Need some good ideas for a Stratosphere Patter. Throw them at will. The goofier the better.

This is a tough one, to come up with a logical theme for odd props is not easy.
How about a Clown with OCD who needs to keep his juggling balls in the correct color order, that's pretty goofy, so try to run with it.

Magically,
Walt

You know..... I noticed something quite odd the other day when I was swimming around in the ball pit at the Chucky Cheese. I mean not as odd as a full grown man swimming in the ball pit at Chucky Cheese, but odd nonetheless.

They had this ball chute that you could load up the balls and fire them at mean kids. The only thing was when I went to load them I noticed that when I put the green one in first then the yellow and then the red, when they came out of the chute the red one always fired first.

Even when I totally took the red one out and put it into the box on the side of the ball pit, the red one would always come back...

(You have to fill in the ending!!!!) ;-)

S. Patrick

A driving test -- starting with what color is the light?

The following is from my lecture notes on stand-up magic:
After twice making the red ball appear at the bottom, I tell the kids:
"You know what the problem is? The red ball can't follow directions." Remove the three balls from the clear inner cylinder. Show the green ball. "This is the green ball. It belongs on the bottom." Drop the green ball into the clear cylinder before you cover it with the outer cylinder. "Green goes on the bottom!" Now cover the clear cylinder with the outer one. "Yellow goes on top of green." Push the yellow ball in so that it pushes the extra red ball into the clear cylinder, but push the yellow ball past the gimmick that usually keeps the last ball in the white cylinder.
Show the red ball.
"This one is the troublemaker." Look at the kids knowingly. "I think we should put him in time out!" This gets a laugh from the kids and the teachers because they know all about time out. I walk over to my props suitcase. I pause and look at the ball and say, "You have to go to time out! You can come back when you're ready to follow directions."
I put the ball safely away in the suitcase. I walk halfway back to the cylinders when I turn and look toward the prop suitcase where the red ball is and say sternly, "Remember! You can come back when you're ready to follow directions!"
Back at the table I lift the outer cylinder enough to show only the green ball. "Is that the green ball?" When the kids yell "YES!" lower the cylinder again and act relieved.
"Green is on the bottom! Yellow is in the…" Lift the outer cylinder completely off and act stunned that the red ball is back! Act flustered and then tell the kids: "You know why the red ball came back? Because he's ready to follow directions! Let's see if he does!"
Remove the three balls and then cover the empty cylinder. Put the green ball in first, then the yellow one. Before you put the red one in on top, look at it sternly again and say:
"Remember! You promised to follow directions." Put the red ball in, pushing it past the gimmick in the outer cylinder.
Raise the outer cylinder to show the green ball. "Is that the green ball?" "YES!"
Raise the cylinder again to show the yellow ball. "Is that the yellow ball?" "YES!"
Raise the cylinder completely off the clear one and say: "IS THE RED BALL ON TOP!" "YES!!!!!" "GIVE THE RED BALL A BIG HAND FOR FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS!!!!!"
Amazingly, you get an extremely enthusiastic round of applause for the red ball doing absolutely nothing!

I tinkered with this one, and the best idea I came up with at the time was a piece where the balls represented various planets.

Didn't really go much further than that.

Anatole, that's a great story. I can see how kids would love that. Now I'm excited about getting this old trick out again!

Depends upon the audience, I think. For young kids Anatole's idea is great. For older kids and adults, how about a discussion of "Schroedinger's Balls...er...Cat?"

Another good idea. I could have used that when I was a physics teacher. I would have drawn whiskers on the balls with a sharpie. My AP physics classes would have loved it.

Hi,
My son recently purchased Stratosphere and promptly lost the instructions.
Does anyone have a copy of the original instructions that they could send me?
Much appreciated.
Nick

Hi Nick,

Do you want the instructions because 1) your son doesn't know how to perform the effect, 2) he wants to sell it in a magic auction, or 3) he simply likes to keep the instructions for all his effects?

Well ...

If number 1: either of you can simply PM me and I can guide him through the effect using Skype.
If number 2: unless you really need the money I suggest that you hold onto it for sometime. Give the effect time to 'age'. Why? Everything old is new again. The new generation will not have seem such an effect and may react to it just as those who saw it performed decades ago.
If number 3: Visit your local magic shop, bring the effect with you, and simply ask if you can make a copy of the instructions they may have. I do not have instruction for mine - even though I make every effort to keep all my instructions (I'm such a pack rat) - I don't need it because of it's simplicity.

