Ask the question "Do the children in my audiences know what it is?" If the answer is "Yes", then you should be able to get at least one more generation's worth of use from it. As a much wiser man than I once said "Don't run if you're not being chased".

Amos McCormick

So Ketchup bottles are old fashioned?

Luckily us magicians are up to date with our ultra modern props like top hats, canes and silk hankercheifs.

I live in Australia where kids don't even know what Ketchup is and my routine still works.

Incidentally, do people ALL use paper bags with the Neilson bottles or are other bags useful?

I suppose you could use a plastic bag for vanishing the catsup bottle, but I prefer to use two paper bags showing the bottle in one shaking this one and flick my finger in the second one and stating the bottle has moved from one to the other and you now do the hard part by making it return. The kids are not satisfied because they did not see it in the second bag. You now get yourself caught switching the bags, admit that this is not a good trick anyway, and crush and discard the bags. You will get gasps every time.

I always wondered why no one used a real catsup bottle for the old trick with a rope in the vase. You could talk about how the glass used to make catsup bottles has more grip... you ever try to get catsup out of a bottle??? Etc. etc.

What do you think friends?

As a side-note, The movie “Bogus” starring Whoopie Goldberg, Gerard Depardieu, and Haley Joel Osment is available in DVD. I was the chief magic consultant for the movie, which features a lot of great magic, everything from a Cirque de Soleil style flying levitation to a pen through coin. Jonathon and Charlotte Pendragon, John Thompson, and Tony Clark also worked on the movie.

One of the strongest pieces is a very young Haley Joel Osment vanishing a catsup bottle.

I agree. Whit, I have seen that film and that is what made me buy a vanishing ketchup bottle!
I now own the Budweiser, champagne, coke full, and coke empty!
This is a great trick!
And here in England they still use glass bottles in some food places! Although those little packet things are taking over... but on a happy note you can still buy the glass ketchup bottle in every supermarket! Why you ask? Because for some reason they are about a third cheaper than the plastic squeezable ones... hummm strange!
By the way, it was a nice point to mention the top hats and silks
Long live the vanishing ketchup (catsup for USA guys) bottle!
All the best,
Steve Dela

First off, I think that the ketchup bottle is still a very recognizable item. I can normally go into Denny's and find them still using the glass bottles.

Second, I use Martin Lewis' version of vanishing it. It gets a very big reaction and actually draws people in and then fools them bad. I just tell people that is what I used as my "first" magic trick that I did to my folks. Hope that helps some. It’s a great trick!!!


Robert Long
May your dreams be touched by magic.

Howdy- Don't forget The New Bottle Book for many other uses for your bottle. Mirror bottles, loads,kids stuff (George Murray's work, Adult comedy (Wino Shuffle)and even mentalism (Ernie Guderjahn's 'It's In The Bag' is a full-stage stunner piece of mentalism that only takes 5 bottles and 5 paper bags - well worth the $150 you'd spend on it.)...and Tony Clarks jaw dropper: Lay a silk on your hand, produce a bottle from it. Immediately visually split the bottle into two bottles...keep one and hand the other out, cause that one is real.
Anyway...the book is loaded with other things to do other than just vanish the bottle. Well worth getting, but I'm biased on the subject. I like to remind people cause they forget there's an inexpensive book out on the subject.

Most classy hotels deliver room service hamburgers with the Tiny Glass ketchup bottle. I like to shrink the bottle and (sucker) grow it back and forth in the bag and end with the bag discarded and the little bottle given away as a gift.
For some reason they examine the hard little bottle as if it actually has some gaff to it and it takes the heat off the discard.

You may want to consider doing the rising wand from the bottle...... and then....... vanish the bottle. Provide a double whammy and a ketchup chaser...... Cheers.......

Good old tricks never die. I still have two vanishing 32 oz. Coke bottles. Coke would be proud. I still used them because it is still magic. Only the real 32 oz. Cokes are gone!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I;m glad to hear I'm not alone in my search for a glass keytchup bottle.


Here in indiana, I have not seen them anywhere. I go in the grocery store and with haunted eyes search in vain for the blessed beautiful glass ketchup bottle, but alas, they are not to be found.

I think that since so many people nowadays are familiar with the plastic bottles they put ketchup in, they will assumr the gimmick one you are using is plastic also.

What you need is a REAL glass bottle you can bang on the table to demonstrate its solidity, then perhaps switch it for the Neilson bottle before the vanish.

