Craig Petty from World Magic Shop is joing this week by guest Star Host: John 'Kimmo' Kimmons to look at some of the latest products from the world of magic.



'And on this week's show':

Wild Card Tricks for Kids

Get it here!

Multiplying Potato Chips

Get it here!

Rope, Nut, Knot by Giovanni Livera

Get it here!



Enjoy the show!

I hope that's not who I think it is at 13.35.
If it is, it needs removing immediately!!
If it's not, I apologise, and feel sorry for the bloke
who bears that uncanny resemblance.

I'm really starting to get excited by Rope Nut Knot! Loved Giovani's performance on the magic live episodes and watching Craig perform it has stapled it. I think I'm going to get this one don't know when but I'm getting it I know there are other rope and ring effects out there that are quite similar, but I think Giovani has created a product that I think I could totally personalize.

not all that crazy about the other stuff so I don't think I'm going to comment on them.

Great show guys!

???

John is a GREAT co-host! Thanks!

Does look like him

Looks like who? As far as I can see that is Terry Herbert and Jeremy from Pratical Magic. Please explain who you think it is?

Promising opening to the show this week. "We are going to feature a few Kid's effects". Not a children's entertainer myself but I'm always up for seeing different kinds of magic.

Then.......what happens?

Bleedin' cards come out and we are subjected to a Kid's packet trick!

My jaw actually dropped. Amongst the raft of fair to good, decent kids magic tricks that must be available on the market, someone, in their infinite wisdom, decides to feature 'children's card magic' - and if that in itself doesn't actually border on child abuse, it's yet another poxy, boring packet trick! I truly despair. Wild card for kids. Wow. I can just see children's entertainers across the globe wanting this. No doubt, within the incredibly creative mind of Peter Kane (NOT Frank Garcia by the way), when he sat there 50 odd years ago producing the premise for Wild Card, I can just imagine him thinking to himself "you know what, something is missing. This is clearly a routine designed to capture the hearts and minds of 7 year olds at their Birthday Parties".

Seriously guys, I love watching your reviews. But can someone please just tell me (and possibly others) WHY, on a show to the most part dedicated towards a children's audience, you chose to review a packet trick? Is this honestly an example of the best children's magic that you supply?

Sorry, just don't get it.

Then onto 'Multiplying Pringles'. Sorry. Don't use the term 'potato chips'. It's not an English term - in the same way I never call chips 'French Fries'. And just for the record (before anyone jumps on me) I've just got back from The Vendee Region in Western France. And guess what? They don't call them 'French Fries' either. So just to clarify - CHRISPS in PRINGLES TUBES are called PRINGLES. Something probably to do with the fact that it's what's actually written on the PRINGLES TUBE.

Any way, the idea of using Pringles Tubes I can understand - well, partly I can understand it. It brings something up-to-date and enables the audience (that it is intended for) to relate to it. We then, quite rightly, get referred to the greatest ever version of the Multiplying Bottles - the routine created by Ken Brooke. In fact, it's that good, that throughout the review, we get frequent clips of someone performing Ken Brooke's Multiplying Bottles routine.Oh hang on; can we rewind a minute? Aren't we watching a review for the Multiplying Pringles Tubes? Kimmo quite rightly referred to Ken's routine as worthy of serious study. Agree 100%. That's why, ever since joining the Café, I have harped on tirelessly about Ken Brooke's routines because, quite simply, every single thing that this man ever touched is worthy of study. But where was the routine for this version? And if it's that bad, then WHY such a high percentage then guys?

So let's consider someone else that made The Multiplying Bottles one of his signature pieces - the late, great Tommy Cooper. I am sure that I'm not alone (in the UK any way) that hasn't had friends, family, non-magicians, etc. refer to Tommy presenting this masterpiece. AT NO TIME has anyone EVER said to me "but it's obvious that the bottles were fake and just nested together". The reason is that a decent set (and by decent set, I mean the type that Ken Brooke used to sell) were designed to look EXACTLY like REAL, GLASS MARTINI BOTTLES.

So then we come on to this present day effort. Sorry, but am I seriously the only person that can just imagine the train of thought going through an audiences head (including kids) with this actual version; namely "well those are just cardboard tubes that simply fit/slide inside each other"!

