Instructions for the magic.
Mysterious Levitating Wand
The Magic Wand is the ultimate Magicians prop but this wand is more than a stage prop. Pick up the wand and move it around in the air to get a sense of how it looks in action. Wave the wand, gently tap objects, or point to items around the room to practice gestures that you will use in front of your audiences. Now,look at both ends of the wand.Both sides have a special cap. This cap can be pulled away from the wand, but it will pull back as soon as you let go. Pull the cap from the end of the wand, and with your other hand, grab the elastic between your first two fingers. Stretch the elastic as much and you can and move your other hand from the cap to the middle of the wand with your first finger and thumb. Pull the elastic behind the wand so it can’t be seen. Gently loosen your grip on the wand, and you will see the wand gently rise out of your hand! Or, you can let go of the wand quickly and it will jump out of your hand! If you are making the wand leap, point it toward a wall so it doesn’t hit anyone. Enjoy your audience’s reactions as they are dazzled by the levitating wand!
1.MYSTICAL CUPS & POM-POMS
The trick consists of three cups and four pom-poms; however, the audience will only be aware of three pom-poms. Before your show, put the three cups on your table with each mouth facing upwards. Put one cup on your left, one cup in the middle and one cup on the right. Now, put the middle cup inside of the one on the left. Then put one of the pom-poms into the mouth of the cup. Next, put the cup on the right inside of the mouth of the top cup. Then put three pom-poms into the mouth of that cup. When you are ready to perform the trick, hold the stack of cups in one hand, keeping all three cups together in the stack, and then tip the whole stack over (make sure the stack stays together) so that the three pom-poms fall out. Now, line up the pom-poms in a neat row on the table. Now hold the stack mouth-upwards in one hand, and with the other hand pull the bottom cup off of the stack. Make sure that you hold the mouth of the cup towards yourself as you remove it from the stack so as not to let the audience see inside of it and then turn the bottom cup over completely and place it mouth down onto the table directly behind the left pom-pom. You will now do the same move with the next cup on the bottom of the stack, but you have to be extra careful not to let an audience member see inside the cup or they will see the hidden pom-pom. Make sure you keep the mouth of this cup facing toward yourself as you quickly, in one smooth move, turn it over mouth down on the table and place it directly behind the middle pom-pom. You will have to practice this move to make it smooth so that the hidden pom-pom doesn’t drop out where people can see it, but instead stays hidden inside of the cup as you put the cup mouth downwards on the table. NOTE: Remember, the audience is not supposed to know that there is a hidden pom-pom underneath the cup. Now turn the last cup over and place it mouth downwards onto the table directly behind the right pom-pom. It is important that you turn each cup over in the same manner, always making sure that the mouth of the cup being turned over is facing you and not the audience.
2.POM-POM NUMBER ONE
Pick up the pom-pom in the middle and put it on top of the middle cup. Now, put the cup on the left on top of the middle cup and pom-pom, and then put the cup on the right on top of that cup. Make a magical gesture or say a few magical words and then lift all three cups in a stack, holding the stack from the bottom cup. You will now see a pom-pom on the table. The audience will believe that you made the pom-pom pass through solid plastic!
3. POM-POM NUMBER TWO
You are now going to do the same basic moves as you did before. First turn the entire stack over, mouth-upwards. Once again, pull the bottom cup off and place it mouth downwards on the table next to the single pom-pom that was just revealed. Then, take the next cup from the bottom, turn it over, and place it on top of the single pom-pom that was just revealed. This is the cup you want to be most careful with because it is in this cup that the extra pom-pom is concealed. Remember, the audience doesn’t know about this pom-pom! Now, turn the last cup over and place it to the right of that cup. Now, take one of the two pom-poms left on the table and place it on top of the middle cup. Now, place the cup on the left on top of the middle cup and pom-pom and then place the cup on the right on top of the stack. Tell the audience that you are going to make the second pom-pom join the first. Say a few magical words and then lift the whole stack up from the bottom as you did before. You will now see two pom-poms!
