously Silly. This essay focuses on getting your name out there so people can reach you when
they decide they want to hire you.

2. Your show as infomercial

Every show you perform is a chance to persuade people to hire you. Whether it's a birthday party, a public
show, or a walk around, each time you perform it is a chance to convince each member of the audience to
hire you for themselves. This is an incredible opportunity that must be seen as such. Not only do you want
to do a great job with your act, but you should not neglect the marketing and promotion potential at your
performance.

Think of your show as an infomercial. It is a one hour performance that, when finished, should have
persuaded each member of the audience that they want to "buy" your product – that is, hire you for their
party.
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When I perform at a child's birthday party, each child and parent sitting there watching my show is a
potential customer. I have 60 minutes to sell my show to that customer. What a great opportunity this is! My
target demographic is sitting there watching my show. In the back of my mind I know that I want every kid
there to go home thinking he or she wants to have Silly Billy at their party.

You will know you are achieving this level of quality when, at the conclusion of your show, parents and
audience members come up to you and ask for your card. That happens to me all the time. In fact, I'm so
used to it that when it doesn't happen, I realize I might have done a less-than-perfect show.

Again, think of your show as an infomercial. It is a one hour opportunity to persuaded each member of the
audience that they want to hire you for their party.

3. Everyone must leave knowing your name

I used to call this concept, “Everyone must leave with your telephone number.” But those days are gone. All
you need to be sure of is that everyone leaves knowing your name. From there they will just Google your
name and boo-yah! More business. If you don't make this happen, you are missing out on a great
promotional opportunity. The guests at the party are both potential clients and messengers. They are going
out into the world to tell all of their friends how good your show is. So everyone should leave knowing your
name.

A) Say your name. A lot.

Before I start my show I like to engage the children in conversation. Often I will ask if they have ever seen a
magician before. When they say yes, I ask them what was the name of the magician? Most of the time they
don’t remember the name. What a missed opportunity for that other guy. If the kids don’t know your name
how can they ask their moms to have you at their party?

Be sure you say your name during your show. Introduce yourself at the start and remind the audience during
your show. You can also have your name on a sign on your table, or one of those window shade signs that
you draw out of the base and stand up on your performing area, or your name on your backdrop. Sometimes
during my show I speak in the third person, as in “Silly Billy likes to choose children how are sitting
nicely.” No matter how you do it, be sure the audience knows your name.

My friend Jozo Bozo’s magic word is Jozo Bozo. I’m going to say that again. Jozo Bozo’s magic word is
Jozo Bozo. You better believe the kids will know his name.

B) Give then a take away

Another way to ensure that the children will remember your name is to give them a little treat to take home.
You could give them your business card. There are playful ways to do this. You can attach your card to a
round balloon, a balloon animal, or attach it to another give-away.

Or give the children a gift. This is called a premium. A premium is anything that is given away for free to
promote your product (your show). They are usually very inexpensive. Many premiums have your name and
telephone number printed on them. It is possible to print your name, number, and web site on many different
items to be given away at your parties: whistles, balls, stickers, pencils, balloons, cups, hats, even tee-shirts.
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You can have stickers made with your name, number, and logo. Stick these on anything you want, and
give them away as well. Learn what products are available by searching for “premiums” or “specialty
products” on the web.

When I give out premiums at my shows, I mention throughout the performance that, "everyone gets a
present at the end of the show." This builds up the excitement for their treat. I usually give out my
Jumbo Inflatable Wands. It is a two-foot long inflatable wand with my logo, telephone number, and web
site printed on it. You can buy these at your regular magic dealer.

4. Other ways to encourage more bookings

Besides the physical act of giving out product -- promotional literature and promotional merchandise --
there are other ways to encourage more bookings during your show.

A) The birthday child gets all the good stuff

I believe the way to encourage the guests at a birthday party to hire you for their birthday party is to
demonstrate that the birthday child is the most important person at the party. The birthday child should be
treated royally. He or she should be given all the opportunities to be "the assistant," be given presents and
premiums throughout the show, and should be "first" to do each activity. If you treat the birthday child in
a special way like this, then all of the other children will conclude for themselves that when they are the
birthday child, they will get all the good stuff.

This is exactly what I do. The birthday boy or girl gets tons of stuff from me during the show. And I'm
not afraid to point it out. When I give a really good present to the birthday child, another child will
usually say that he wants one too. Believe me, I am not shy to point out that, "Only the birthday child
gets one. When it is your birthday, and Silly Billy is at your birthday party, then you'll get one too." For
the children it is a good answer, for the adults it is a joke. I know that my style might make some
performers uncomfortable, but it fits my character.

Some magicians believe that the best way to encourage future bookings is to give everyone a turn on
stage. That may work at a public show, but at a birthday party I don't believe that having lots of other
people on stage is fair to the birthday child. Choose which style works best for you.

Imagine if, when the birthday boy helped you with a trick, you rewarded him with a real Xbox. I don't go
that far, and it would surely be an expensive decision. But imagine, for the sake of example, how the
other children would react to that. You bet they would want one themselves, and they would beg mom to
have you come to their birthday party. But thankfully we can encourage children to make a buying
decision at a far lower price point.

B) Say "Hire me"

As you may have picked up from the last example, I am not afraid to say a version of "hire me" at my
live performances. At a kid show or family show, you can do it in a way that is almost tongue-in-cheek.
The kids get the message, the adults get the joke.

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At the birthday parties, I do make it clear that "at your birthday party you get all the good stuff.” And I
might mention "how much fun we will have at your party."

When you perform at bigger public shows, sometimes the audience won’t realize that you also perform
for private parties. The children especially don't make the assumption that you could perform at their
birthday party. So you have to tell them. I do this in two ways. One is subtle, one is not so subtle. Subtle:
"This is a trick I love to perform at birthday parties" or "Just yesterday I was performing at a five-year
old's birthday party, and the funniest thing happened . . .." When I feel I can be less subtle, I sometimes
say to a child assistant on stage, "Did you know that Silly Billy loves to do magic shows at birthday
parties?" The parents laugh and I have communicated a very important fact to the children.

I communicate my birthday party business in another way. At the start of the show I say, “Raise your
hand if you have seen Silly Billy before.” Then, “Raise your hand if you have not seen Silly Billy
before.” Then, “Raise your hand if you have had Silly Billy at your birthday party.” And finally, “Raise
your hand if you want Silly Billy at your birthday party. (Pause) Parents make a note.” Lots of
opportunity for jokes here and you have told the children that you do birthday party shows.

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 The Roses Sign Gag
by David Kaye
This is a funny bit using word play. I love performing this routine and so will
you. View or print the pdf sign on this DVD before you read the instructions.