Concerning option number 1: Because it is such a simple effect with a very simple method I would suggest that you spend an hour or two in order to re-imagine your own effect with the effect. Look at all the props and ask yourself, "what can I do with this thing?". Experiment. Don't get hung up on what you may be doing wrong. You don't have the instructions to tell you how they 'suggest' you do it. So you can be creative and 'create' your own instructions.

"my two cents. don't spend it all in one place"

Use the Stratosphere as a school bus that pick up kids and the red ball is the bully, who is removed from the bus.

I've been thinking about this same question since I was 12 years old. I've ALWAYS loved the Strat-o-sphere.. the magic part of it is wonderful.. but the presentation has always been a problem. I've come up with lame stories that sort of use the existing props... but some part of the logic always fell short. So.. for a long time I did it purely presentationally, which worked, but I always felt something was missing...

(AND I've hated the ball vanishing box...)

About 5 years ago.. I finally came up with what I thought was the ULITMATE Strat-o-sphere routine.. but it couldn't be done with the balls. I finally took the time to sculpt a little figure.

Now I finally have a routine that MAKES SENSE.. fully and completely.. the magic is good.. the story is good.. and the props are beautiful. Thanks to Walt Anthony, the story is also funny... and in VERSE!

The ball vanishing box has been replace with a giant devil's hank with lightening on it, and the rest is self evident in the link..

http://www.wackomagic.com/wackomagic/Mismade_monster.html

NOW THAT'S A STRAT-O-SPHERE ROUTINE!!

Jim Kleefeld has a geat version about Johnny Appleseed look him up and get his Reading Show DVD.

Thanks
Dallas

Three train engines loved to race each other down the tracks, Green, yello and small little red engine. He went in last and said "I think I can I think I can" H eended up in first place. This upset the yellow an dgreen traina nd thi stime the green train went first, then yellow and finally the little red engine went last. He said I tink I can I think I can and he is now in first place. The yellow and green train said there were some passangers at the train station (gung ho box). Being a good little engine he went to pick up the passangers while the yellow na dgreen train raced as fast as they could towards the finish line. The red engine went to the train stationa nd noticed there wer eno passangers at the train station, the yello and green train had played a bad trick and that's not good is it. So the red train said what? I think I can I think I can, and (open doors and red silk flies out) with a puff of smoke the red engine went as fast as he could nad passsed the yellow and green train and made it to first place.Moral of story...keep trying

I am paraphrasing soem areas, but you get the idea. Keeps their attention and its fun routine.

I have always used a small town speed trap story. basically you get pulled over for going through a red light by an police officer who arrests you and brings you before the small town judge. the judge is willing to let you go if you guess where the "red light " is. which is impossible. at the end he says double or nothing to find the ball in the box

i use a southern accent and it plays well for kids and adults

I remember 'way back when the popular story "revolved" around 3 satellites and the difficulty NASA had in keeping them in the proper order...

P.S. I LIKE the vanishing box!

Julie

Here's an idea from my kids' act... this has worked brilliantly for me over the years...

You'll need to sub your balls for two white and two of any other colour (could be black, but this might be overdoing the point) mine are purple...

Show two white balls and the one purple and talk about "being different" (I.e. "there was once a kid who looked a bit different to everyone else...but he was very smart and always at the top of the class (put two white balls into the uncovered tube, then the purple one.)

But, just because he looked different, the other kids used to tease him...called him names, called him stupid, even called him ugly, just because he was different etc.

Put the two white balls into the covered tube, then the purple one..."And eventually, even though he was very smart, he started going to the bottom of the class...

Same action again: "No matter how hard he tried, he was upset about being teased all the time and sank to the bottom of the class every time. This made the other kids tease him even more...

Finally, he was put in a "special class" all on his own" (place purple ball into the box and two white balls into the uncovered tube, then cover the tube and press down the purple ball concealed in the tube) and there he was able to work without the other kids teasing him all the time and his grades started to climb up again. And he discovered magic and a book on magic that told him HE was the magic...that it was OK to be different.

And eventually, he started doing magic tricks for some of the kids who were amazed at what he could do...he made coins disappear (do it)...and produced flowers out of thin air (do this too)...

And before long, the kids stopped teasing him and accepted him, even though he still looked different. And do you know what? He no longer had to go to the special class all by himself (show box empty) He joined the other kids and was fully accepted by them (raise tube to show two white balls only) ...and he went straight to the top of the class! (lift tube completely to show purple ball on top)...

There's a lesson there for all of us...no matter how different you are, you are unique and special, so whatever means kids at school say, remember that you all have inner magic and a special place in our world...And do you know what boys and girls? (Lift purple ball out of the tube and display it in your hand) That kid...was me.