Effect:

A small tube of Advil is displayed. It is sealed. The magician displays the receipt for the medicine. It vanishes. In his hand now is a few loose Advils. The spectator then breaks the seal on the tube of Advil and opens it to find that the pills are not in there. Instead, the receipt is found there in place of the pills. Everything is examinable.

Method/Preparation:

It’s a simple matter to unseal and reseal these tubes of medicine. Very carefully start to peel off the pull tab. Normally, this is just ripped off around the lid, and you open up the tube to get your medicine. However, in our case we’re going to slowly and steadily peel the tab. As you start to peel it, you’ll feel it break loose from the body of the wrapper one “click” at a time.

Slowly pull it all the way around the tube until you get to the very end. Leave the last half-inch-ish attached. At that point, you can safely remove the lid without removing the strip entirely. Take off the lid; dump out the drugs and put in whatever your load is, in our case, the receipt for the pills.

Take a moment to look at the images above to get a sense of this process. Once you’ve loaded whatever you’re going to load (e.g., dollar bill, receipt, card, etc.), replace the lid. Then slowly, but surely reseal the tube by carefully lining up the “teeth” from the strip to the “teeth” on the rest of the tube’s label. Get in there closely and look at it carefully as you reseal.

If you get the teeth lined up perfectly — this is easy to do since we didn’t remove the strip entirely — when it’s later reopened by the spectator, it’ll have that oh so satisfying ripping sound that sells the illusion of it being truly sealed. Once you’ve got the teeth all lined up and the strip is resealed, run your thumb around the tube starting from the part that remained connected, all the way around to the pull tab. The idea, here, is to get out any possible air bubbles and to make sure the adhesive really re-sticks itself. This will further aid in the illusion of it truly being sealed.

That’s part one of the prep work. Well, technically, it’s part two. Part one is to go to your local gas station — that’s the most common place to find these tubes o’ drugs — and purchase at least two tubes. However, pay for each one as a separate transaction. You want a single receipt for each one. So if you buy ten at once, you’ll have ten receipts and an annoyed cashier.

The idea is that you have a duplicate receipt with the same time and date stamp. If you do the transactions quickly enough, you can get two identical time stamps. Obviously, buying ten will not end up with ten identical time stamps, but you’ll get a few with one time stamp and few more with a different time stamp. If the system that prints the receipts records the seconds (in addition to the minutes and the hour), then you’ll need to cover it with your thumb during the performance. Alternatively, you can just ignore the time and only mention the date, or you can ignore both. We’ll discuss this more during the presentation.

Typically, the receipt will be wider than the height of the tube, so you’ll need to fold it over first. Then roll it up. I just roll it around a Sharpie. It’s about the perfect diameter. See the images below for clarity. Once you’ve opened the tube per the previous instructions and dumped out the pills, you can place your rolled up receipt inside and reseal as described.

Part three of the preparation is the rattle gimmick. Have another tube of Advil that has not been tampered with and either tape it to your arm under your shirt sleeve, or use a rubber band. This way, when you shake the tube that’s loaded with the receipt, you can give the illusion that the pills are in the tube as long as you’re shaking it with the hand that has the tube up the sleeve.

Step four is to get a few Advils and put them in a thumb tip. You’ll need a deeper thumb tip than you may be used to. Look at the image below to see the thumb tip I use. You can get a sense of the height (i.e., depth) of it by looking at it relative to the tube of medicine. Put the loaded thumb tip in your right pants ticket pocket.

The Vanish

The vanish I use is an old cigarette vanish. I roll the receipt up to be roughly the shape of a cigarette. I say “roll,” but in reality, it’s mostly folding. Then for the last “fold,” I roll it up like a cigarette. I hold it in my right hand between my first and middle finger just like you would a cigarette. Note: the two images below are kind of upside down. This only to give a better angle of the position of the receipt.

 

Then as I start to place it into my left hand, I secretly shift the rolled up receipt to right thumb clip.

While in thumb clip position, the receipt is placed in the left palm without actually letting go.

The left fingers close around the receipt as the right hand moves away to the right giving a very powerful retention of vision that the receipt is in the left closed fist.

The right hand dies: it just drops to your side. Next, draw attention to your left hand as you casually ditch the receipt in your right pants pocket. At the same time, load the thumb tip onto your right thumb. Depending on your pants, this can usually be done without having to put your hand in your pocket. You can just stick your thumb in your pocket as you let go of the receipt inside of the pocket. You can also load the thumb tip from this same position, again, depending on the style of pocket and where the ticket pocket is.