You tell a story:

“It was my momʼs birthday recently and my dad asked me to buy her some
presents. He gave me money and told me to buy her roses and candy. I
asked him what kind of candy to buy. He said chocolates. Then I asked him
how do I know which roses to buy. He said the best roses are the ones that
smell the most.”

“I went to the store. I couldnʼt find the right candy, but I did buy the roses.
So I wrote him a note. Here is the note. It says, “Dad, You have a dozen
smelly roses but no candy.” I folded it and stuck it to the refrigerator.”

“In the morning my dad read the note and you know what? He punished
me. Do you know why? Because this is what the note said when he read it.
ʻDad, You have a smelly but.ʼ”

Explanation:
Just tell the story above and fold the paper at the right position. This gag
uses the word “butt” so, sorry UK. Bum just does not work the same.

When you first fold the note keep the non-gag side facing the audience.
Thatʼs the side that says “dozen, roses, no candy.” Then at the end of the
story, turn the note around to reveal the punchline.

The only condition to performing this routine is to be sure your adudience

can read. That usually starts at around seven-years old. The best ages for
this is 7-9 year olds. These kids can read and they love this kind of humor.
Kids older than that will enjoy it too.

Print out the sign from the pdf on this disc. Or make your own. Just be sure
the letters line up.

Have fun!
Dad,
You have a dozen
smelly roses
but no candy
 Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.
The following Two routines are from Doug Scheer's book,

Environment Routines environment routines environment routines

Entertaining Education, A comprehensive guide to creating & Performing Educational magic
Conservation
available only at dougscheer.com

Conservation
Trick: Multum in Parvo

Running Time: 7-8 minutes.

Props: Multum-In Parvo trick, blue

food coloring, large
toothbrush, rubber fish, a
globe or picture of the earth,
small table.

Multum-in-Parvo is a wonderful effect. In it, water in a small cup multiplies again and again to
eventually fill multiple glasses, but it can be a sloppy trick too. It uses water, food coloring that can
stain your fingers, and has an “enormous” 3 minute set up. It’s no wonder that it’s rarely seen. But it’s
a perfect trick to teach many lessons: conservation, salt water vs. fresh water, and the importance of
natural resource protection.

Set up: Since this is a dealer item the gimmick is not explained here, but the set up
becomes apparent upon purchasing the prop. Be sure to fill the smallest cup
with enough water so that it almost reaches the brim but does not spill out. Be
generous with the food coloring in smallest cup. About 10 drops will insure
that the color does not dilute during the routine. In the routine that follows
only 5 cups including the pitcher are used. The second to smallest cup has been
removed to speed up the handling. Traditionally milk is used in this effect, but

environment routines
blue water has been substituted for the environmental message. This routine is
heavy on patter so it’ll take a strong performer with a good delivery to really
sell it, but the continuous magic that happens will help keep the attention of
even the youngest kids.

Performer: Holding up a cup of blue liquid, the performer says, You know what that is?
It’s water. I made it blue with food coloring because when you look at a map or
a globe, the first color you see is the color blue. The blue is water. But I’ve got
news for you, most of the blue you see on a globe is actually poison. It’s true.
But I know what you’re thinking. You’ve been to the ocean, you’ve been
environment routines

swimming in the water, and you’re okay, right? Who’s ever swam in the
ocean? Raise your hand. Hands down. And chances are, if you were in the
water, you may have even tasted the water before and said, [Smack, smack,
smack] Tastes like potato chips.

Oh, you may have even had a big gulp of that water, and you’re still alive to
talk about it. Right? It tastes salty because most of the Earth’s water is filled
with salt. That’s why it’s called salt water.
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Environment Routines environment routines environment routines Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.

If you drink too much salt water, you might get a tummy-ache, but if you drink
nothing but salt water for about two weeks, guess what’s going to happen to you?
You’re going to die. Aagghh. Performer grabs his neck and makes a silly, dying
sound. People can’t live if they drink just salt water. So what do we do? Well I
have some good news. There is another kind of water we can drink. Again take a
look at a map or a globe and you’ll see some white stuff on the top and white
stuff on the bottom. What is that stuff? (Audience responds: Snow and ice.)

Right. Snow and ice in the glaciers. Hey, can you eat the snow? Sure. Who’s
ever been outside and done this? Performers sticks out his tongue and looks up
pretending to catch snow in his mouth. Aaaaaaahhhh. Yeah, you can eat the
snow. It’s fun and it doesn’t taste salty because snow and ice are made from a
different kind of water called fresh water. Fresh water doesn’t have salt in it.
You can drink it. The trouble is, we can’t melt down the glaciers. That would
cause all kinds of problems. So, where does the water come from that we drink?
Much it comes from underground. Some of it comes from the lakes and streams
right here in our neighborhood. A lot of it comes off the top of mountains. It
comes from rainwater too. Fresh water is the water on this Earth that we can
drink. But there’s only a tiny little bit of fresh water. In fact, for every 100
glasses of water we take from the Earth, less than half a glass is fresh water.
That’s not a lot of water.

So what are we going to do? How about a magic trick? And this is the magic
wand. Performer sets cup down on table and picks up the giant toothbrush.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking this is just a toothbrush.
Right? But it’s really magic. With this magic wand, you can do two things. The
first thing you can do is make your mom or dad magically appear in the
bathroom tonight. Performer waves the wand in the air. Or you could learn the
environment routines

second trick. You could learn how to save the earth. Which one do you want to
learn? The mom and dad trick? Great.

Okay, here’s what you need to do. Tonight, when you’re brushing your teeth,
turn the water on and let it trickle down the drain like you normally do.
Performer mimes these actions. And then, when no one’s looking, turn the water
on full blast and let it go shooting down the drain. Performer makes a sound like
gushing water. Do it with both the hot water and cold water. And then, walk
over to the shower and turn that on full blast. Make a louder sound like gushing
water.
environment routines

Next, turn the bathtub on full blast. And then the best part, flush the toilet 13
times. Yeah. Now, if you do all those things tonight when you’re brushing your
teeth, guess what’s going to happen? Your mom or dad’s going to magically
-“poof”- appear in the doorway, and they will politely and very calmly say to
you, (yelling) “Are you…nuts? Cut it out!” Do you know why they’ll say that?
Because you’re wasting water. So, plan B, the second trick. Save the Earth.
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Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.

Environment Routines environment routines environment routines

Instead, when you’re brushing your teeth, just let the water slowly trickle down
the drain like you normally do. Will your mom or dad magically appear in the
doorway to yell at you?