4.POM-POM NUMBER THREE
Now turn the entire stack over again, mouth upwards. Once again, take the bottom cup, turn it over and place it to the left of the two pom-poms that were just revealed. Carefully remove the next bottom cup with its hidden pom-pom and turn it over and place it on top of the two pom-poms. There will now be three pom-poms underneath that cup but the audience will think there are only two. Finally, turn over the last cup and place it to the right of the middle cup. For this part of the trick, you will stack the cups a little differently than you did before. Tell your audience that you will make this third pom-pom pass through two cups instead of just one. Now place the cup on the left on top of the middle cup, place the last pom-pom on top of the stack, and place the third cup on top to complete the stack. Make a magic gesture and lift the whole stack up holding them from the bottom cup and you will see all three pom-poms!
5.THE INVISIBLE POM-POM
You could end your routine with the last trick or you can add a really spectacular finale. Do the trick exactly as you did the last one, but after showing three pom-poms under the cups turn the cups mouth upwards again. This time the bottom cup has the hidden pom-pom in it. Turn this cup over carefully and place it on top of the three pom-poms on the table. Turn over the bottom cup next, place it to the left of the cup with the pom-poms, and then place the next cup to the right of it. Now, tell your audience there is an invisible pom-pom in your pocket. Now, make believe you are taking a pom-pom out of your pocket and place this invisible pom-pom on top of the middle cup. Then, place the left cup on top of it and the right cup on top of it to complete the stack. Make a magic pass or say your favorite magical words and when the cups are lifted there are now four pom-poms under the cups and everything can be handed out for examination!
6.THE BALL VASE
The ball vase is made up of four parts, the vase base, the lid, a plastic ball and a secret half-ball, which fits on the vase base.
7.THE PUZZLING BALL
Before your show, put the real ball onto the vase base, cover it with the half-ball, and then cover that with the lid. When you are ready to perform the trick, display the ball vase on your table and tell your audience that inside of this vase you have a ball. As you say this, take off the lid and the secret half ball too, holding them together as if they are one piece, as you point to the real ball sitting in the base. Take the ball out of the base, display it to the audience and then put it in your pocket. Next, put the lid with the secret half-ball concealed inside of it back on top of the base. Now make a magical gesture or say a few magic words as you remove the lid ONLY! Make sure you do not take the concealed half-ball with it as you lift off the lid. They will be stunned to see the ball back on the base! Remember, they do not know about the secret half-ball. They will think this is the same ball that you just put in your pocket! Then put the lid back on top, which sets things up for the next trick.
8.IT LEAPS BACK
As a follow-up to the above trick you can make the ball disappear from the vase by once again by removing the lid along with the concealed half-ball, and holding them as one, just as you did before. It will now look like the ball has disappeared from the vase. Then simply take the ball out of your pocket and tell them the ball had jumped back into your pocket.
9.THE TRANSFORMING BALL
For this trick you will not need the real ball, so put it aside for the moment. Before your show, put a very small amount of water, just a drop or two into the vase base and then cover it with the half-ball and lid. When you are ready to perform, take the lid off ONLY! The audience will then see the half-ball, believing it to be the real ball. Now, put the lid back on and tell the audience that you will magically melt the ball away. As you say this, remove both the lid and the concealed halfball as one and pour the water into a glass. Please make sure that you have an adult’s permission to do this trick and that you are careful not to spill water on anything.
10.A GHOSTLY MESSAGE
Before your show, write down on a piece of paper the words “I’m in the magician’s pocket.” Then crumple the paper into a ball and put it in the vase and cover it with the half ball and lid. Also before the show, put the real ball into your pocket. When you are ready to perform the trick, show the ball vase on your table and remove just the lid. The audience will see the half-ball, believing it to be the real ball. Tell them that a friendly ghost lives inside of the ball. Put the lid back on and say, “Mr. Ghost, please reveal yourself.” Wait a moment and then say, “I don’t know where he could be, let’s look back in the vase.” Now, take off the lid and the half-ball together, holding them as one. Show the audience that there is now a note inside of the vase. Ask one of the audience members to read the message out loud, and then take the ball out of your pocket!