What has basically happened in my view, is that Theatre Magic have tried to update a magical classic. But, and it's a very big but, in the process they have totally missed one of the most important aspects of the trick. This product has taken the "maybe they do, maybe they don't, but it's great entertainment any way" argument into new territory - or, in other words, "of course those cardboard tubes just slide inside each other - I've done it myself with used toilet roll tubes whilst sitting on the loo" . That's why, in my view, this trick is complete and utter garbage. A magic manufacturer has basically taken a classic, and turned it into an utter monstrosity that I can just foresee being annihilated in the hands of those that haven't got the first idea about performance, and/or true magical theatre.

Rope, Nut, Knot - said this the other week. Potentially the best routine to have been released onto the market throughout 2013. Classic magic. Perform anywhere. Easy to follow plot. Built in laughs. Embraces all that is good in magic - namely sleight of hand, routining and misdirection. No doubt these will appear for sale in great numbers on ebaY and Magic Week small ads, etc. when some purchasers (whoops, nearly said magicians there) realise that it will take a few hours of practice to get right, and that it isn't the nut that will actually enable you to do the trick in 5 minutes.

Good show over all this week and an exceptional guest spot by John Kimmons. Really entertaining, down to earth guy.

Finally, an all kids stuff special. You guys should really do that all the time. How about a separate WPR every week for us kid show guys? Or a monthly one. I liked seeing Kimmo as a guest. I saw him do his race routine at Kidabra. I wish they had given him a full audience of kids for his lecture like they did with some of the other acts - it would have been easier to get an idea of how well things work, but I bet his race routine works really well like he says. The Livera trick I can see working really well for older kids and impressing the adults too. Not sure I'd do the chip can thing, but as an added idea for that, someone makes a chip can that lets you take real chips out one side and a spring snake comes out the other side, so maybe combine the 2 props as a kicker.

Wow.

A spring snake from a Pringles Tube.

There's just no stopping the creative juices flowing from some of you children's entertainers is there.

Must remember to produce some spring flowers at the end of my Malini Egg Bag routine.

It may have sod all to do with the routine - but hey, a production is a production I guess!

A spring snake from from a can could be part of a bigger routine where it makes sense, and even just as a quick joke can work really well if played up right. I doubt if I'd ever do the multiplying pringles can, but you never know. It's easy to dismiss a prop as something lame or overused or whatever, but with creativity and the right approach, most everything has potential. For example, I dismissed using a dove pan thinking that too many people use it, it doesn't look natural, etc. But then I saw Buster balloon doing a great routine with a creatively modified dove pan, and it was great and the audience loved it.

Rope Nut and Knot is Awesome! Giovanni rocks.

My point old chap, is that THE CLASSICS are CLASSICS for a reason (including a Dove Pan).

And no amount of spring snakes is EVER going to bring ANYTHING to the party.

The sentiments of Ken Brooke, Patrick Page, Fred Kaps, etc. But hey................what did they ever know!

It was a review show. Without the "team" of Petty and Penn ( or Penn and Petty ) it's just not the same.

No surprise on Giovanni's release. The man LIVES the classics of magic.

Get that and Giovanni's Salt and Silver and you'll have 30 minutes of classic, in your face magic that entertains ANY audience.

Do wot? No card tricks Guv?

But people just LUV card tricks mate...............................don't they?

I've timed them. What fills the other 23 minutes?

Who listened to a Steve Evans on BBC 5Live?

I've never met the fella, but wish him well. Craig was on it.

Very, very good demo's, you're bloody good, Craig.

OK Merc Man old chap, I am not against classics or anything, I'm just saying don't automatically dismiss stuff so quickly. On paper, spring snake gas sound lame, and they usually are, but they don't have to be lame, nothing has to be lame with the right approach. Check out this spring snake performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV7NcoAaXEA . And as far as classics go, it's a good thing everyone doesn't all do the same classics or the same type of stuff, regardless of how well done or original the presentation. With kid shows, a lot of the fun and energy and laughs come with the gags, the jokes, the "bits of business".

Yeah Giovani's the bomb for sure !

Do you perform for kids, Merc Man? If so, you must realize that the "snakes from can" kicker that was suggested would probably garner more laughs and reaction (ie, entertainment) with the under six crowd than the classic Brooke routine, or Haney's variation thereof. Not to mention that it's much more appropriate for the audience. This is supposed to be kid's week on the WPR, right?

Having said that, though, I'd never invest in the Pringles can trick, because it's too lame to even fool the under six crowd.

Best multiplying bottles kicker I've ever seen is Bev Bergeron's with the water fountain finale, which is $150 just for the manuscript and DVD. http://bevbergeron.com/manuscripts.html You really need to know what you're doing to put it together - or know someone who does. But it's definitely entertaining, creates an impressive visual display, and is appropriate for all age groups.