However, even if you have to put your hand  in your pocket, this is no big deal. The illusion that the receipt is in your left hand is very convincing, so there’s no reason for them to care about your “dead” right hand. Once the tip is loaded on your right thumb, slowly open your left hand one finger at a time. While all attention is there, casually remove your right hand from your pocket.

Once your left hand is fully open, bring your hands together and brush them in that universal gesture of “washing your hands of it.” Of course be careful not to expose the thumb tip. Next, you’ll ask the spectator to pick up the tube and shake it. As she does this, load the thumb tip into your left fist. This is easy. They’re all staring at the tube. When she shakes it and no sound is heard, pause, and say, “listen.”

Place your left thumb over the opening of your closed left fist and shake your fist. They’ll hear the Advil inside of the thumb tip. Don’t worry about the sound of the pills against the plastic of the thumb tip. I’ve tested it, and it sounds exactly like a fist full of pills without the thumb tip. The thumb tip just makes it a little louder, but the sound is the same. After the sound has registered with them, slowly pour the pills into your right hand (concealing the thumb tip, of course) or ask them to hold out their hands so you can pour into their hands. After that moment sinks in dump the pills from your hand to the table (or have her dump them from her hands to the table).

Ask her to open the Advil tube. While she does this, load the thumb tip back on your right hand (or left if you prefer). Casually hook your thumb(s) into your pocket(s) and unload the thumb tip. Have the spectator remove the seal, lid and receipt. Have her check the date and time. Point out that the date is the same (more on that in the presentation section below).

You’re done, and you end clean.

Presentation:

Magician: Things are so expensive these days. Gas prices, medical bills, groceries, etc. It gives me a headache, but I can’t even afford a headache.
Spectator: What do you mean?

Magician: I’ll show you. Look here’s a receipt for some Advil. I had a headache at exactly 2:30 in the morning last Friday. [Point out the date and time on the receipt.] It cost me $4 bucks! I don’t have that kind of money
Spectator: Maybe you shouldn’t have quit your day job.

Magician: Maybe not. Anyway, by the time I bought the pills and got home, the headache was gone, so I never opened them. Here they are (take them out of your pocket and shake them).
Spectator: You’re weird.

Magician: Your face is weird! I kept the receipt so I could take them back to the store, but they won’t take medicine back.
Spectator: All sales are final!

Magician: Yep. I guess I don’t need this (i.e., the receipt) anymore. [Make it vanish. More on that later.]
Spectator: Wow. You’re magical.

Magician: I know. Right? Listen . . . [Shake your closed fist. Pause. Dump out the pills.]
Spectator: That gave me a headache. Can I have one?

Magician: You’re funny. Would you mind opening the Advil tube? Just rip it open. What’s inside?
Spectator: The receipt.

Magician: Wow! Can I see that? That gives me a headache too. See . . . it gave me a headache at exactly 2:30 AM, last Friday. I guess I can’t shake this headache.
Spectator: Thanks a lot. Now I have a permanent headache last Friday at 2:30 AM too.

Alternate Ideas:

When I first figured out how to open and reseal these tubes, I had a totally different idea in mind for how to use the concept. Over the years, I’ve had several different ideas as well. Below is a short list of a few of them.

Lazy Shopper

Rather than swapping the receipt, you can swap a five dollar bill. The presentation would be slightly different of course.

Magician: I don’t have much time these days. I’m always running around like a headless chicken. It gives me a headache, which is weird since I’m a headless chicken. But I don’t even have time to buy drugs for my headache.
Spectator: Stop whining so much.

Magician: Sorry. When I’m too busy to buy medicine, here’s what I do. I sit at home and cause the medicine to come to me. Of course, I don’t steal it. I send the money to the store.
Spectator: I don’t believe you.

You then perform the same effect as previously described, but with money instead of the receipt.

Much Simpler

The above two effects (receipt and five dollar bill versions) appeal to me because they have a somewhat reasonable story line. However, this next idea is more direct with less story and even less props. You start by borrowing a dollar bill. You then say that this trick is so amazing that it’ll give you a headache. As you say this, you’ve removed the tube and started shaking it. Place the tube on the table. The spectator can shake it if they want.

You then vanish the dollar bill using your . . . wait for it . . . favorite method. Have them open the tube to find that the dollar bill is inside the tube with the medicine. To do this, roll up the bill in the same way that you’d do the receipt. Then carefully unseal and open the tube. Dump out the pills. Load the dollar bill in. It will unroll enough to fit the inner diameter of the tube. Then put the pills back inside the tube right inside the rolled up bill. You’ll be able to fit all ten back in there. However, it will be too tight, and you won’t be able to hear any noise when you shake it. So only put 9 pills back in, and it’ll sound just fine.