No, but they should. You want to

know why? It’s because you’re still
wasting water. But here’s my
question. Are you only wasting a
tiny bit of water, or a whole bunch
of water? The correct answer is,
“yes.” Let me explain. You’re
wasting only a teeny, tiny, little bit,
a cup of water every time you brush
your teeth. Hold up the small
water-filled up. But in your
household, if there’s five people
living there, and everybody shuts
off the water when they brush their
teeth, guess what? You’ll be able
to save an awful lot of water.
Performer pours the water from the small cup into the next larger cup showing
that the water is multiplying. In fact, in one year’s time, in your household, by
shutting off the water, you can save enough water to fill a swimming pool. Now,
this is not enough water to fill a swimming pool, is it? Performer shows the
second, now filled, cup.

No, but it is a little bit of water that we saved. So, now we have more for later.
That’s a trick, but in the real world we cannot make any more water. Set the cup

environment routines
back on the table. The water we have today is the same water the dinosaurs took a
bath in. Yuck. It’s true. Today’s show is all about tiny things we can do to save
the earth. This magic trick has a name. It’s called conservation.

Conservation. Conservation’s not making more of something, it’s stretching out

what we already have. Hey, if you don’t believe tiny things make a big
difference, I want to give you a homework assignment. But before you all freak
out listen to this. It is only an imaginary homework assignment. That means you
only pretend you’re going to do it. Okay?
environment routines

Alright, here’s what I want you to pretend to do. Pretend to set your alarm
clock tonight for 2:37 in the morning. Trust me on this. Set your alarm clock and
sneak out of your bedroom in the middle of the night. Shhh. Performer tiptoes
across the stage, miming the the following actions. Go into your brother or
sister’s room. Shhh. Take a flashlight with you. Your brother or sister will be
doing this. Make a snoring noise.

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Environment Routines environment routines environment routines Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.

Aim the flashlight at your brother or sister’s head. And while they’re sound
asleep, your assignment is to pluck a single hair from their skull. Performer
makes a silly “ping’ sound. Then go back to bed. Now, the next morning at
waffle time, will your mom or dad look at your brother and sister and say, “Eww,
what happened to you last night?” No, they’ll never see a difference.

So, what are you going to do? You’re going to do it again. Sneak out of your
bedroom at 2:37 in the morning. Go into your brother or sister’s room. [Ping]
Go back to bed. No change. Do it again. [Ping] Do it again. [Ping] Do it
again. [Ping] Do it for a week. [Ping, ping, ping] Do it for a month. [Ping,
ping, ping, ping, ping, ping] There won’t be any difference. Do it for five years.
Your brother or sister will be bald.

Do you get it? When tiny things happen overnight, there’s no change. When
tiny things that happen everyday and it’s over a long time there’s a huge change.
If we shut off the water when we brush our teeth, we’re taking that little bit of
water, and we’re making it seem like there’s more water. Performer pours the
water from the second cup to the third, making it multiply again.

There’re other things you can do. Pour the water from the third cup into the
fourth. If you see a leaky faucet, tell somebody about the leaky faucet. Leaky
faucets, leaky water fountains can lose 50 gallons of water every day. Performer
pours the water from the fourth cup into the largest and final cup.

And that’s a lot of water. Check it out. Hold up the largest cup. We started
with a tiny bit of water (hold up the empty small cup and fill it with the largest),
but by thinking about the water, by not wasting the water (fill the next cup and
the next as you say the remaining lines), by not throwing garbage in the water, by
environment routines

not polluting the water, and by conserving the water, we’ll have plenty of water
now…plenty of water in the future. And who knows? Maybe we’ll even have a
little bit left over. What do you guys think of that? Clap if you think those are
great ideas?

{Applause} END

Final thoughts: Be sure to make this routine playful and silly and you won’t have any trouble
environment routines

with the idea of “plucking out your brother’s hair.” I only had one teacher in 30
years tell me I shouldn’t tell the kids to do that, but the fact is, I don’t. I’m
always sure to emphasize that the homework assignment is only imaginary--it’s
not something they should do--they should only imagine it. Other than that one
time, I’ve never had any issues and you shouldn’t either. Just keep the routine
playful the kids will understand that you are joking.

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 Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines
Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.
This summer finale routine is from Doug Scheer's book,
Entertaining Education, A comprehensive guide to creating & Performing Educational magic
Houdini's
available
HOUDINI’S Squirt
only gun escape
at dougscheer.com
SQUIRT GUN ESCAPE
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE WORLD OF CHILDREN’S MAGIC,
BY PRACTICAL MAGIC, 2011. UK. USED WITH PERMISSION.

Houdini’s Squirt Gun Escape

I’ve always been a fan of the Kellar Rope
Tie, the effect invented by Harry Kellar and re-
popularized by Harry Blackstone Sr. and Jr. in
the twentieth century. In the routine, a magician
has his hands tied securely behind his back, but
he is able to alternately release each hand while
continuing to show that his hands are still
secured. I’ve always felt that it’s an entertaining
routine, clever for adults, but just okay for kids.
In the hands of most performers, it never seems
to have a good ending. Houdini’s Squirt Gun
Escape is my attempt to add some suspense,
comedy and a surprise ending to this classic
trick. What follows was inspired by a rather
dark routine first performed by Mel Mellers
called The No Water Underwater Escape.
I use Mel’s silly idea of wearing a snorkel and mask while escaping from handcuffs on land, but
developed it into what has become my closing routine for kid shows. It should become apparent that
this is not something I’d ever suggest performing in a home, but libraries, community centers, schools
and outdoor stages are the perfect settings for this raucous routine. I’ve simplified the mechanics of the
actual escape by using a common dealer item, The Chain Shackle Escape, and turned the introduction
of this routine into a running gag of sorts.

PROPS:
You’ll need the Chain Shackle Escape trick with two padlocks and key, a gallon size plastic
bag containing six water-filled squirt guns, one large, long range squirt rifle, a pair of swim goggles and
snorkel and a beach towel. You’ll also need a box or container to hold all the props. I use a large cooler
since it’s watertight and keeps all the wet stuff away from all the other props that I use in my show. The
cooler is placed on a chair or low stool in the left corner of the performing area.

EFFECT:
Six loaded squirt guns are distributed to children in the front row of the audience, then the
magician invites two volunteers on stage to handcuff his hands together. The magician challenges the
kids to shoot him in the face and try to empty their squirt guns before he can make his escape. The two
volunteers hold a beach towel in front of the magician to protect the secret of the escape while he’s able
to alternately release each hand under a barrage of squirt gun fire. As the volunteers duck and dodge the
sprays of water, the magician tries to make the volunteers to hold their positions to hysterical results.
Finally, the magician frees himself then whips the towel aside producing a huge squirt rifle and takes his
revenge on the audience.
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Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.

