Hello how are you ?
I´m new to magic and I did some little shows.
I´m very happy with this and I choose two ways to go:
i like to perform for children, and I like for adults commedy magic.

I have a breakway wand and the people loves this kind of gag.
I did the silent treatment, with a bit of commedy in this.
I think that I can put commedy in some tricks like the invisible deck, but I want some commedy stuff like breakway wand.

Sometimes I use the "confetti bucket" and its cool.

Can you help me with tricks or books for this kind of magic ( commedy magic) ?
Thanks.

The breakaway fan is often used as a companion to the breakaway wand. A clatterbox is in the same general category. The Topsy-Popsy wand might also be a good fit.

I wrote up my 5 minute (sometimes 6-7 minute)routine with Brakawa Wand, and Brakawa Fan in my book. I've used it for almost 50 years in my school show. It's all "schtick". The brakawa fan finishes the routine. It ALWAYS gets LAUGHS, and APPLAUSE. On two occasions, in high schools, the routine got me a STANDING OVATION. (It aint WHAT ya do, it's HOW ya do it!)

The old "comedy three" rule, is "half" the secret. Too many performers, "milk" these prop gags too much.

Many modern magicians use the "Silver Scepter" today, but I grew up using the "5-in-1 Wand" for the same jumping wand gags AND it looked like my Break-Away Wand, so the two could be used together. If you can't find a 5-in-1 wand at your local magic shop, you can easily make one from any plastic hollow tube wand. Directions for making the wand can be found in "Broomstick Witchcraft" in the Dollar Store Magic section (Book 1) at The Magic Nook, along with directions for making some other trick wands. Also see other uses for Pop-Away Wands in The Wizards' Journal #29.

You can make almost any object that you use in your act into a "gag prop" simply by employing a "gag mentality" when working out your routines. Examples: You reach for a prop and it moves away from you out of reach again and again. The prop "plays hide and seek" by popping in and out of your pocket - you can't see it, but the audience can. The prop keeps appearing and disappearing when you least expect it. And so on.

Thanks for your advices.
Doug Trouten I have the breakway fan and ididnt know the clatterbox and Topsy-Popsy wand I will find that.

Dick Oslund thanks, I'm doing some school shows and I like the pratical magic site. Thanks for the advice.

jimgerrish thanks and I will try to buy this books that you said.
Thanks.

Check out this guy http://www.bizzaromatic.com/

Thanks. I think the magicians community is the most helpfull community for newcommers.

Thanks.

Kleberdexter -- I'm watching a school assembly performance by our own Dick Oslund, and am reminded that "Mutilated Parasol" is another effect that loosely fits in this category of "props gone wrong."

Happy New Year, Doug! --and anyone else "listening in"!

Most, or at least, too many, performers still "do" the parasol "according to the catalog description"!!! (VICTORIAN ERA PRESENTATION!!!) YUK. It's archaic!!!

My dear departed friend, Don Lawton (he and Bev Taylor "had" Town House Magic in St. Louis) understood the real comedy potential, in the parasol. I saw him present his totally "Lawton presentation" of the parasol, years ago. >>>WOW!<<<

When Don died, I decided to adapt his presentation to fit my school show, so that his presentation would be preserved, and, I could get two minutes of laughs, too! I got rid of the hokey "purse", and, used a little boy's "marble bag". I changed Don's lines, to fit kids. It was a "hit", the first day, and has never failed to get a SHOW STOP LAUGH! plus lots of little laughs!

The routine has color! flash! comedy! nothing to set!, and APPLAUSE!

I recommend Abbott's Mutilated Parasol. It's a lot of "hand" work to make, but, IT WORKS! Forget the "Chinese" versions! The price is now, $750.

To a working magician, it's worth every penny! When I was on the road, it gave me two strong minutes. My show is mostly small generic props, but, the parasol is/was a great investment!

I'm happy that you noticed "my" presentation on my DVD. I would say, "thanks" to Don, every time that I did it!

I would recommend Silly Billy's book, "Seriously Silly". Fantastic ideas for kids routines, plus they play well for adults. Jim

Thanks for the reply.
Here in Brazil we don´t have too much magicians that do tricks for kids.
And we don't a variety of props to buy, so I started to construct my props by myself.

We have some shops but, this shops don´t have to much items for kid shows.

Thanks and sorry for my bad english.

Saludos!
Your English is MUCH better than my Spanish!

I think that I understand your situation. I grew up in a relatively small town, far from any large city (e.g. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an all day drive in the '40s) so, I had to build my own props, too. I was loaned the TARBELL COURSE, by a kindly older magician who mailed me a volume at a time. As I read and returned a volume, he sent another. I soon realized that, if I learned to use my hand skills, I could use relatively generic props (rope, handkerchiefs, coins, cards, etc.)