The advantage of this is that there are no loose pills, no rattle box and no thumb tip (unless that’s your “favorite method” for vanishing the bill). Also, you can memorize the serial number of the bill in the tube, and miscall the serial number on the borrowed bill. Have someone write down the serial number as you “read” it. Of course you’re really reciting the memorized one from the tube.

If you want to get even more clever, you can get a handful of sequential bills from a bank and scratch off the last digit of the serial number thus giving you several bills with the exact same serial number. Then when you borrow a bill, you can switch it for one of your bills. Then have them read the serial number as someone else writes it down. This will, of course, match the one in the tube. Of course, with this method, you can have several tubes prepared so you can repeat the effect multiple times throughout a night of strolling. Remember, each time you perform it, you destroy the seal, so you’ll need a fresh one each time.

In this scenario, you can either do the switch as mentioned above to have the serial number read by the spectator. Or you can just memorize the serial number as suggested earlier. You’ll only need to remember one serial number since all the tubes are loaded with duplicate bills.

Cards

You can also fit a card in there as well. However, you’ll have to fold it in half as shown below.

Then roll it up and put it in the tube. You’ll be able to fit all ten pills in there as well. The first picture below shows the inside with only 7 pills. This is just for clarity’s sake so you can see the card. The next picture shows all ten pills. When sealed up, you can hear the pills rattle just fine.

Again, with this effect, you use the same premise . . . this trick is so good it’ll give you a headache. I know John Bannon and Jay Sankey both have used similar lines in their own work. I’m pretty sure that’s where I got the idea to use it with this effect.

The advantage of using the card is that you can do a simple double lift vanish or some other move that requires no extra props. You just need the tube and a deck of cards.

Photos

Of course, you can tell the story of your ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend and how much of a pain in the neck they were. Thus you always carried Advil with you. Old habits die hard; you’ve still got some in your pocket. In this case, you pretend to “realize” that you have it in your pocket. Then you tell the story of what a pain s/he was. Then show a picture of them . . . tear it up and/or vanish it. A nice touch with this is that you can have something written on the back of the photo . . . a note from your ex, or something like that. Of course you  put it on both photos: the one in the tube and the one you’re going to vanish. This is as close as you’re gonna get to signed object to Advil tube.

For this, all you need is the tube in your pocket, and a picture in your wallet. This kind of thing is perfect for more casual performances. If you wanted to do it strolling, you can have several pictures in your wallet (assuming that you’re going to tear one up each time you perform). Then have several tubes in your pocket.

Experimenting

As you can see, this idea has a lot of potential. The best thing to do is experiment with several different objects that you may be interested in loading in the tube. Just buy a tube and rip it open. Don’t worry about saving the seal. I mean . . . save the baby seals, but don’t save the Advil seal in this case. Then just try rolling up stuff and seeing what’ll fit and what won’t. You might be able to fit small coins from other countries. Also, magic & novelty shops sell miniature coins.

You could put matches in there and cause them to vanish from a match book or matchbox. Maybe you could figure out a way to do a Tic Tac/Advil transpo where the Advil ends up in a sealed Tic Tac container and the Tic Tacs end up in the Advil tube.

Stuff a few super soft sponge balls in there. Then at the end of a sponge ball routine, the sponge ball vanishes, but in its place is a red pill, or the tube itself. I like the symmetry of the red pill and the red sponge ball.

Load it will small dice and patter about how taking drugs is always a gamble. On and on and on and on. Take some time to experiment and find out what fits your personality and style.

I’ve also played around with producing the tube. Maybe causing a dollar bill to magically turn into the pill tube. You can still start the routine off by saying that this effect is so good, it’ll give you a headache, but you never show the pills. Then you perform the effect and cause the object to vanish,  or rather: transform into the pill tube.

Another untapped idea is the wrapper around the tube. It actually unrolls. See image below.

I’ve experimented with writing a prediction on there (on the inside), or trying to hide something rolled up in there. I’m not sure what or how yet, but once you get something in there and re-roll it and reseal the pull tab, it should stay in place and can be handled with no problem. You can even glue it a little if needed to make sure it stays in place.

The Rattle Box

The rattle box (i.e., the tube strapped to your arm up your sleeve) is only needed in effects where the tube is pre-loaded with no pills in it. The only example of that above is the original effect where the pills trade places with the receipt. The rest of the effects do not require it. However, you may not even need it then. The fact that it’s sealed may be enough.

For me, however, I prefer the rattle box. I want to make sure that all things point to “This bottle is a legitimately sealed, untampered-with tube of Advil.” I have experimented with wearing the thumb tip that has the pills in it while shaking the tube. It actually works and even sounds right. However, it’s very awkward to hold the tube and properly conceal the thumb tip. I’ve played around with different grips, but never quite found one that worked for me. I like the simplicity of forefinger on top of the tube, thumb on the bottom and just shaking it.