11.THE THUMB TIP
The thumb tip is one of the most popular secret devices ever invented for magicians. It looks like a little plastic thumb but you can use this sneaky device to create some absolutely astonishing magic. The tip is worn on the end of your right thumb when you are going to perform your effects. It should be snug on the thumb, but your thumb should not go all the way in. There needs to be a space between the tip of your thumb and the end of the thumb tip to allow objects to be hidden inside. When wearing the thumb tip, never show it directly to your friends but, instead, keep it hidden behind your fingers. If you keep your hands in motion the thumb tip will not be seen or suspected! You can also point, briefly, directly at someone while wearing the thumb tip. If kept in motion the very tip of the thumb tip looks just like a real thumb. It is the sides and back of the thumb tip that you want to make sure they never see!
12.THE VANISHING HANDKERCHIEF
For many of the effects, such as the vanishing handkerchief, you will need to be able to secretly load the thumb tip into your left hand. While holding the handkerchief with your right hand fingers and with the thumb tip already on your right thumb and hidden behind the handkerchief, bring the handkerchief over to the left hand. At the same time casually make a fist with your left hand. Now, in one motion, stick your thumb with the thumb tip on it into the top of your left fist and quickly withdraw your thumb, leaving the thumb tip hidden in the top of your left fist. Now, immediately, start to push your handkerchief into the top of your left fist, using your first finger. You can also alternate using your middle finger or even your pinky. Push the handkerchief all the way into the fist, and, for the last push or two, use your right thumb. On that last push you will secretly stick your thumb deep into the thumb tip and withdraw it out of your fist. You now have the hidden handkerchief in the thumb tip on your right thumb. Do not look at your hands when you do this. Instead, look directly at your friends! You can now open your hands freely, to show that the handkerchief has disappeared. Just make sure that you are keeping your hands in motion and that you do not have the side or back of the thumb tip exposed. Instead, point your fingers toward the audience so all they see is the tip of the thumb tip! You can now make your handkerchief reappear in a number of ways, including by sticking your right hand into your pocket and leaving the thumb tip, while withdrawing the handkerchief!
13.THE LAST PUSH
This will take you a little more practice, but it is a technique favored by many professional magicians. Instead of using your thumb for the last push or two, you will apparently use your fingers. Poke in your right first finger as you did before, but this time move the opening of the thumb tip backwards so that it is sticking out of the back of your left fist with the left fingers keeping it against the left palm. Keep the back of your hand to your friends so that they can’t see it. Now tap the top of your left fist with your right hand fingers and, as you do so, let your right thumb enter the thumb tip from behind and remove it from the back of the fist. The beauty of this method is that the right thumb is never seen to enter the fist. Even if you are working with somebody who might know about thumb tips, this retrieval will fool them if done correctly!
14.RETRIEVING THE THUMB TIP
After the vanishing handkerchief trick, instead of ditching the thumb tip and handkerchief into your pocket, you can make the handkerchief reappear from your left fist. After you show your hands to be empty, close your left fist once again and, using your right thumb with the hidden handkerchief inside the thumb tip, stick your thumb into the top of the fist. With your right hand, make a magical pass over your fist, and then, using your right fingers and thumb, start to slowly pull the handkerchief out of your fist. Under cover of the handkerchief you are now holding with your right hand, casually stick your right thumb back inside your fist and retrieve the thumb tip. You can then casually place your hand in your pocket and ditch the thumb tip!