The other way to prove it's solidity is to vanish the fake, then reproduce it, of course the reproduced bottle is the real glass one that you bang on the table to prove it's solidity and glassiness.

I purchased mine from Abbotts, and it wasn't cheap for an illusion that I have to now leave out.

But I would just LOVE to be able to add that effect back in my show.

If there are people on this post who have access to the glass bottles, perhaps you would be willing to sell me one? I'm dead serious on this!

If you even sell it empty, that would be fine, because I could easily refill it upon receipt!

If you are willing to sell please PM!

Some resturants still use the glass bottles. Check out a few resturants in your area. Yes, many are switching but not all. Then empty it and paint the inside. I had a friend who painted his, he went to the paint store and had them match the color exactly.

Bill

Daffy, I think this is another case of running when not being chased. The plastic bottles look like plastic The Neilsen bottles look like glass. Get the bottle book, there are ideas in it so that you can clink the van. bottle...one of which is glueing a large painted fender washer to the bottom of the bottle. It will sound real when you set it down.

Go ahead and add it back into your show...the audience will tell you when it's time to remove it. If the response is still good, then there is nothing to worry about. When they sit there are snort at you, then remove it. Til then, it's still a great trick, use it while you can. Enjoy. Get the book, its only about $15 or so.

Tom,

Who sells the book? I havn't heard of it until your mention.

And I would still like to have a real glass one to reproduce at the conclusion of the effect.

Just a quick note...If you haven't seen Rich Marotta do his routine, then you should probably take a look at it. His routine is kind of a "Sucker" effect, using the introduction of 2 bottles one real Salad dressing bottle and the other being the Vanishing Catsup bottle. On his video tape (Vol.1 Stand up comedy and Magic)Great tape by the way... He goes over the subtleties of his handling of the catsup bottle. The key subtlety of his routining is that he places the other bottle down on the table next to him with a very audible "Clunk". The audience then "Buys" the idea that the other bottle too is real because of this very clever ploy.He never mentions the solidity of the bottle, he just plunks it down on the table.
As to the idea of giving up this great prop and trick due to the diminishing production of glass bottles I think that's ridiculous. I do this trick all the time and the ONLY comment I get after my show is... Where the @#$*&#$ ??? did the catsup bottle go? You can't ask for a better response than that!
Your friend in magic,
illuzns

Daffy-

Many dealers have the New Bottle book, and if not, then Norm Neilsen has it...call him in LV or go to his website. Nielsen Magic. If you want a glass one to finish with, you might consider Tony Clark's GREAT bottle effect: throw a silk over one hand, lift it and a bottle is standing on yor hand. Immediately reach up and split the bottle into 2 bottles (one of which is real, you can give it away!), then vanish the other one with the usual method...if you need a reproduction, use a glass one to reproduce from somewhere else...Tony's handling is in the Bottle book. This one looks great even closeup!

Hmm...maybe having a stock of glass Catsup bottles might be a good idea. Now, the problem with that is minor: real catsup does NOT look like catsup! Real catsup is dull and dingy colored and looks terrible from stage... I was working at Nielsen Magic at the time the Catsup bottle was developed, and I had to choose the color for the full bottle (Norm being off to Europe to perform)...and I had to choose a color that people THOUGHT catsup looked like, not what it actually did look like.

I think catsup used to look bright red when they used to add some nasty food dye to it...now: dingy dull. Now you may actually have to paint the inside of the real bottle to imitate the fake one. Life imitating Art? If I can locate real glass bottles, I'll PM you.

Do you have restaurant supply houses near you? 'Smart & Final'? They may stock them,and if you don't want to buy a case at a time, they may be able to tell you who has them around town...

Here's a tip for those of you who do this...I'm not sure if this is in the book that Tom mentioned (it could even be in the instructions that came with the bottle, it's been so long that I'm not sure). However, when I purchased mine one of the guys there told me that this was a technique Norm himself used.

Take two paper bags and then nest them. However, place a layer of aluminum foil in between the two bags. Now, when you do the vanish, you can throw the bag over your shoulder and have it land on the floor, with no fear of it opening.

And no, I don't think it will go out of style anytime soon. But, only time will tell...

Zach

No Ketchup Bottles, and no records. But I have been thinking about records lately... I do have a lot of bottles though, and flasks, and martinis and cocktail shakers...

As for the glass bottles. Any moderate to high end establishment uses glass bottles. Only low end use plastic.

Keep the ketchup dream alive!

thank goodness hey stil use the glass versions in the UK - I love this effect