You can, of course, feel free to experiment and see if you come up with something that’s comfortable for you and your style. In fact, I encourage it.

Multiple Repeat Performances

As you’ve seen, there are versions of this listed above that can be done by simply carrying around the tube and maybe one other item. For example the photo version only requires the photo and the tube. The dollar bill version only requires the tube if you borrow the bill, etc.

Although it’s a huge impossibility to have an object appear in a factory sealed tube, if the tube wasn’t sealed, it would still be a good effect, especially if the spectator holds the tube the entire time. So, if you want to carry a tube around with a dollar bill loaded into it, you can be able to repeat the effect without having to carry around a bunch of tubes. In this case, you’ll not be able to use the serial number because as soon as you remove the bill from the tube, they’ll want their bill back.

They think the one in the tube is theirs. You could, of course, be prepared with a bunch of duplicate bills in your wallet if you wanted to use the duplicate serial number idea mentioned earlier. Since this is not a sealed tube, but merely a tube with a lid, you’ll need to do something to make sure they “know” it’s the same bill. You could use a torn corner switch.

Then each time you perform, you have a new corner and new bill to load into the tube because you gave away the one in the tube, but you got a new one from the spectator. This is the one you vanished a moment earlier. This does mean, however, that you’ll have to carry around the loose corner where ever you go.

You can also do the photo version, however, you’ll need to have multiple copies of the photo in your wallet. The nice thing with the photo, you have the built in “duplicate” if you have a little note on the back of the photo — you’ll need this on all of the photos.

Final Thoughts

Stuff like this make my mind go in a thousand different directions. I’m assuming you guessed that after reading this effect. Take the time to play around and experiment with this idea. I’m sure you’ll find a ton of ideas that fit you. Good Luck!

I bring this up, a) because it’s funny, and b) because there is a lesson here, I think. The lesson is the fourth and final in the Know Your Audience series. Things get lost in translation even when both people are speaking the same language. In this case, the “audience” I’m referring to is the person who hired you to do your gig. Take a moment to make sure that you both are on the same page regarding things like: date and time of event, fee, required equipment, etc. Make sure they know what you actually will be doing.

I was once hired as one of several entertainers at an outdoor party at a huge home owned by a very rich lady. When the gig was over, the owner of the home gave me a piece of her mind and told me how upset she was that she didn’t see me perform at a single table. She said that all I did was just stop by a bunch of different tables and talk to people. Long story short, she thought I was a musician and that I’d be playing a song at each table.

In this case, I can blame the agent who got me the gig. He didn’t communicate clearly with the owner. However, ultimately I’m the one hired, and I’m the one leaving the impression on the owner, so I should have made sure my agent knew what he was talking about. Make sure that everyone is on the same page. This includes your customers at the table you’re approaching as well.

Take a moment to make sure they know why you’re interrupting their meal, party, etc. Make it clear to them yourself, and also work with the host to make sure that they are spreading the word that there is a magician in the house.

You don’t want to end up wit a deck of cards vanishing up your spectator’s nose, so take some time to communicate properly with all parties involved, and make sure that you not only know your audience, but that your audience knows you.

Root:

Let’s Remember Our Roots. The Root: MOVE YOUR AUDIENCE! Stop with the mindless droning on about what prop your holding and what you’re going to do with it, and where you’re gonna stick it. I’ll tell you where to stick it! Your audience members are not morons. You don’t need to say, “I have here a deck of cards.” Are you serious!?

Branch:

Let’s Build Our Branches. Your Challenge: MOVE YOUR AUDIENCE! For the next 30 days, I want you to take one effect in your current repertoire, and stop . . . and think . . . Think about what you’re saying, when you’re saying it, why you’re saying it. Make sure that your words have meaning and aren’t simply stating the obvious. As many of you may know, this is the final issue of Stone Cold Magic Magazine. So I thought I’d go out with a bang. I may ruffle some feathers, but this subject is near and dear to my heart. Why can’t our magic be moving and beautiful and emotional and meaningful? The answer is: it can!
This is why I wrote 793.8. My mission for that book is to solve this problem: too much of magic has no meaning. I’m not even opposed to “adventures of the props” as a way to present. What I’m opposing is a flurry of narration of every move and every breath you take. I’m opposing statements that are so obvious that by making them, you’re calling your audience members idiots/fools/etc.
What’s the point of saying, “I have here a pen. Take this pen and sign this card.” Why!? How ’bout saying something like: “Would you mind signing your name on the card” as you simply hand them the pen. Find these problems in your presentation and eliminate them.