PERFORMANCE:
After the second or third trick in a show, creepy and suspenseful music is heard and the
performer says, “Today’s show is not just all silly and goofy. Coming up at the end, I’ll be doing
something dangerous and deadly….ooooh.” At this point the magician holds up two padlocks and
waves them around in a campy and silly sort of way, mocking the upcoming ‘danger.’ The
audience laughs at this silliness. Then the performer says, “Forget it. [The music abruptly stops]
You guys aren’t taking me seriously.” A few tricks later, the music starts again and the performer
repeats the same patter, this time waving around the shackles. Then finally after the penultimate
routine of the show, the same familiar music is heard for the third time leading into the start of
this finale:

“It’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for [creepy and suspenseful music begins
again] something dangerous and deadly! But I will need two helpers who are brave. I will need
helpers who are fearless. I will need helpers who are not afraid. I will need two helpers who
are…kind of smelly. Two helpers.” Performer walks into the audience and hands out the two
padlocks to two children, eight years or older. “This young lady right here, do me a favor: grab
ahold of this padlock, please, and take a look at it. Make sure it’s real. Over on this side, you sir,
hang on to this padlock for me, please. Do not snap it shut; just check it out”. The performer
returns to the stage. “You can see those are real padlocks.”

Removing the shackles from the cooler, the performer says, “Using two real padlocks
and something you've probably never seen before--these old fashioned handcuffs --I'm going to
recreate Harry Houdini's most dangerous, most famous escape. Harry Houdini was a magician
who traveled the world challenging people to tie him up, to chain him up, and to lock him up. He
claimed that he could escape from anything. One hundred years ago, Harry Houdini created an
incredibly dangerous escape called The Chinese Water Torture Cell. I'm going to perform that
escape for you right now. What you’re about to see was the last escape that Harry Houdini ever
did, because a short time after performing it, he died. There's a possibility the same thing could
happen to me.” [music fades.]

“If you're holding

onto a padlock, would you
bring it up, please? Give
my helpers a round of
applause.”

The two volunteers with

the padlocks are invited onto
the stage and are positioned
on each side of the performer.
Let’s say their names are Ella
and Gannon. “Ella, Gannon. You both took a look at the padlocks. They feel heavy; they look
real, right?”

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Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.

“Houdini’s hands were locked together with these special handcuffs.” The shackles are shown
then set to the side. “By separating the hands with this bar, escape is impossible. Houdini’s feet
were tied together and he was hung upside-down over what looked like a giant phone booth filled
with water. Houdini was lowered headfirst into that water-filled box where he had to escape or he
would drown. I did not bring a phone booth with me today, but I did bring something even more
dangerous and just as deadly…” Performer picks up a plastic bag full of squirt guns “…six squirt
guns filled with water. In the hands of children, these could prove to be life threatening.”

The squirt guns are distributed to six children seated in the first two rows.
“Here’s what's going to happen. Gannon and Ella will lock my hands together and I will attempt
my escape under a tidal wave of squirt gun water. My only chance of survival is right here; it's this
snorkel and these goggles.” Performer shows the snorkel and goggles and puts them on. “I'll be
able to see you the entire time, but you won’t be able to understand anything I’m saying. Listen.”
The performer mumbles inaudibly through snorkel, then removes it from his mouth and lets it hang
by the side of his head. “Did anybody understand that?”

“I didn't think so. So when the music begins, that's when you shoot me in the face with
those squirt guns. Your job is to empty the squirt guns on my face before I escape.”

“I have some news: there's a possibility that in the next two minutes I could die. If I do
not survive what you're about to see, the magic tricks I have for sale at the end of the show will be
free. WHO WANTS FREE MAGIC TRICKS? PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN! You people are sick.”

The performer places his hands between the chains and offers his hands to be locked up. “All
right, Ella, do me a favor: put the padlock through the chains. Go ahead, give the lock a twist and
snap it shut. Now pull on the padlock and make sure it's locked tight. Is there any way I can
escape? I can't pull my hand out of there, no way. Let’s do the same thing with this hand. Go
ahead, Gannon. Lock me up. Snap it shut and make sure it’s tight.”

“In order to protect the secret of

Houdini's most famous escape, we
are going to use this beach towel. I’ll
attempt my escape behind the towel.”
Performer introduces a beach towel
and stretches it between the
volunteers so that it creates a screen
that blocks the performers mid-
section. Each child holds a corner.
“This is important. Hold a corner
with both hands, nice and tight,
squeeze. Use both hands. If I pull the
towel this way, Ella, do not let go.
That’s very important. Same thing on
this side. Gannon, hold nice and tight
with both hands.”
73
25
Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Magic routines Entertaining Education, A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic.

Performer tests the children’s grips by tugging right then left. “Do not let go.”

Talking to the audience, the performer says, “Are you guys ready with the squirt guns?” The
performer raises his hands above the towel so the audience can see the chains one final time. “When
you hear the music, that is when you shoot me in the face.” The performer places snorkel into his mouth
and mumbles: “On your mark, get set, go!” [Music begins]

At this point the fun begins. The performer taunts the kids with the squirt guns by leaning
over the towel, and with his hands still secured, points at this face then at the squirt guns while
mumbling something through the snorkel. The kids land a few good shots. Then the performer drops his
hands out of sight, releases one of his hands from the shackles and uses it to lift one end of the towel a
little higher. He replaces his hand behind the towel and immediately brings his tightly secured hands
back into view. This action continues with the other hand. Then the performer ducks behind each child
alternately, adjusting the towel and repositioning the volunteers while showing that each hand is still
secured by the chains one second and free the next. Everybody on stage gets wet as the kids with the
guns adjust their aim, spraying everything in sight. As the volunteers attempt to duck, the performer lifts
them back up with a free hand so they can’t avoid getting squirted.

Finally, the performer makes his escape. He lifts the empty shackles over the top of the towel and
drops them on the floor. He immediately whips the towel away revealing a large squirt rifle in his hands
and takes aim on the audience, spraying his attackers. As the craziness dies down, the squirt guns are
collected and the volunteers are excused with a round of applause.

It should be apparent that in the course of all this madness, stealing the squirt rifle from the
cooler is a simple matter. There is plenty of cover to hide the steal if the volunteer is positioned directly
downstage of the cooler. As the performer adjusts the volunteer on his left side, it’s easy use a free hand
to grab the rifle out of the cooler and hold it out of sight behind the towel. Even if the steal is flashed,
it’s of no consequence. The real magic in this routine is simply the excitement you’ll create every time
you perform it.

Special thanks:

I’d like to thank John Breeds for the illustrations that accompany this routine. John is an excellent
magician/graphic artist/layout designer from England and is available for hire. Please contact him at:
jbreeds@talktalk.net or visit his website: johnbreeds.com.

This routine was originally published in A World of Children’s Magic by Practical Magic, England. For
information on this great book of children’s magic routines contact Jeremy Le Poidevin at
www.practical-magic.com. All the proceeds from the book are being donated to world wide children’s
charities.
IMPortant note: Since this routine was originally published, the issue of gun
safety has become a hotly debated topic. Smart performers will avoid the
controversy altogether by substituting in spray bottles and eliminate any
reference to the word 'gun' in the script.