Also, because I lived in a small town, my audience potential was somewhat limited. I had to create a show that would entertain almost anyone (Kindergarten kids thru older adults!) almost anywhere (Most often, I did shows in meeting rooms, without platform, or curtains.)

I would suggest that you start reading Tarbell. It's available free in pdf. You'll need to ask someone more knowledgeable with a computer, how to do that. You won't ever learn to perform everything in Tarbell! Tarbell would be an INVESTMENT of your time, but, it would PAY DIVIDENDS, because you would learn PRINCIPLES that are used in magic, not just TRICKS!

Tarbell was written in the 1920s, The patter suggested is ARCHAIC! --and, the presentation style is rather old, too, BUT, the information is there.

I "think" FUNNY! A prop is a prop. For example, I make the classic 20th Century Silks (it's in Tarbell) into 3 to 6 minutes of LAUGHS! It's the PRESENTATION!

A clown is FUNNY because of his personality! The clown's wardrobe HELPS, but, the laughs come from HOW HE PERFORMS.

I made a living all my life (I'm 85) using the principles that I learned from Tarbell!

I'm retired, but, my working act's "standard" length was 45 minutes. Although I specialized in school assemblies, I did adult club dates, an occasional "corporation" job, etc.

The show props weighed about 25 lbs, and, carried in a 13" x 20" x 8" case, that "sat on" a waiters tray stand. I could set the props in 4 minutes (or less), and pack up in less than 2 minutes.

I hope this is helpful!

Thanks Dick, i´m very happy with your help.
I always say that the magician´s community is the most helpfull for newcommers.
I will seek for Tarbel Course PDF files

I found the tarbell course. Thanks. Its all new to me. I Think its necessary for all the people that start in Magic.
I like When he writes about the difference between be a Magician an Just Learn to do tricks ".
I Think I was in the wrong way. I started to build And buy props, And forget to study the basics.
Thanks for the advice.
Do you know some person that coursed tarbell course in 1920's by Mail lessons?

When I was 14, the late Stuart Ross, presented his school assembly program at my school on April 30, 1946. Stuart, I learned later, had been involved with Tarbell, in promoting the course. Most of Stuart's program was directly from the Tarbell Course. He became my first mentor. Unfortunately, he died three years later in October 1949. The original course, was a correspondence school course. Learners received one lesson per month by mail. That's the course you have via pdf. The late Vincent Malmstrom, who has a trick in the later (1941) republication of the course in 6 hardbound books, loaned me his 6 volumes. The 1941 republished "version", had a few "updates" in the course material, but, nothing that really changed the course.

In 1941, Lou Tannen had published the course in 6 volumes. He later, in 1972, had well known veteran author, Harry Lorayne, write Volume 7. Many magicians contributed tricks that they had invented. Volume 7 also has a complete index of Volume 1 thru 7. You can buy that,after you have completed Volumes 1-6, Much later, Volume 8 was added. It features a history of the complete course.

Stuart and I corresponded via US Mail for the three and a half years. We were able to meet several times before he died. He taught me all the Tarbell material that he used in his show.

When he died, I bought from his family, his props, and the original Tarbell course. Some of it, I later donated to Bob Lund's Museum in Marshall, Michigan. Over the years, I've modernized the presentations of those tricks, and, used them for almost 70 years.

I've never been too interested in card tricks, or tricks with mathematical principles, so, I just "skimmed" thru them when I studied the course, in the '40s. Years later, I bought the complete hardbound course. My first 5 volumes are autographed presentation copies by Doc Tarbell. I consider them very valuable for reference. I'm sure that you will benefit by studying Tarbell. --I certainly did!

I suggest that you keep a notebook, and create your own personal "index" of material that you find especially appealing.

If you do any juggling in your act (from scarves, beanbags, and rings to clubs and beyond) you may find our Magic Nook "Wiz Kid Jokes For Jugglers" e-book of some use. It not only has joke lines and patter stories, but also sight gags and bits of business for most every juggling situation (dropping things, audience participation, opening lines, closing lines, etc.). If you don't juggle, I'll just tip-toe away quietly and try not to stub my toe on the way out.

I would recommend that you study Tarbell. Do not buy anything, until you finish Tarbell. THEN, you'll have a much better understanding of what you want to achieve!

Too many beginners get caught up in the "latest & greatest" tricks. They fall into the "trap" of trying to BUY "magic".

Magic only happens in the mind(s) of the spectator(s)!

I was in this situation buying a lot constructing a lot of things. Sometimes a take a look at my things And say " why I bought that"?
I'm storing this things because I Think maybe I can use it in the future(maybe not ).

And I learned that I was more buying instead studying.
It's a honor for me to learn with you And others friends from café.
Thanks.