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.

Root:

Let’s Remember Our Roots. The Root: You are on the same team as your audience. When I was actively marketing myself as a performer, the above letter was sent out to my mailing list of potential clients. It was part of a bigger effort to keep the magical moments of life at the top of the mind of my potential clients. This particular letter is very much about teaching the audience to properly play their role.

Spectators don’t necessarily know this. We’ve all met the spectator who narrates the entire trick as he tells us how everything is done. It’s not entirely his fault. He believes that his job is that of debunker. He wants to disprove any claims (outrageous or otherwise) that we as magicians make. He’s just playing the wrong role and doesn’t know it.

Branch:

Let’s Build Our Branches. Your Challenge: Educate your audience. For the next 30 days, focus on making very clear what your audience’s job is. Do this politely, of course. You can do this by openly saying this directly, or you can show them by your actions, or a combination of both. I want you to stop and figure it out on your own, but your job is to make sure that the audience knows that their job is let the feeling of astonishment happen, and then after it happens, let it wash over themselves until they’re buried neck-deep, yet comfortably. Teach your audience and your world as a performer will change.

Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.

Root:

Let’s Remember Our Roots. The Root: Your mind is your most valuable tool. The above essay was written for a college assignment years ago. I recently came across it and decided to add it to the magazine because it teaches a great lesson that we magicians can apply to our performances. First of all, if nothing else, it might make for an interesting premise for an effect.

Looking beyond that, I think the power of this is found in how we connect in our audience. When we perform, we connect with our audience via trickery, patter and costume. Why not other things? Why not with our mind? Or at the very least, why not use our mind to improve how we use trickery, patter and costume to connect with our audience.

Branch:

Let’s Build Our Branches. Your Challenge: Believe that you’re amazing. I know the world of magic is filled with enough ego already, and there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, especially in our industry. Try this, however: check your ego. Then believe that you have the most amazing performance, effect, show, etc. Don’t go around shoving it in people’s faces and rubbing their nose in it, just quietly believe it.

Don’t put yourself in denial either. In fact, you’ll want to do the exact opposite of denial. Take extra time to get feedback from filming yourself, or asking people, etc. Whatever criticism you get, DO NOT DISMISS IT. Just the opposite. Think about it. Ponder it. Really open your heart and mind to find the truth of critique that you receive.

That may sound like the opposite of “believing you’re amazing.” However, it’s not. When you tell yourself you’ve got a great show, and you really truly start to believe, your actions, subconsciously will try to play catch up with your brain. You will, on a very subconscious level start attracting things that will make your show better, so when you start believing in yourself, the doors will open and paths will clear and you will eventually catch up to where you think you are. Just remember step 1: check your ego before you do any of this.

Put this to the test in your next show. Tell yourself repeatedly that you will get a standing ovation. I’m not guaranteeing that you will. However, what will happen is that the more you tell yourself that, the more your mind will work on ways to head you down that path . . . just don’t forget step 1!

Now got study the classics and go discover your true magical self.

Effect:

The magician, while performing for a small seated crowd, gives ten cards to someone on the far left side of the room. He then gives ten cards to someone else on the far right side of the room.

Magically 3 cards vanish from the “left” person’s pile and reappear in the “right” person’s pile. However, when the person on the right counts her cards, she only has 12, not 13. The magician then “senses” that someone in the middle of the crowd between “left” and “right” should stand up. When she does, she is found to be sitting on the missing card.

Method:

If you do cards across, you probably have already figured out a method to perform the above effect. I’m not going to go into any depth regarding the cards across method. There are so many methods in print that it’s best if you do the research and find one that fits you. I personally use Paul Harris’s Las Vegas Leaper. It’s my all time favorite method for this effect.

With that behind us, let’s focus on getting the missing card under the unsuspecting spectator. It’s simple . . . just put it there when nobody’s looking. This is the kind of thing that you set up well in advance of the effect happening. Use the other spectator for an effect where you need to come out to her and stand near her. It’s a simple matter to stand beside her and place your hand (holding the deck) on the back of her chair and thumb a card off the deck and between her back and the chair’s back.

This can be done to someone between your the two people that you’re going to use for the cards across effect later, or it can be done with someone sitting next to the person who will be “receiving” the cards. It’s up to you. If you’re performing for a group of people at a table, it can be anyone else (other than the two cards across people) sitting at the table.

Also, you don’t have to load it under a person you’ve used in a previous effect. Instead, while using someone for an earlier effect, slip the card onto someone else’s chair who happens to be sitting next to or near the person you’re using in the current effect.