74
26
 Warm‐ups and Openers
By Danny Orleans
In the fall of 2003, on Genii Magazine’sGenii
forum, there was a short exchange between a
few children’s entertainers on the subject of
openers. A user wrote, “I'd be interested in
anyone's suggestion for an effective, snappy
opener for a children's show. Your experience
would be appreciated.” A variety of answers
were posted, some general, some specific:
Andrew Martin posted: Dove Production.
That's how I open my show. Also a little warm
up. Though Mr. Martin didn’t specify what his
warm.up was, he did hit upon something very
important. Most shows for children’s audiences
are not performed in theaters. Most are
performed in people’s homes, schools, camps,
libraries, community centers or places of
worship. So, even before you perform your
opener, you’d be wise to perform a warm up.
Let’s define our terms. An opener is the first
magic trick that you perform in your show. The
warm up is the interaction (magical or
nonmagical) between the magician and the
audience that occurs before the show starts.

There are two reasons to do a warm up.

Sometimespart of the audience is waiting
(impatiently) for the rest of them to arrive. This
typically happens at private parties where the
the kids enter your performing space, but the host is waiting for “just a couple more children,”
before you start the show. Does she expect the kids to just sit there with nothing to do?
Actually, she probably didn’t think about it. What do I do when the kids are aching for the
show to start? I tell her, “I’m going to spend a couple of minutes warming the kids up with a
very short ‘show before the show.’” She’s usually very grateful. Then I begin my warm up.

Another venue where children are sometimes forced to wait with nothing to do is school
assembly programs. It is not uncommon for a large group of children to enter a room single
file and sit on a gym floor. Some principals insist on extreme order. I’ve actually seen it take
up to 15 minutes to move 300 children into a room.

So, you can see, frequently there are situations to do a warm up to keep a waiting audience
occupied, but a more important reason for the warm up is to bring the audience together
psychologically and get them in the mood for the show. What do you do for a warm up? The
solution is worth thinking about because these moments before the show can dictate the
nature of the performer.audience relationship during the show. By demonstrating that you are
in control of the audience, both the adults and the children will sense that, if they pay close

27
attention, they will have a lot of fun. I’m a big believer in taking the bull by the horns and
controlling the noise level that sometimes occurs while 300+ children are walking into a
school gym to participate in a non gymnastic activity.

I think the ideal warm.up should have no magic in it. Since the latecomers will be missing this
part, you don’t want them to later learn they missed some of the magic. It should also be
interactive and participatory. Every child in the room (and the adults too!) should be able to
play along. Finally it should be modular. It should last for a minute but have the capability to
stretch to three minutes. If you decide to keep it short, the audience should still sense a
beginning, middle and end. You can do this by creating several theatrical stopping points so,
as soon as your entire
audience is present and
settled, you can wind down
the warm.up and the
audience won’t realize that
there was more.

I call the warm up that I do

for my youngest audiences
(preschoolers thru 3rd
graders), “The Finger
Exercises.” I do them in
complete silence and insist
that the children echo my
silence as well. Forgive me
for sterilizing it with
numbered instructions. But
as soon as your entire audience is present and settled, you can wind down the warm.up and
the audience won’t realize that there was more.

I call the warm up that I do for my youngest audiences (preschoolers thru 3rd graders), “The
Finger Exercises.” I do them in complete silence and insist that the children echo my silence
as well. Forgive me for sterilizing it with numbered instructions. But once a significant
proportion of the audience is seated and waiting for the show, but while others are still
entering the room, I enter without any introduction. I clap my hands once, loudly, and say,
“While we are waiting for everyone to get seated, I have a little exercise to show you. You may
not know this, but when magicians wake up in the morning they do special exercises with their
fingers. You can try these exercises with me. Just do exactly what I do, without… saying… a
word. Ready?”

1. I stand, feet planted, and pop my hands into the position shown in Photo 1. (See photos at
end of this essay.) The index finger of each hand is pointing upward. Once the audience has
duplicated my actions, I continue.

2. I quickly twist my wrists so the backs of my hands are towards the audience. I wait a beat
for my young audience to catch up with me and then reverse them back to the original
position. (Photos 2 & 3).

28
3. I lower my index fingers. I wait a beat so they can imitate my
moves, and then raise the index and middle fingers on both
hands forming, what was known during the 1960s, as a peace
sign. The children laugh here as they mimic my movements
because it looks as though the fingers are multiplying. They
enjoy trying to keep up with me, and they can, because I keep
my movements simple. (Photo 5)

4. Again, I quickly twist my hands so the backs of my hands

are towards the audience. After waiting a beat, I quickly twist
them back. The juxtaposition of the moment of stillness,
followed by the fast finger movement is comical for the young
ones. (Photos 6 & 7)

5. Then I lower both fingers on each hand (Photo 8), wait a beat, and then quickly raise them.
Then I do it again, but when I raise the fingers, I include the ring finger, showing three fingers on
each hand (Photo 9). It’s not apparent to the children yet, but I’m forming a pattern here to which
the children will soon catch on. I lowered and raised my fingers twice because I showed TWO
fingers on each hand.

6. Again, I quickly twist my hands so the backs of my hands are toward the kids. After waiting a
beat, I quickly twist the hands back toward the audience (Photos 10 and 11). Sometimes the
children giggle when I make such a quick movement. I don’t mind but I don’t encourage it. I
continue to stare at my fingers in deep concentration. This silently persuades them to engage in
their own non.verbal interaction.

7. Now, as my palms face the children, the three fingers are lowered and raised three times
(Photo 12). The third time I raise the fingers, I add the pinky so I’m showing four fingers on each
hand (Photo 13).

8. I continue to move according to the pattern I’ve established with a twist of the wrists and back
(Photo 14 and 15).

9. Then I raise and lower all four fingers on each hand four times. As I execute the fourth
repetition, I add the thumbs (Photos 16 and 17).

10. The setup to the final gag begins by bending the hands slowly at the wrists, waiting a beat,
then quickly reversing the action. (Photos 18 . 20) Sometimes I add a head movement here too
which matches the hands’ movements. By now the audience is going to anticipate that I will
repeat this move 5 times (one for each finger involved). And I do. But on the fourth or fifth time, I
begin to speed up the hand waving action, exceeding their expectations, ..lapping my hands
incessantly and making funny faces in the process. Everybody laughs at this final unexpected
physical humor and it unifies the audience as they participate together in a frantic “Finger Wave.”

11. I can stop here or, if my audience isn’t yet ready for the show to start, I can add one or two
additional silent, interactive warm.ups that can follow the “Finger Wave” such as the “Finger Clap”
or the “Traveling Fingers.”