15.A FUN REPRODUCTION
Here’s a great way to reproduce your handkerchief! After you have made the handkerchief vanish say, “It must have gone somewhere! Let me look up your sleeve!” With your left hand hold your friend’s wrist at the end of their sleeve. Now put your right hand against their sleeve so that your fingers covering your thumb. Your thumb (with the tip on it) goes into their sleeve. With your left fingers grip the thumb tip (through the sleeve) and drag out the handkerchief by removing your right thumb. Once the handkerchief is free put your right thumb back into the tip and release their wrist. This astonishing effect is a favorite with many top professional magicians!
16.THE COST OF A HANDKERCHIEF
Have a quarter (or any small coin) in your left-hand pocket. As you go into your routine, put your left hand into your pocket and hide the coin in your hand at the base of your fingers. Keep your fingers curled in so that when you remove your hand from your pocket the coin stays hidden. Now perform the vanish of a handkerchief just as you did above. The only difference will be that you have a hidden coin in your left hand when you put the thumb tip there. At the end of the trick, the handkerchief will be in your thumb tip and the left hand will just contain the coin. Say, “Do you know how much that handkerchief cost me at the magic store?” Whatever they say open your hand to show that the handkerchief has gone and there’s just the coin. Say, “It cost me exactly 25¢!”
17.VANISHING WATER
Your thumb tip can make lots of other things vanish for you. It can even make a small amount of liquid vanish, if you do this effect do it over a bowl or sink and not over an antique table! Load the thumb tip into your left hand then pour in a tiny amount of water making sure it goes into the thumb tip. Steal the thumb tip just as you have done when making the silk vanish then say, “People have said that it is impossible to do magic with water but today we prove them wrong!” Open your hand to show that the water has completely vanished! You can use any liquid here, magic pals!
18.SNAP IT
Snap It is a devious little magical prop that is made up of two parts. One is the base. It has a rubber band at one end and a hole at the other. The other part has a round top and a small hook at the bottom. Place the hook end into the base, and try to hook the inside part of the rubber band. Then pull the hook out to see if you did. I bet you couldn’t! That is because the rubber band end on the inside of the base is too short to be grabbed by the hook. But with a sneaky little move you can make your friends believe that it can be done. Here’s how. Place the hook end back in and then using your thumb and first finger pull it back out of the base just slightly. Now, with pressure try to snap your thumb tip and fingertip together, which will make the top snap out from their grip and back into the base. The illusion will look like it snaps back in because there is tension from the rubber band. Of course it is not really hooked onto a rubber band, but your friends don’t know that. The illusion will work even better if you give the top a few turns, before doing the snap. Then you can turn the top a few times, as if you are disengaging the rubber band, before letting your friends try and hook the rubber band!
19.THE COIN PADDLE
To make amazing magic with your special paddle you’ll need to learn a simple piece of sleightof-hand, called the “paddle move.” Let’s break it down into easy stages. Be sure to practice each stage thoroughly before going on to the next stage! First, hold the paddle by the stem between your first two fingers and thumb, so that one of the circle patterns on the paddle is facing you. Now, tilt the paddle down so that the circle pattern on the paddle is facing upwards and the audience can’t see the bottom of the paddle. This upward position of one of the circles will be your starting position, whenever you perform the “paddle move!” Now, using your thumb, turn the paddle over by rolling the paddle outward. (If you are holding it with your left hand fingers and thumb, then roll it to the right. If you are holding it with your right hand fingers and thumb than roll it to the left). Now, roll it back with your thumb, this time inwards. Keep practicing this rolling movement of your thumb, outwards, inwards, outwards, and inwards... The next stage is very easy. While holding the paddle as before, but without rolling it, just turn your wrist over towards you, so that the back of your hand and the bottom of the paddle are both facing upwards. Practice this turning movement with your wrist to show both sides of the paddle. First towards you, then away from you, towards you, then away from you... Now combine the two moves. Turn your wrist over toward you and at the same time roll the paddle outward. Now, roll the paddle inward as you turn your wrist away from you. It will look like you are showing both sides of the paddle, but you are actually showing the same side twice! In order to get the timing just right, you will need to practice these combined movements often. The best way for you to know if the illusion is convincing is to try and fool yourself. Yes, when done correctly this illusion is so strong you will be able to fool yourself! Take a quarter and snap it onto the top of the paddle only. NOTE: Some quarters will fit very snugly into the paddle, others will not. You might need to use some clear tape to secure the quarter onto the paddle. Now, when you do the “paddle move” it should look like there is a quarter on both sides! Now, flip the paddle over, blank side up and do the paddle move and it should look like the paddle is blank on both sides! This sneaky “paddle move,” can be used to create some fantastic magic!