Further, you can just do it casually early on in the show as you’re walking out amongst the audience and not using any particular spectator for an effect. Your goal is to have the card loaded well in advance . . . long before you perform the actual cards across routine. Also keep in mind that not all venues and set ups are appropriately laid out for this to work. You’ll have to kind of get a sense, based on the venue, as to whether or not it will work in that particular staging.

Presentation:

What makes this work is how you “sell” it. During the presentation where you are making your magical gestures that represent the magical traveling of the cards, you can glance at your “middle” spectator and say something like, “did you feel the card make its way past you over to her?” Anything like that can be used to set up the ending.

Then at the end when the “right” person only has 12 cards instead of 13, you can give the “middle” person a “look.” The hope is that the audience will catch on and get ahead of you. Either way, you simply say, “you really did feel the card, didn’t you? In fact, I think it didn’t make it past you.” Then ask her to stand up to discover the card.

If you’re performing it where the “middle” person isn’t really in the middle, but next to the “right” person or just somewhere else at the table, then you can use a different “line.” This time when you’re gesturing to make the cards travel, don’t say anything to the “middle” person about feeling the card. Rather, you can act as if you stumbled or mis-fired when you make your gesture. Look at the “middle” person and say, “I almost sent the card to you.” It’ll get a laugh, and everyone will assume you’re kidding. In fact, even if you weren’t going to have the card appear there and you were just doing a standard cards across routine, this line totally works.

At the end when the 13th card is missing, act as if you maybe screwed up. Then as a joking way to get out of your mistake, look to the “middle” person and jokingly say, “maybe I did send it to you.” Let that “sit there” for a minute as an awkward I-screwed-up moment. Then politely ask her to stand up.

Another line that works at the end when the 13th card is missing is simply, “I missed. Sometimes I miss.” Then look to the “middle” person and say “maybe I ‘hit’ you?” At this point, rather than looking at the “middle” person, you can look around the room at multiple people (or everyone, depending on the size of the group) and say “did any of you end up with the missing card?” Then have someone stand up. Then another. After each sits down have another stand up until you “find” the card.

Finally, a nice touch is to be aware of what card you slipped under your “middle” victim earlier. Let’s say it’s the Two of Spades. During the presentation, later, when you are making the cards travel, on the last card, say something like ” . . . and the final card I will send you is the Two of Spades.” Then when she (the person on the right) counts the cards and finds only 12, ask her if the Two made it. When she says “no” you can start looking around the room suspiciously. As you ask people if they have the Two of Spades, the effect becomes slightly more powerful when the “middle” person shows that not only did she end up with the card, but it was the Two of Spades.

Extras:

Rather than having only one card get stuck, you can have all three get stuck. The beauty of this is that during the procedure where you are counting out the ten cards for the “right” person, you can be extra super fair because you’re not hiding any extra cards. You can really milk this and build it up that you are only giving her ten cards.

Then at the end when she still has only ten cards, you can make a joke about “maybe I shouldn’t have been so fair about how I gave you those ten cards.” Then proceed as before to find the missing cards.

Lastly, the above joke can be used as cover for a standard (non “middle” person) cards across. When everyone is laughing about the fact that there are still only ten cards you can easily load on three more if needed.

Final Thoughts:

I know that it has become “the thing to say” in magic to say “don’t overlook this just because it’s simple,” but it’s so true in this case. This is the kind of stuff that will set you apart from other performers. You’re taking a simple idea that adds a little “something” to an effect, and it becomes something more. It becomes more memorable and unique. Give it a shot. You won’t regret it.

Effect

A small capsule is placed in the magician’s hand. Almost instantly, the hand is reopened displaying a small toy animal – no water needed.

Set up

These toy capsules are simply dissolve-able gel capsules. Inside of each capsule is a tightly packed foam animal. When dropped in water, the capsule dissolves, and the animal expands. In order to remove the animal from the capsule, you can simply open the capsule and pull the animal out. This allows you to save the capsule (for a bonus effect in a moment), and get the animal out.

It will be pretty scrunched up, so you’ll want to drop the freed animal into some water to rehydrate it and allow it to take its proper shape. Once it has been re-hydrated, wring it out, and you’re ready to go . . . almost. You’ll also need another capsule that has the same color as the animal you’ve removed. In our case, we’ll be using yellow. Also, you’ll note that my set is an unusual set. It’s transportation (e.g, boats, planes, cars, trains, trucks, etc.) rather than animals. However, animals are the more common version.

Method

Take your released animal (in our case, a sail boat) and scrunch it up as small as you can (which will be super small, and wedge it between the base of your middle and ring fingers. Display the whole yellow capsule in your open right hand palm. Hold your left hand up with the fingers curled so that you’re in Ramsay Subtlety position.