29
If you’re reading this article as a pdf from the DVD Lecture notes, “The 3D Kid Show Lecture” by
Danny, David and Doug, you can find a video clip of me doing the Finger Exercises, in the Video
Content section which will help you understand the timing and effectiveness of this little warm up.

Finger Exercises: The Finger Wave - Step by Step

30
 SURPRISE DOVE PRODUCTION
By Danny Orleans

A routine I created when I first started doing school shows in 1978 was a Surprise Dove
Production. All dove productions come as a surprise, but this one has the added bonus of the
audience thinking that some scarves are going to come out of a cloth bag. Instead, I pull out a
flying bird!

Props

1. Dove Bag
2. Top hat
3. Genie Tube with two compartments
4. Four small silks that fit in one side of the Genii Tube
5. A “THE END” silk with matching colors to the four small silks
6. A Dove
7. (optional) David Kaye’s (Silly Billy) Silly wands available at www.getsilly.com

Preparation

1. Load dove into secret compartment in the dove bag.

2. Load four small silks into one side of the Genie Tube.
3. Load the THE END silk into the other compartment of the Genie Tube.

Instructions

“I need someone very brave to help me. Someone who’s not scared of anything in the whole wide
world,” I say, as I scan my audience for a child who doesn’t look like he or she will freak out when I
produce a live bird inches away from them. I choose a girl, usually, and invite her to hold my
magician’s top hat, mouth up. After introducing her to the
audience I ask her, “Do you walk to school or carry your
lunch?” Jokingly, I let her know that it’s a trick question as I
bring out the Dove Bag. “This is a lunch bag that my
grandmother made for me. She made it out of cloth long
before paper bags were invented.” The kids believe me. The
adults don’t.

I continue, “It has a zipper on the top where the lunch

goes in…” At that point I open the zipper and stick my hand
inside and through the opening at the bottom. “…and a hole
on the bottom where the lunch falls out!” I make a
disappointed face communicating that this hole that has
formed over time is now a problem for me because my lunch
won’t stay in the bag.

31
Then I insert both arms and overlap my wrists moving my hands back and forth showing the bag
empty in the standard manner. The bag I’ve made has a zipper on the top and a natural opening
on the bottom. The secret inner pocket is oriented so, when I reach into the bag’s natural
opening, I can unsnap the three snaps which attach the top of the secret pocket to the outer side
of the bag. Then I can extract the dove safely and easily. (Instructions to make your own Dove
Bag are on a PDF file contained in the DVD set, The Art of Presenting Magic to Children.)

Next I tell the kids, “But, I realized if I zip the zipper, and turn the bag upside-down, that it’ll work
perfectly! Good idea?” The child helper will agree as I hold the zippered end of the bag (and the
bird) and flick the bag’s opening against my open palm to further create a sense of the bag’s
emptiness. Then I put the bag into the hat.

As the child holds the hat with the bag (and dove) inside, I pick up the Genie Tube and pull out
the four silks, one at a time. “When I was a little boy, I’d carry my lunch to school in that very
lunch bag you are holding now. I loved walking to school duringSpringtime.” Now I extract the
silks linking their colors to nature that corresponds to spring. “Because the sky was blue. The
geraniums were red. The clouds were white. And the sun
was a bright, shiny, yellow.” Generally I pause before calling
out the color, letting the children shout out their expectations.

Since this is the last routine in my show, I generally look

at my watch here. If I have time, I’ll add a routine with
David Kaye’s Silly Wands. I have my helper wave one of
his flexible wands over hat full of silks to cast a spell over
them. We go through Kaye’s routine in which the helper
stretches the wand to be longer than the magician’s wand.
Finally both wands are waved over the hat until I determine
that “the scarves are now ready.”

I open the Genie Tube to show that it’s empty – no more scarves inside. Then I ask the child to
hand me one of the scarves. “Let’s put the scarves into this tube and do something magical.
Hand me the scarf that’s the color of geraniums in springtime,” I say. If the child is young and
doesn’t know what color a geranium is, I do an obvious stage whisper which is a cute bit and
helpful to the child. I close the tube and place the red silk into the load chamber. I collect the
other three scarves similarly.

After the scarves are all in the tube, I pretend to get distracted. I look at the back of the room and
say, “You know, I’ve been doing magic shows a long time. This is the first time I’ve ever done a
show when someone’s grandmother has watched the entire show, by standing on her head!
Whose grandma is that?” I point to the back corner of the room, staring, with a look of disbelief
on my face. Usually, 90 % of the kids (and many adults, too) turn to look. At this point I hold the
tube over the hat that is still being held, mouth up, in my helper’s hands. I slap the side of the
tube a few times, getting most of the audience to look back at me to see what I’m doing.

32
Then I survey the audience. “Raise your hand if you turned to look at the grandma on her head.
Raise your hand if you didn’t.” Then I pause before saying, “Raise your hand if you’re lying!”

Before showing the tube empty, I say, “Well it doesn’t matter whether you looked or not. Those
scarves are GONE!” As I complete that sentence, I open the tube and show that it’s empty. This, of
course kicks off the “sucker” element of the routine as the kids claim that they’re in the hat. I set
down the tube on my table, pull the dove bag from the hat, and take the hat from the child as I
compliment the audience. “You guys are really observant. You’re right. Here they are…” I look into
the hat dumbfounded – flabbergasted that the scarves aren’t there. The children come to the
rescue, of course, advising me, in no uncertain terms, that the scarves are in the bag. Realizing
that they are probably right, I get excited as I orient the bag with the zipper on the bottom.

“In the bag?” I say excitedly. “They better be, or

you’re going to be in trouble,” I say, directing my
comment to my helper. “Because you had them last.”
Looking into the bag, I say, “There they are!” I reach in
and pull out the dove tossing her toward the audience.
(See above photo.) I feign amazement with a “how did
that happen” look on my face. She flies in a circle and
lands back on my hand. I then have her fly from my
hand to my helper’s. (See photo right.)

Finally, I reach into the tube saying, “For those of

you still wondering where the colors went, they were in
the tube all along. But now they’ve combined together
into a special message for you. Can you read it?” I pull
out the THE END silk and hold it, bringing the routine to
an ending. I thank my helper as I take the bird from her
and she returns to her seat in the audience.

For the holiday season, I substitute a Santa silk for the

THE END silk. As the small silks are pulled from the tube,

33
I say that the colors remind me of a man who delivers presents on Christmas Eve. “He has a
beard that is long and… WHITE. A little hat that is… RED. Eyes that twinkle a lovely shade of
… BLUE and funny, yellow (I pretend to be confused – not being able to remember what is
supposed to be yellow, then I finally say)… TEETH!” When the audience laughs. I say, “No,
that’s not right. His teeth are white. Oh, I remember now. Santa has funny yellow TOE NAILS.”
After they laugh again, I claim, “That’s not right either. Oh yeah! He has funny yellow…
UNDERWEAR!” That
generally gets the biggest laugh. If the kids disagree, I challenge them. “How would you know?
Have you ever seen Santa’s underwear?”

