Mine is the Sucker Sliding Die. I have been performing that trick for years. I used to include Hippity Hop Rabbits years ago, but no more. At times I've used Fraidy Cat Rabbit.

The Coke bottle trick (that would be the one that goes from paper sack to paper sack and the sacks end up being crushed) or the Torn & Restored Napkin are two of my favorites to perform.

I love to do the vanishing ketchup bottle as well as the spot card. I just try not to put too many sucker tricks into any one performance. I try to pace my show well with different types of effects.

One sucker trick is the maximum.

Zombie I agree unless you figure out how to do it in such a way where your not "underminding" your audience.

In many ways, most magic is a sucker trick. We convince the audience that one thing is happening when another is actually happening.

I don't do any tricks where the kids are made into a sucker for the simple reason that I am amazed when the magic happens.

E.g. in the sucker die box I get more and more upset and panicy as I open all the combinations of doors. I finally "give up" and open all four. When the die is gone I am surpised as the children.

Nicholas I like that idea and use that myself. I also allow the troublesome props and things to happen to me and not the child.

The child is made to do everything right and I am the one who gets things wrong. They are the ones that create and make the magic happen. Because of this, they feel good about themselves and are eager to help me out so they to can make the magic happen themselves.

What exactly is a sucker trick?

This was explained early on in this thread. you may want to look back and reread the posts as I think you will get a better understanding. Hope this helps.

Tubby the Clown, Bashful Bunny work well with kids.

I only use one per show, at the most (sometimes not at all). Sometimes, however, a sucker trick can be presented not as a sucker effect, so then you may possibly see more than one in my show.

I use:

- Pizza Oven Surprise (used lots! Easy to theme and personalize)
- Fraidy Kat Rabbit
- Run Rabbit Run
- Die Box (there's a great routine in David Roper's "Comedy Magic Textbook." Non-sucker, but funny!)
- Double Hippity Hop Rabbits
- "Santa and His Elves"
- Christmas Hippity Hop (homemade, based on an idea in an older UK magazine, something like Abra)

Not as often, but now and then:

- Dan's Magic Van
- ABC Stung
- Stop Light Trick
- "He Is Risen" (gospel effect)

The Gr8 DonaldD.

P.S. I still want to purchase and add Mel Babcock's (House of Babcock) "The Elusive Teddy Bear."

Supreme Magic Co.'s Comedy Clock DeLuxe. It is a Die Box done with a large clock.

Supremes' Bunny Clown is my all time favourite
sucker trick.

A sucker trick is one where the audience thinks they've figured out how the trick is done (e.g. turning the rabbit around, tilting the pizza oven to the left), but in one dramatic moment, is proven wrong.

As a youngster, I loved being fooled by sucker tricks, but obviously I'm in the minority.

If you're just starting in magic, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Henry Hay's "The Amateur Magician's Handbook", where he defines a sucker effect as follows: Method of leading the audience to think that they caught the magician, and then fooling them twice as hard.



Could you provide a brief description of this effect, or perhaps a URL? Sounds quite intriguing.

I agree that Pizza Oven Surpise is a very versatile effect. By changing the sliding (or rolling) piece and taping false fronts to the oven doors, you can have a themed effect for almost every occasion.

I can see where the Elusive Teddy Bear can add an extra dimension to this, as you can have your character appear (or in this case, re-appear) somewhere else other than someone's back, a change bag, or a pizza box.

There is a "Santa and His Elves" Trick on this site:

http://www.hocus-pocus.com/static/xmas_page.html

It basically is a themed "Stop Light Trick".

I like it. As I talk, I give little elf voices, etc. Great for preschool/daycare shows.

The Gr8 DonaldD.

I use 2 'sucker tricks' in my show, but in both cases, I feel that I have eliminated the 'gotcha' aspect.
I use the Pizza Oven. I feel that the pizza ending up on my back quickly diffuses any bad feelings that I have 'tricked' them. I also use a couple of extra jokes during the sliding back and forth.

I end my show with a “Hippity Hop Astronauts” themed version. The blow-off pictures at the end are lighting bolts on the back of one astronaut and stars on the other. I put on some very schmaltzy music and I say to the kids, "It doesn't matter if they are black or white or red or green, what matters is that they believe in magic and themselves. If they do that... (I turn the cards around) then they will always be as bright as lightning and always reach for the stars." With the music underneath and my sincere delivery, I am getting 'AWWWs' instead of 'gotcha', which is a great way to end my show.

I like and use the idea of not understanding rather than having the audience or single member confused.

In fact when I worked and wrote a weekly radio show we created a character who repeated "I don't get it" many times during episodes he was in. The character was named Barry Pimento. His voice was a cross between Jerry Lewis and Peter Lore. In fact his voice and
character comes back in some routines usually as much a surprise to me as it is the kids. (I love scripted stuff and love improvisation/jazz family/kids magic.)

Harris

I also like the idea of putting the joke more on myself then on the children. For this reason, I love doing tricks like Pet Store Pranks where the kids always get the effect right even though I keep getting confused myself. The kids laugh, get good reactions and they feel good about themselves in the process.

Kyle

My favorite sucker trick is Hippity Hop Rabbits.

Farmyard frolics is great for young children.

Any kind of sliding idea (die box, cd, etc.)

Regarding tubby the clown, which is great, I prefer to avoid the "tubby" name for reasons of self-esteem and body image with youngsters. Rather, I call Tubby "Quick" because he is a quick-change artist in the circus. I then follow with all the standard gags of turning around, "turn quick" so I turn quicker rather than turning "Quick the clown" around, and so on.

This idea is original to me and has worked well. I came up with the idea on the way to a show a while back.
I don't use it often, as it is not my favourite, but will pull it out for repeat bookings. Real young kids need more guidance. Regarding the fact that he changed colour because you turned him around. This sucker trick works best for the 6/7's I'd say.

Just my thoughts,

j.