Next pretend to place the yellow capsule in your left hand as your close your left fingers around your right finger tips . . . at the same time, the right fingers move away secretly concealing the yellow capsule. We’ll discuss the fake put in detail momentarily.

Next, draw focus to your closed left hand. A few squeezes and wiggles to secretly get the animal out of finger palm and some dramatic facial expressions later, you’ve “produced” an animal. Open your hand to reveal.

The Fake Put

For apparently placing the capsule in your left hand, there are several possibilities. Here are some simple options.

A little bit of sticky tape on the capsule will allow it to stick to your right finger tip. When displaying it, display it on the right index finger tip. When placing it into your left hand, it’s a simple matter of tilting your right hand over the left in a gesture of dumping it into your left hand. Of course, as you move your right hand away, the capsule is stuck to your right finger tip.

If you wear a PK ring, you can place a small magnet or a needle/straight pin into the capsule thus allowing it to stick to your PK ring on your right hand as you apparently dump it into the left.

You can simply rest it at the base of your right fingers and hold it there with your right thumb as you pretend to dump it.

Optionally, you can have the freed animal balled up and finger palmed/wedged in the right hand. Then display the yellow capsule in your left open palm. With the right hand, reach over and pretend to pick it up at the finger tips as your left hand curls and captures the capsule in finger palm and drops to your side. Then reveal the transformation in your right hand instead of your left.

Though I’ve never tried this, you might be able sleeve the capsule or even somehow rig it up to a pull. Good luck with that.

Bonus Ideas

You could, of course, reverse the process. Once you’re done displaying the freed animal in your left hand (and the right hand is holding out the yellow capsule), simple pretend to place the animal in your right hand using any kind of sponge-ball-ish vanish. Then open the hand to show that you’ve caused it to go back to wear it came from. If you want to add a level of “realism” to this, before starting, have the freed animal, and the empty capsule both finger palmed in the left hand.

Then, the effect becomes an escape: you’ve magically caused the animal to get out of it’s cage. So when you open your hand for the reveal, you’re showing the animal and an empty capsule. To put the animal back in the cage, you finger palm/retain both the empty capsule and the animal as you pretend to place them in your other hand that is secretly concealing the yellow capsule.

Alternatively, you can stick with the original idea of just the animal in the left hand and the yellow capsule hidden in the right hand during the reveal (i.e., the opening of the left hand to show the animal). Then you can reach into your right pocket (keeping the yellow capsule finger palmed in your right hand) and grab the empty capsule. You can then magically put the animal into the capsule using the idea above.

Presentation

This is where it gets fun. One way to do this is to simply show the capsule and see if they know what it is. If they do, great; if they don’t, tell them. I love the idea of saying something outrageous like “There’s an animal in here.” Explain to them that moisture dissolves the capsule and the animal appears. You could even drop an extra one into a glass of water on the table (with their permission, of course) to show how it works. I would suggest, however, that you use a different colored capsule for the one you drop in the water.

Drop, say, a green one in the water, while performing everything else with a yellow one. Once you’ve explained/shown how they work, let them know that you have enough moisture in your hands to dissolve the capsule. You can play it straight like it’s just pure science, or you can go with “harnessing the elements – rain/water in this case.” The perform the effect where the animal (and no capsule) ends up in your hand.

Another idea would be to explain that you can get the animal out without water. Talk about the big illusionist who use animals. Claim that you have a caged animal in your pocket. Remove the capsule. Explain/show what it is. Then perform the version where the animal and the empty capsule appear in your hand. Your presentation could be centered around how dangerous it can be if your animal escapes, but luckily you can magically cause the animal to go back into his cage.

Finally, you could also talk about the illusionists who do metamorphosis effects with animals. In this case, the effect would be a bit different. In this case, the animal is still secretly finger palmed/scrunched in your left hand. However, you also have an empty capsule finger palmed in your right hand. The yellow capsule is then shown to the audience. Make a loose fist with your right hand as you place the capsule (with your left finger tips) into the opening of the loose fist. You actually just place the yellow capsule directly into your thumb crotch (i.e, thumb palm/clip).

Next your close your left hand into a fist, palm down. Your right hand is already in a palm down fist, just tighten it up. Give your right hand a little wiggle, then open it (still palm down) and let the empty capsule fall onto the table while secretly retaining the yellow one in the right hand’s thumb crotch. You claim that the animal has magically jumped to your left hand. Turn your left hand face up and slowly open it to reveal the animal. This allows you to ditch the the thumb palmed capsule hidden in your left hand while attention is focused on the left hand.