I’ve been doing this routine for 35 years. I’ve found it a great way to produce a bird without
having to carry a large production box. The bird has been trained to be comfortable in the dove
bag for 45 minutes. I put her in it before the show begins and I keep the bag on the shelf of my
table for the whole show. No harnesses, body loads or table steals to deal with. No large
production boxes to carry. No angles to worry about. The best thing about this routine is the
way people misremember it. I get letters from the kids all the time asking how I made the bird
appear from the hat!

34
 Remote Control
By Danny Orleans

In any performance you do for children, being able to control their behavior during your show – getting them
to listen and sit still – is all too often the key to your overall success. Unfortunately it is also the barometer
by which the rest of your performance is sometimes judged by teachers and parents. I am frequently
complimented on my ability to elicit good behavior from my audience. But I didn’t realize I was so good at it
until I started taking my daughter Leah to her friends’ birthday parties and watching a variety of performers –
singers, puppeteers, magicians – who couldn’t keep an audience’s attention. Their problem wasn’t
uninteresting content. It was a lack of audience control.

They left the behavior management up to the parents of the kids. Why? Because they were artists, not
disciplinarians. However, if they knew some simple communication strategies to manage children’s
behavior, they wouldn’t have to leave it to the parents (who mostly ignored the situation anyway).

If you can learn group behavior management, you won’t need the adults’ corrective efforts. Furthermore, if
you can handle any behavior situation that arises you will get credit as someone who is “great with kids.”
Personally, I take a proactive approach to eliminating unwanted behavior. I anticipate it; I’m prepared to deal
with it; and I prevent most of it from happening in the first place. The result? I produce a show that is
watched by a well-behaved, attentive audience that has a wonderful time.

My technique is entrenched in what educators call

“behavior modification.” It is rooted in the now-classic
experiments of the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov who
trained hungry dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell which
was previously associated with the sight of food.

Fast forward to the 1970s and we find many educators using

a behavior modification technique called “positive
reinforcement.” It is based on the experiments of B. F.
Skinner, who did research in operant conditioning. In short,
children’s behavior can be changed – or modified – by
“reinforcing” correct behavior and ignoring negative
behavior. Since most of us, especially children, are
motivated by praise, rewards and attention, it is really quite
easy to control behavior using this technique.

Positive reinforcement is especially effective during brief

interactions with children. So it’s a great solution for a
children’s entertainer who spends less than an hour with an
audience. Here are a few examples of how I’ve incorporated
positive reinforcement into my performances over the past 25 years.

Once, I was performing “Zombie” in an intimate hotel banquet room with no stage. Fifty children were
seated on the floor. As the ball floated toward the audience, a six-year old boy stood up and began walking
toward me eager to grab the scarf. I couldn’t stop him with my hands because they needed to hold the scarf
to hide the gimmick. I didn’t want to turn into a bossy, demanding adult and yell, “Sit down!”
35
So, what did I do?

I ignored him. But I looked at the little girl sitting next to him and said very intensely, “Jennifer, I like the
way you are sitting. Your legs are perfectly crossed, your hands are in your
lap and you are really enjoying the show.” The praise worked. The little boy, wanting the attention I had
just given the girl, imitated her correct behavior. He sat down, crossed his legs and put his hands in his lap.
Adults watching the show looked at each other knowingly and nodded as if to say, “Wow, that magician
really knows how to handle those kids.” Luckily for me, the cloth that was covering the “Zombie” gimmick
remained untouched. But more importantly, a potentially embarrassing situation was avoided without
reprimanding the child.

I have also used positive reinforcement

to solve a problem we all have regarding
the involvement of young, on-stage
participants in our show. They tend to
“wander” around the stage during a
routine. This not only can be distracting
to an audience and interrupt the rhythm
of the show, but also can be disastrous as
they can accidentally knock over my
table and props. By placing stripes of
brightly colored tape on the stage – one
for each foot of my two helpers – I give
them each their own special place to
stand during the routine. If one wanders,
I simply praise the other, “Tracy, you’re
standing perfectly – right on your yellow
stripes!" I don’t even look at the transgressor until he or she has corrected his “incorrect” behavior.
Alternatively, I might say to the transgressor, “Are you standing on your stripes?” which is a question, not a
reprimand.

The use of behavior modification also allows me to remotely control children who hold gimmicked props. I
instruct them how to hold a prop, and then reinforce their cooperation by praising their correct behavior. Can
you guess what gimmicked prop or routine I’m doing when I say the following?

1. “Darlene, you’re holding that coloring book

perfectly, hands on top so everyone can see.”

2. “Good listening, Dwayne. You’re holding

that bag with one hand gripping tightly on the
rainbow scarf inside. Nice job. You got it?”

3. “OK Sally, you’re holding your arm straight

out in front of you. Great job following directions.
Hold still and the bird will fly through the air and
land on your arm. Ready?”

36
The formula is just two steps: First, you restate what they are doing correctly. Then you praise them for
doing it. You can reward them in different ways. You can attribute the magic to their ability to follow
directions. You can also reward them by giving them an opportunity to help in your show. I frequently use
this reward to control a large audience. Early in the show, I always make the following statement.
“Remember, I
always select people to help me who are sitting flat with their legs crossed in front of them.
That way, the person behind them can see.” The reward – getting to help the magician – is available only to
children who exhibit correct behavior. It is not uncommon for me to repeat this statement many times
during my show, especially if the venue lacks a stage and clear sightlines for the children, causing them to
kneel and block other audience members’ views.

I usually begin my “remote control” statements as the children are walking into the room. I compliment the
children who are sitting calmly and correctly with a sentence like this. “Wow, Terry, you are sitting
perfectly, legs crossed in front of you, nice and flat, waiting
quietly for the show. We’re going to start really soon.” Immediately I witness bunches of children rearrange
their legs, imitating Terry, who is beaming proudly. I then repeat the same sentence to another child sitting
on the other side of the room. Like magic, within seconds, everyone is sitting flat waiting quietly for the
show. Why is it magic? It’s magic because I did it without scolding or negatively criticizing or even gently
correcting children who were sitting incorrectly. I did it without singling out a child who was exhibiting an
undesirable behavior. I did it without uttering a demonstrative sentence such as “Sit still.” “Don’t talk.” “Be
quiet.” I was able to modify their behavior with upbeat positive statements that praised the correct behavior,
rather than admonishing incorrect behavior.

