I am very happy working with a live rabbit, and I love the moment when he makes his appearance and the reaction it gets. I can't see why anyone would want to play party games or lug around cumbersome disco equipment, but I can appreciate that others enjoy this and that it is a selling point to their customers. There are also lots of very popular tricks and routines that I would never do, just because they bore me rigid!! Even though I know kids love them, I wouldn't want to carry them around. I can sell the rabbit routine because I love it and look forward to doing it every show. If it was disrupting the flow of the performance, or not getting a good reaction, I wouldn't do it.

Spot on, Kimmo! This is what is so great about our profession. There are no rules about what we should or should not do in our shows, just like I pointed out in another post! By the way, Kimmo, I hope to meet you at Blackpool next year. You are a great addition to the Café, and you always talk a lot of common sense. Plus, you have talent..........I've seen your videos!

I have just reread this thread. I am delighted to see that the negativity has been removed by the powers that be! I also realise that I never answered Regan's question. Just to clarify, as I have already mentioned, the whole cardboard Rabbit thing was a joke..........part of my dry British humour! However, the question really is what happens when the kids say, "I have seen this before." My frequent response is, "So have I...in fact, I have seen all my tricks before." This usually gets a chuckle if there are adults present.
I would also point out that I have about 8 hours of material for children, and I am constantly putting in new routines and changing things around. Kids also do love repetition. If they say they have seen something before, you can tell them how lucky they are to have a chance to see it again! If they don't want to, they can keep their eyes closed! This usually shuts them up!

I do feel there must be greater challenges with a live rabbit, but I have great respect for all entertainers who use one...just so long as they don't simply say, "Here is an empty box. I wave my magic wand over it, and now here is a white Rabbit!" Believe me, I have seen that done, and it makes me cringe! A great routine building up to the production can indeed be a good addition to any show.

Well it looks like my rabbit will be staying in the show for a while longer! My Funhouse arrived from Chance Wolf and I can see this prop being the centre of a major routine in my act!!

I'm looking forward to seeing a photo of You, the Funhouse and the Rabbit, all getting along together!

As it is New Year, does anybody know about the tradition of Hares and Rabbits?

I haven't a clue, but I'll bet you're going to tell us!

If the last word you say at the end of the month(or year) is "Hares" and the first word you say at the beginning of the month is "Rabbits" it will bring you luck throughout the month. If you haven't already tried it, try it on January 31. It always works.

This is an English tradition - where are you based Sorcerer?

There are variations, probably depending on your family. I was brought up on the old hunting variant of hounds and hares.

Tony, you may get into trouble doing hounds and hares, especially since the other Tony,Tony Blair, banned fox hunting.

Ah, but have you followed the BBC and their task to find the most unpopular piece of legislation?

The Hunting Bill. And at the start of the BBC quest there was some undertaking that the government would look again at whatever resulted.

Isn't that Blair chappie living it up rent free in one of the Bee Gees Florida homes? I recall the bee Gees when I was magicing and they were doing their first gigs at the Essoldo Theatre at Chorleton-cum-Hardy - before they went out to Australia.

And Essoldo? A group of cinemas usually with stages and facilites owned by a family man whose wife was Ester, he was Solly and their daughter Dorothy hendce Es Sol Do.

Come on Sorcerer - where are you located?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Congratulations Sorcerer. Your the first American I've come across who can spell the name. But can you say it? I tried a few years back as I wanted to use it in my show when in Wales. But I just couldn't quite get it right and a bit like France, Welsh pronunciation is everything.

Puts me in mind of working in Pantomime, back in the '60s.

'I bet you £5 I can prove you're not here' says the smartarse to someone and down goes the money on the stage.

'You're not in Paris are you?' 'No I'm not in Paris'

It's repeated with two more places - the old rule of three applies.

And on the third one the smartarse says 'So you must be somewhere else' 'Yes'

'And if you're somewhere else you can't be here' and whilst the someone agrees and thinks about that one the smartarse picks up the money and walks off!

The rule of three applies again. The someone does it with the idiot and recovers his money. The smartarse reappears and the idiot tries it on him.

'You're not in Paris are you?' 'No, I'm not in Paris'

'You're not in Crete?' 'No I'm not in Crete'

'Well,you should be - concrete, up to your neck' It always got a laugh. And then

'You're not in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?'

The laughs came as the smartarse struggled to say it and the idiot kept reeling it off.

'So you must be somewhere else' 'Yes'

'And if you're somewhere else you can't be here'

And the idiot is getting really excited at the prospect of getting his money back until the smartarse says

'And if I'm not here you can't see me pick up the money' and does so and goes to walk off.

'Come back - that's mine' 'Ican't - I'm not here' and the smartarse keeps on walking.

Do you know, those sort of gags - and there are so many of them - are still being used and they still bring the house down, partly because the audience can see what's going to happen long before the tag line comes.

And partly because, like good magic, it's not the trick but the presentation and timing which makes something great.

And after weeks of it I still couldn't say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

For those who don't know what this is about it's a little place in Anglesey, Wales with the longest name in the world. Years ago, sor a stunt, people used to steal the railway sign from the station and it would turn up at one of the main line London stations.

It's actually a descriptive Welsh sentance all strung together but don't ask me why.

Jolly,

If producing a rabbit from a box makes your cringe, how would you produce the critter?

Thanks.

I thought I'd posted this already but it seems to have gone. Fogive me but is a 'critter' some form of American rabbit?

or something different?

http://www.answers.com/topic/critter

I see. Thank you.

I added Fido to my home just 11 months ago, though I had used rabbits in my act decades ago, too. I had not had him perform as I had not had a request... until November. The lady calling in was pleased with what I told her of my act, but she had never seen me before, so was going to call some others to see about price. We discussed Fido coming, and the switch was immediate. The call was now a sale. And, when I went to perform, I received an unsolicited e-mail afterwards stating that the show was just perfect for the kids.

I will likely continue to be selective about when I offer to bring Fido with me, but I know that there are some folks for whom it aint a magic show til the little bunny scrunches his nose.

At home, he is a prized member of the household... of 2. I'd like to add another 'bunny', of sorts, but such is life.

Going back to the start of all this.

My little rabbit, Percy, always opens my magic show. I would hate to have to start any other way. He does more for my show than I could explain here. You'd have to see the routine and then you'd understand why Percy sets the whole show in place.

'Do you have a Magic Rabbit?' they ask on booking or sometimes 'You do have a Magic Rabbit don't you?' is the other question.

If it's the latter I'm home and dry. They're just confirming what they already know. Yes, of course I do. Little Percy. Ah!

But if it's the first question - 'Do you have.....' then this could be one of those oddball animal rights freaks who don't eat meat and are allergic to everything normal. There's nothing wrong with their money though.

So I tell the truth. 'Yes, Little Percy. He's made of tin, you know.' You can hear the sigh of relief at the other end. Then I hit them.

'Pisser the Dog is real though.' Only kidding. He's a puppet. Kids love him.

Nobody, truly nobody bothers about Percy being made of tin. Being an Englishman I never explain. And nobody has ever asked me to.

It's what I do with him that makes him totally indispensable at the start of my show.

Good post, Tony. I have always thought it is preferable to use a fake bunny rather than a real bunny. It could be Tin, like your "Percy", cardboard, or of course a puppet. This way, like you correctly state, you will have no hostility from the animal rights protesters, and if you do a good routine with it, I believe it can be as effective, if not more, than a real bunny.