If, however, you’re going to cause it to go back into the cage, then you won’t want to ditch it, but rather, keep it hidden and perform the effect (suggested earlier) where the animal gets back in its cage.

Final Thoughts

Though this is simple and maybe even silly, it can make for a fun and easy give away for kids. When you’re done you can either give them the freed animal, or if you’ve put the animal back in the capsule, give them that capsule (or another one) and tell them to take it home and drop it in some water.

Also, the presentation can be fun and somewhat “legitimate” with the idea of illusionists or with the idea of having moisture in your hand to dissolve the capsule. Don’t overlook this. Play around with it, and have fun.

Lastly, a quick Google search for “Magic Grow Capsules” will turn up plenty of resources in the event that you can’t find them in your local stores. Here’s one I found on Amazon: Magic Grow Animals.

Transition

So I’m standing in line speed-solving, or finger-flicking; now what? I’d say that better than 90% of the time I do this, someone will start asking questions or making statements (e.g., “wow you’ve got fast hands”, “you’re good with cards”, “how fast can you solve that”, etc.).

With the flourishes, it’s obviously easy to transition to “I’m a magician” or “I’m a magician; do you wanna see something cool?” With the cube, I tell them the true story that I’ve spent the last year trying to master the speed technique so that I could get my speed down around 30 seconds for a magic effect I’m working on. Of course that leads to, “Oh? Are you a magician?”

So What?

What’s the point of doing all this? Remember that the No Stoned Left Unturned column is meant to help you improve the business side of magic: get more gigs, retain clients, marketing tips, etc. I’ve found that fiddling with my cards and/or cube in public usually leads to a conversation about magic, which often leads to a discussion about “do you do shows?”

Be prepared to answer questions and possibly get some phone numbers and/or give out business cards. This is a simple way to turn a 30 minute wait in Apple Genius Store into a few hundred bucks in your pocket (depending on your show fee) by getting potential and actual clients.

Learn a coin roll, or fancy Zippo lighter moves. Learn to solve the cube or some fancy XCM moves. Learn how to get the attention of those around you without taking on the attitude of “look at how awesome I am.”

Often when people ask what I’m doing, I let them know that I’m “keeping my fingers warmed up.” This will, of course, lead to questions. I lead them to believe that solving the cube is just meant to keep my mind and fingers nimble which is true. This can/will lead to you showing them nimble fingers (card/coin effect) or nimble mind (mentalism effect).

So get out there and start finger flicking, coin rolling and cube solving.

Until Next Month . . .

Root:

Let’s Remember Our Roots. The Root: Any effect is possible. As magicians, we are creators. We create miracles, illusions, effects, moments, feelings, wonder, etc., etc. Even if we don’t literally “create” (i.e., design and build) an illusion, we still “create” illusion when we perform the effect. On top of all the things we “create” during a show, we also may create other things outside of our show.
We create relationships, customers, shows and maybe even products to sell. As a creator, we should insist that we do not limit ourselves. Don’t get stuck in your paradigms. Remember that with magic, anything is possible. I remember an old episode of Amazing Stories back in the day called Mr. Magic. The basic premise was that a washed up has-been magician was about to get kicked out of his venue when he comes across an old deck of cards that have magic powers.
The cards came to life and would animate, and fly around the room and all kinds of crazy stuff. When watching that as a kid, it was so magical and beautiful. Now as a grown adult, it’s even more beautiful and magical because the story’s beautiful, and the effects are beautiful. But most importantly, the effect is possible. Remember, anything is possible with magic. Any effect is possible. I have no clue what the method would be, but one exists.

Branch:

Let’s Build Our Branches. Your Challenge: Create an impossible effect. Take some time, even just 30 minutes and think up (and write down) as many crazy effects you can think of. Don’t think about stuff only in your genre. Don’t think about methods. Simply think about effect. You might be only a close up coin worker. But that doesn’t mean you can’t think of a crazy illusion.
Give yourself no limits. How ’bout “make the moon disappear.” Why not? How ’bout raising the dead in a cemetery? Sure it’s morbid, but it’s possible. The point of this exercise isn’t, necessarily, to come up with a method. It’s simply to come up with an effect. Think of the most outrageous and impossible effects you can imagine, and write them down.
Then, every so often, re-read the list. Think about the effects (not possible methods). Just continue doing this for the rest of your magic career. Every few months, read the list. As you do this, ideas (not necessarily methods for the list of effects) will come to you. Write them down. Write down everything. Let it soak into your subconscious. Force yourself to think outside of your boxes to free your mind. Remember Neo’s first jump across the building. Free your mind. Eventually, you will be almost completely free, and ideas will flow freely. You won’t be able to stop them.

Now got study the classics and go discover your true magical self.