Later in the show I remind the children of the correct way to be a good audience by restating the correct
behavior before I select audience helpers for a routine. “Let’s see, I
need someone to help me with another magic trick. Someone who is sitting down, sitting
quietly, someone with one-hand politely raised. Hmmmm?”

There are dozens of ways to use behavior modification in your show to help the children control their
excitement, pay attention, cooperate onstage and be great audiences. Look for opportunities in your show to
use positive reinforcement to control audience enthusiasm. Experiment with the words and praise technique
until you find the structure that works for you and your audiences. I think you’ll be amazed with the results.
The magic words are, “Spare the rod. Use behavior mod!”

37
Did you miss the deadline to get the PRE-RELEASE PRICING?
Get “The Art of Presenting Magic to Children” for $99 + shipping
at this web page for a limited time:
www.dannyorleansmagic.com/magic-products/Special01
Did you miss the deadline to get the PRE-RELEASE PRICING?
Get “The Art of Presenting Magic to Teenagers” for $99 + shipping
at this web page for a limited time:
www.dannyorleansmagic.com/magic-products/Special02
 I’ve performed over 2500 shows for school children. I’ve met dozens of school show
magicians. But I never dreamed that incorporating character-building into a show
could be done so wonderfully. The fact that Doug and Heidi are willing to share this
with other working professionals amazes me more than any trick I reviewed last year.
If you work for children or family audiences, or just want to see how one of the
leading school show pros is staying busy, through this recession, contact Doug for the
DVD, the book and the audio download of Diversity Circus.
Danny Orleans, Genii Magazine

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r .com

Performer's edition now includes a Downloadable Director's Cut

with voice-over commentary including a look into how the show was
created and behind the scenes insights on writing your own show.
A brand new book from doug scheer

Enter the lucrative field of

Educational Magic
Entertaining Education
A comprehensive Guide to
creating & performing educational magic

Educational Magic is one of the most lucrative fields in

magic. From school assembly shows to trade show
floors, Doug Scheer has worked in every aspect of
performing Educational Magic for over three decades.
Entertaining Education, The Comprehensive Guide to
Creating & Performing Educational Magic reveals
Doug's secrets to creating effective scripts, routines,
and stories that will take your performances over the
top. Included are downloadable videos of sixteen
routines complete with the scripts that Doug uses to
make an executive's income by performing in schools.
You get all the tools you need to start creating your own
routines. Plus, you'll discover why magic can be a
distracting visual aid if not used properly, the two
different classifications of magic effects, and how and
when to deliver a message successfully. The six
elements of drama are discussed and analyzed so you
:
udesand can immediately get to work on improving
Available onlyyour
at show
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ovel y even if you're brand newwww.Dougscheer.com
to magic. Groundbreaking
hic n l
Grap g's high sity ideas are presented complete with examples from
D ou er
im ed Div bly
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Accl us asse
m Doug Scheer's eighteen year career as an Educational
Circ show!
Magician for one of the largest companies in America.
As a special bonus, a complete DVD and graphic novel
of Doug's highly praised school show, Diversity Circus,
is included along with an extensive behind the scenes
analysis of every aspect of the show. This package is a
must-have for anyone looking to enter the lucrative field
of Educational Magic.

“Doug Scheer is a triple threat -- a talented performer, a ab l e

Avail ely at
u si v m
great writer, and a damn good magician. Watching him Excl heer.co
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taught me the difference between doing a good school
show and a doing a GREAT school show!”
Mike Bent, The Everything Guide to Comedy Writing

"Doug Scheer is, hands down, the best school show performer I have ever
seen. His shows are unlike anything anyone else is doing. He is in a category
by himself." David Kaye, Author, Seriously Silly
 Princess in a Pickle
by David Kaye

Princess in a Pickle is the first set of headless

silks that are linked to tell a complete story.
Not only do you get the advantage of a great
photo opportunity for the parents, but the
silks tell a classic story of a princess who
must decide whom to marry.

Comes with printed instructions for two

complete routines - one for older kids (like in
the video) and, if your character is not as
crazy as Silly Billy, a sweet and gentler
version good for younger kids. You can
customize your routine to fit your character
and there is plenty of room for ad-libbing.
You get five silks, including the giant 42”
climax silk, and a Change Bag specifically
chosen for use with this effect.

Watch the video to see this great trick in

action.

http://sillymagic.com/princess_pickle.htm
 Silly Billy presents a brand new kids show magic effect

Peek-a-Boo Bunny

Peek-a-Boo Bunny is one of the most unique children’s effects to come

along in years. Peek-A-Boo Bunny is a compact, powerful magic trick for
children. Literally eleven years in the making. I have been performing this
trick in more than 1,000 shows, testing the mechanics and the routine until
I felt it was ready to share with the magic community.

Peek-a-Boo Bunny is a brand new idea in children’s magic. The closest

thing that already exists is Run, Rabbit, Run. But Peek-a-Boo Bunny is
twice as funny with half the effort. It is twice as funny because there are
four surprise rabbits instead of two. And because it is half the size and
weight of Run, Rabbit, Run it is easier to use.

If you like the way kids react to Run, Rabbit, Run, you are going to love
Peek-a-Boo Bunny. In fact, performing this trick may be the most fun you
will ever have during your show!

David Kaye has spent years studying the psychological techniques that
create powerful magic for children. In Peek-a-Boo Bunny these
psychological techniques come together to create an experience that the
children have never had at any other magic show. This trick will change
your shows forever and increase your bookings.

The props include a flat wooden hat 11” x 11” and a 9” tall plastic bunny.
You get the same routine Silly Billy has honed to perfection. The trick
comes with six pages of instructions with a complete explanation of the
routine, plus three alternate endings, routining ideas, and lots of photos. It
arrives packed in its own zip-lock bubble wrap bag to protect it as it
travels to your shows. This is not a poorly made toy from India or China.
Peek-a-Boo Bunny is hand-built by a master craftsman in the USA to give
you years of enjoyment.

This is an important investment so it deserves better than a two minute

commercial. Watch this six minute detailed tutorial of the many
advantages and powerful effect this trick has on children. Includes clips
from 5 different live performances to see the trick in action in many
conditions.

Watch a video of David Kaye performing Peek-a-boo bunny. Link below.

http://sillymagic.com/peekaboobunny.htm
While the 3d kidshow lecture was a one-time only event, each performer
lectures and produces products independently. To stay informed of new
releases including props, books, DVds, and tricks, join our individual
mailing lists by contacting each performer at the following addresses.

David Kaye -Silly Magic

email: DAvid@sillymagic.com
Product site: www.sillymagic.com

Danny Orleans magic

email: danny.orleans@gmail.com
Product site: www.Dannyorleansmagic.com

Doug Scheer
Email: doug@assemblyshows.com
Product site: www.dougscheer.com

Follow me: facebook.com/doug.scheer

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