This is a bizarre way to ask a question......but I'm just going to go with it anyway! What the heck! I am looking for a pretty good kidshow effect. Maybe uses a table, but may not. Is colorful and interactive. My budget? $200 (plus maybe 3 pennies more, but only that).

Any suggestions for effects?

How about one of Mel Babcock's smaller (2 1/4" or the really small one @ 1 7/8") Die Boxes or the Alphabet version?

Julie

Great suggestion!

Duke's Dye Version.

I just started doing Duke's Dye Version. I did it a few times. Frank, how is your experience doing it?

It always gets a good response and keeps the audience engaged.

Out of curiosity, I went back into my photos to see when I started doing DDV. Turns out it became one of my staples back in the mid-1980s when I was doing a lot of mall magic. Mall magic was a fairly new genre and we had to develop acts for in-the-round including having audience above (see pics). It also needed to play big and pack small as you were your own stage crew, bringing things on and off as other acts circulated in. I believe the one in the picture was my smaller streamer when I was working out of a case sans table. DDV served well as one of my closers for 35 years+. Not a bad investment! But my friend Norris has that beat. He was actually at the gathering when Duke Stern first did it! So he has a lot more experience with it than me.

By the way, that was a time when it was cool to have colored tuxedos...love the blue. LOL.

Thanks for the scoop Frank. Just did it at a preschool this morning. They liked the ending, but the 2 volunteers might have been a little young to do the hold up the wrong color thing, not sure, maybe I just need more experience doing it. I'm doing the Guinn routine for now, but I'll probably create my own. I used to own a costume shop and I rented out the blue and orange tuxes for Dumb and Dumber, but you wore it un-ironicly!

The Abbott's version is a bit outside my budget...... but thanks anyway!!

Hi Paul

Fraidy Cat Rabbit (mentioned in another recent thread) might work well for you. I don't know who's making one now or the price or quality of same. Maybe check the usual used magic sites?

Julie

Several good ones come to mind, including a few that are a lot cheaper:

The Awakening or another rope routine (do kid routine) - $20
Solari Miser's Dream ($30) (Chris Capehart DVD has great routine)
a good die box ($50) - Tommy James' book has great routine
Kids Cards Across (practical magic or Tommy James) $35
A good silk effect (Wonder Imagery or Barry Mitchell or silkmagic) or blendo or 20th century $50 max
Two-headed Prediction (Christopher Barnes) $60
Eyeball Zombie Tommy James $75
Kandu Alphabet Box - $219 or so

It really isn't. The $275 Duke's Dye Version package includes the $190 1 foot by 25 foot silk streamer. This is great if you are performing on large stages but for other environments, a smaller streamer can be more advantageously used. So Abbott's Magic sells the gimmick and instructions separate from the streamer. The gimmick is $75 and the instructions are $4 (though a better deal is to get their book on silk magic for $10 which includes Duke's Dye Version on pages 35-38). For the five silks, 15" or 18" silks can be bought for under $10 for Rice Spectrum and under $5 for Magic by Goshman silks (see Penguin Magic for example). Streamers will run from $30 up depending on size, momme weight, and quality. But a 9" by 12 Foot of good quality will run less than $75 for 6 momme brightly dyed (see Richard Hughes for example). Net, a great setup would come in at $200.

All this said, there are some really other great ideas that the members provided above, especially the other silk magic. Doesn't get much more colorful than silks!



The miscalling colors definitely takes good audience member choice and good timing too. I like the easier "memory test" approach. This is where you have the kids close their eyes and raise up the hand holding the color as you call it out. Start with one silk for each, then add it to two. Then have the fifth silk in your hat "as a distraction" so neither should raise their hand. You can get a lot of the fun with quickly calling out colors as you can with the miscalling. But easier for younger ones to follow. Plus, you can teach a lesson on memory. For the end, you tell them you are going to put the silks in one at a time in tube and they need to remember all of them. Flip over the tube for a little more fun at this point (like you are trying to trick them). In end you get the big finish. Another routine can be done with colors and safety (red-stop, green-go, yellow-slow down, black for night, get home, etc.) So you call out a safety word and they have to raise proper color. Works really great for kindergarteners/1st graders.



At least I was in good company! LOL.

Thanks for the ideas Frank, sounds like good ideas. I think I got the gimmick from silkkingmagic.com silks for around $15, a lot less than from Abbotts, they may still have them, or you can make your own. I bought 2 different size streamers to use, depending on the space, the 30' one I think I got used on Ebay. The rest are 18" silks. You can also get a routine from a David Ginn book, but he doesn't explain how to do it if I remember right, just his routine. It's trick itself is very easy, though the routine seems like it will take a while to get good at as far as volunteer management, etc, etc. I don't use a bucket or black silk to help me do the "clean-up", I always wear a buskers pouch, so it works like a topit, nice and easy. There is a video of Marty Hahne doing it on youtube.
Gotta love those suits in those photos, hey it was the 70's, saw Henning live when I was a kid, part of his charm was his weird outfits.

If you're looking for a single routine to purchase, I believe it's $240 though, you cannot beat Tommy James Ultimate Homing card. Hands down one of the best 8-10 minute kids/family routines on the market.

I have a completely original interactive comedy Square Circle routine that kills every time, really easy and fun to do. I was thinking about marketing the routine somehow, without selling the props because you would get those from a bunch of places. If anyone is interested, please PM me. Tommy James and Kandu are both excellent places to get stuff. You need to decide on prop sizes and set-up/reset time so you don't get bogged down with too many big props and too much reset time.

Oh, Man - Memories - 85June 4th), 75 in Magic/Vent. simi retired ha ha ha - still have ALL my props from the 50'60's.. looking at prices - what I paid $35, then - is $250 ++ now. WOW

Yes, reset time for Ultimate Homing Card is very quick and easy. Such a fantastic routine.

Good ideas here......thanks......honestly!

There so much at much less that plays in any venue .... like Jeff Hobson's balloon bag.

Dan.

I love mis-made flag, with Rice silks, using a change bag (I like the jumbo, but it would exceed this budget if going with the Rice silks). Incorporate a couple magic wands--breakaway, multiplying, and spring wand are my staples, Tommy James has some great wands, and can't rule out a giant wand either--more space makes a bigger show.

I have some good ideas for Hobson's balloon bag, PM if interested. I do that one about a fourth of my shows. I'd do it more often but prepping the set-up takes around 4-5 minutes, and if you do it too far in advance, well it's risky.