My daughter is on the company to create a "Ladies" line of magic, she's talking about props in Pink, Lavender, Baby Blue.

While I'm all for creating color specific props for the lady performers, I have to ask, is this something feasible? I mean, do the lady performers have a use for pink cups & balls or linking rings etc?

We recently test marketed a set of Jumping Gem sticks in Hot Pink with Garnet Gems and they were very well accepted, but I'm just curious as if this was just something because it was unique.

Any input by the lady performers would be greatly appreciated.

Jake

I guess it could work for some items. I could always use some prop in Lavender to go with a costume or two. But I guess it would depend on what exactly the items are. I usually like my props on the shiny metal side though, like the linking rings. I think I would have to see some examples to really know how I would feel about that sort of thing.

I personally love color themed props and costumes and tend to customise all the time.

The rings would be expensive to produce though - you'd have to powder-coat perhaps so the color didn't chip.

The feasibility of the venture would depend I suppose on how many magi really stop to create and plan an act as opposed to those who string together what they've got and hope for the best.

Well, a really nice pink or rose change bag might be nice. One that doesn't look like the money collecting thingies that are usually found in churches...
I also might have use for pink cards.

These are two things I wanted to buy in the past that I couldn't find anywhere.

Edith,
I think http://www.hocus-pocus.com and http://www.ellusionist.com sell the pink playing cards. My boyfriend uses these when doing strolling magic in front of the ladies.

Thank you!

Hi Mad Jake,

Although I love the idea and commend your daughter for trying this out ..oh oh here comes the but...

I personally think that the market would not bear the financial outcome that she may hope to achieve. In my business/marketing courses we had to write several business plans and target our market audience. I think having some of the props in what is considered feminine colors may limit those whom buy the product. Like many of the female magicians I feel limited in to what choice of colors I can find and would welcome softer colored props but from a business perspective I would find this would limit the number of customers that would buy the product. Something to think about.

Then again...I'm one of those people that loves challenges and thinks..so what if no one else is doing it..makes me unique!

Sigh, I guess I'm on both sides of the fence with this one as I think it's great your daughter is willing to do something different --good for her! While not wanting to discourage her either but, perhaps, do a little market research previously, which is what you're doing on here in some ways.

With so many magic shops around and a limited target clientele, catering only to female magicians even makes the base of clients that much smaller.

Good luck with whatever she chooses.

Chrystal

I might use colored props on occasion, but I wouldn't feel that they fit in with my usual act. I do a ring routine and I could see maybe using colored rings. But I really like the classic look of the metal rings.

And, honestly, not to be mean or anything but,I just don't know how serious one would be taken using pink props. It's hard enough dealing with sexist comments without showing up with a pink set of rings.

I'm like Chrystal I see both sides to it though. The female market in magic is small, but hey you never know. I also think pre-teens might really be drawn to colored props, and it might draw more girls at a young age into magic.
Peace Beth

Jake,
Although I do feel there is a need for more "Female friendly" props I'm not sure it's a matter of colour. The colour of a prop is not nearly as important to me as it's size because I, like most female performers, have small hands. Time and creative ideas maybe better spent making a line of props that are for the female market not because they are pink but because they are made to work with female hands.
Perhaps a nice redesign of a few of the 100's of wallet tricks out there..I don't carry a wallet, change purse? Yes...small make-up bag? Yes..wallet? No.
A great deal of nice packet card tricks are made with Poker size cards. I can't do a clean full palm of a poker card to save my life. How about a nice small, ladies' PK ring for a change.
The point I'm trying to make is that although changing the colour of props is kind of neat and a nice forward thinking idea it would be, at best, a novelty. Novelty wears out, need does not.
Your daughter sounds like a bright, creative, person. She'd do better to address the need in the market and leave the novel to the less inspired.

Morgan

Hey Morgan,
I like the idea of a small ladies ring for PK, and also props that would fit in more readily for a female magician like the makeup bag idea. BTW do you do mostly close-up magic?
Peace Beth

A smaller pk ring would be great, currently I wear mine on my thumb and it's still too big.