20.THE FIRST COIN
Put a coin into one side of your paddle. Bring out the paddle blank side up and, using the paddle move, show both sides to be apparently empty! Claim that this is an amazing money maker and snap your fingers over the paddle. Turn it without using the paddle move to show that a coin has appeared on the paddle! To remove the quarter you can tap the paddle gently against a hard surface! If your quarter fits very snugly on the paddle, bend the end very slightly and carefully to dislodge it.
21.MULTIPLYING COINS
Once you have made the coin appear, you can snap your fingers over the paddle again and using the paddle move, show that now a coin has apparently appeared on both sides of the paddle!
22.REAL MONEY FOLKS
Before you perform the next trick, have a quarter hidden in your hand. When you are ready to perform, bring out the paddle with the quarter on the top side only. Then, using the paddle move, show that both sides contain quarters, when in fact only one side actually does! Now, pretend to remove the underneath coin from the paddle with your free hand. Since there isn’t a coin there, you will have to act a little bit. Now, put the coin you had hidden in your hand onto the table. They will think it is the one you removed from the bottom of the coin paddle. Then openly remove the top quarter and put it next to it. This convinces people that there really were quarters on both sides of the paddle!
23.REBOUND
Before the trick, have a quarter hidden in your hand as before. Start the trick with another quarter on the top of the paddle only! You must now make believe that you are going to remove the quarter from the top of the paddle. As your hand covers the top of the paddle give the paddle a half twist bringing the empty side upward, and at the same time bring into view the coin that was hidden in your hand. With a little practice, this looks just as though you have taken the quarter from the paddle. Display the quarter before putting it into your pocket. Then using the paddle move, show the paddle to be empty on both sides as you say, “Have you heard of the rebound effect?” Now, turn your paddle over to show that the quarter has magically jumped from your pocket back to the paddle!
24.VANISHING MONEY II
Start with the quarter on the top side only. Now, using the paddle move, show that there are quarters on both sides. Now, pretend to remove the bottom quarter by putting your hand under the paddle, and pretend to take the quarter with your hand. Then, with the fist of your hand closed, blow on your hand to make the coin vanish. Now, open your hand to show that it is gone, and then turn over the paddle to show that it is gone. Then snap your fingers and, using the paddle move, show both sides blank as you say, “It’s so hard to keep hold of money, you know!”
25.CARD MONTE
Take a look at your two special cards. One is a double-faced card, and the other is a doublebacked card. The audience is not supposed to know that these cards are trick cards! Put the double-faced card on top of the double-backed card. Have the top card (double-faced), angled toward the right so you can see the bottom card, too, just like a fan of cards. Hold the cards gently between your thumb on the top card and your first finger on the bottom card, towards the center of the cards. Show the cards to your friend by holding them as instructed and then turn your wrist over at the same time as you slide the top card to the left. When your wrist is turned, they will now see the other side of the double-faced card, believing it to be the second card. Then turn your wrist back and again slide the top card, this time to the right. Practice this turning motion, to get it right, so it doesn’t look like you are doing anything sneaky. Then take the top card (double-faced), show it to your friend and put it behind your back as you ask your friend what card that leaves in your hand. They will of course say the name of the card they just saw. With your hand still behind your back, simply turn the card over, and then bring it out with the other side showing, proving them wrong. For fun, this can be repeated a couple of times, but not too many, so they won’t get suspicious!