I have to say that I do love my pink and blue bikes and my most prized magic prop, my pink Fakini balls. I know for a fact that I would buy props which are designed with the female magician in mind, whether it was a change in colour or size. I wish you the best of luck and hope to buying from you soon,

Diane

Hey Beth,
No, I'm not really much of a close-up worker..my stock and trade is illusions and escapes. As a mater of fact I'm in your neck of the woods now. We are at Worlds of Fun in KC with two Halloween shows.
I do close-up now and again, you know when the phone rings for it....


Morgan

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies! I appreciate the feedback in regards to my question. This really isn't a matter of marketing, but allocation of design time for props aimed at ladies performing magic.

I don't believe my daughter's view is a monetary one with this. She is new to magic and feels that everything is, let's see how did she put it? Industrial or common. She did change her tune a bit after I showed her Chance Wolf's site

Again, thank you and you have given me some food and ideas for thought.


Sincerely
Jake

Jake - your daughter hit the nail on the head with 'industrial or common'.

Not everything is - there are a few real artisans still at work.
But there's an awful lot of very mundane also.

A magician has to learn a lot of skills to customise their purchases.

I think it would be much more useful props that are believable for women then more colored props that everyone suspects are gimmicked in the first place. So, I suppose I agree with most of my peers who have posted above. I believe that many props need to be customized for each performer. I personally would shy away from many props in girl-y colors generally. If I could justify it from a theatrical design standpoint, however, I would embrace it.

Ladies,
again thank you. Tell us what you think would be good props or what you are looking for, that way we have a direction to take. We recently did the Jumping Gems in Pink Ivory wood, not tacky looking actually very classy as we used real rubies and sapphires on the rods for the performers. The color of the pink ivory after polishing gave the appearance of glass rods.

Another is a ball vase effect by Mitch S. on the Café here, while his original routine is aimed at the "Bar" crowd, once again we used pink ivory made a bottle put a label for lady's bubble bath on it and turned the balls into bath beads. This is a custom job for a female performer who knows the Gallo routine very well.

There are several other items my daughter had ideas for but I don't want to tip the hat publicly quite yet. I can say they appear like every day items a lady would carry in her purse or handbag, such an emery board and a compact along with several other items. If you can use your imagination, I'm sure you know what we're up to

Thanks again, I think the ladies section needs their own "Secret Sessions" so more can be explained publicly without the lurkers seeing the posts.

Oh Steve........

I agree that color would not be my main concern. But I did have a heck of a time trying to find a TT that fit and I don't do cards tricks that involve palming cards because my hands are small.
But a disappearing lipstick or the name of a chosen card appearing in the mirror of a compact...those kind of things might be unique because the audience would find them ordinary looking and would not expect them to be "gaffed".
rose
Amelia Island, FL

Bingo! Now I know we're at least thinking along the same line

Jake

I know the TT thing is long-debated. When I was younger I was able to use a f***** tip, but my hands are now at the impossible size. I tried every TT available at FISM this summer...and not one fit. I'm finally now, just molding one myself... So, making an effective ladies TT would be nice...

Ladies,

With a performing wife, Lucy, I can assure you that color is a problem easily solved. Attached is a small photo of her magenta stage props. Note the world's only Goose to Goat is magenta!

Of course, as the magicians' silk importer, I can also assure you that there are plenty of silk color options that guys seldom use. Not only are the silks available in all sizes with two pinks, a purple, a turquoise, brighter (apple) green and a lemon yellow, but also the silk props are available in those colors too! This is true of Knots-Off Silks, the (Improved) THIS, 20th Century Silks, Double 4-Color Change Silks, all the streamers, etc. (In fact, we import the same silk products for dancers' stage costumes. They use streamers 36" wide and up to 30 feet long.)

Just ask! Magic shops get married to red because they fear trying the other colors. But they are just as available.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

PS --- Lucy uses "youth" TT's.

Click here to view attached image.