Hey there, will be doing a small stage act with one pom-pom poles routine in it; I am at wit's end trying to find some patter instead of the traditional "this pom-pom is connected to that pom-pom, therefore that pom-pom bla bla" patter...
I am trying to find what patter Doug Henning used for his routine, and maybe mould it along those lines... Has anyone seen him perform, and can remember it? Any help would be welcome!

Thanks

Throw 'em away and buy the Plumber's Sticks at http://www.stevensmagic.com -- more comedy and a funny plot.

Or, get a copy of "Magic Circle Magic" and read the routine there titled "Histed Sticks" (Histed invented it)... I believe it is Ali Bongo who wrote it up.

Actually, Doug's patter WAS "This pom pom's connected to that one, blah blah blah." I saw him do it several times, and have it on tape from the Carson show. Nothing terribly unique about his presentation.

It's a great routine ... especially if you can really go through the patter quickly - I would do the entire "when you pull on the ## pompom the ## pompom goes up even though the ## pompom is connected to the ## pompom and if you pull on the ## pompom the ## pompom goes up even though the ## is tied to the ## pompom" in nearly a single breath. I'd get a major reaction when after saying all that I'd take a deep breath and sigh.

http://www.stevensmagic.com has just added a few video demonstrations, one of which is the Plumber's Pole (Pop Pom sticks but better). Blatant plug.

The fishing pole version that was out a few years ago is a very entertaining routine for this type apparatus. It came with a fish hook, bobber, etc., attached to the cords instead of the "girly" pom-poms.

what comedy and funny plot? I can see the difference with pom po(m)n pole when I watch the video. Even less colourful. Please give me a glimp of the opportunities


Harry

I have used Hank Moorehouse's premise that was published in MUM many years ago. It is a "Nothing machine."

For the Hairy Potted Plants fans...that shouldn't infringe on any trademarks.

I can be a "Sorting Stick" and as you go through the various connections you don't do the bottom two until last when you ask, "If anyone can keep track of all that he/she is a true wizard! So I ask, is the blue,(left bottom). connected to the white, (right bottom)?" If they say yes then pull one to show they are right, or if someone says no then pull both bottom balls to show that they are not connected, and separate tube. Either way you can control whether you want them to be right or not.

Pete Biro writes: ". . . the Plumber's Sticks -- more comedy and a funny plot."


More comedy than what? There's got to be more to it than what's on the video! Sorry, but that "jest ain't funny, nohow!"

BTW, to all posters: it's Pom-PONs; "pom-pom" is a WWII anti-aircraft gun, while "pom-pon" is one of those fuzzy things.

I was disappointed in the person on the Stevens Video. You should see Seabrooke, and one other fellow that uses the prop. The second one, who's name escapes me uses it as a training aid for plumber's (as I do) but he had a very strong routine using a spectator making sound effects and using invisible can of WD40.

It's up to the performer to be funny, the prop is just a vehicle.

Ali Bongo's patter for the original, "Histed Sticks" in Magic Circle Magic is a good starting point.

I just never wanted to do the versions with the pom pom balls... too fem for my taste.

I love the pom pon sticks. Kids find them hilarious.

My routine consists of me trying to explaining what it does, and going faster and faster and getting more confused.

As patter I use to say that is a thing I use for mediation and I become more and more crazy about meditating the meaning of life with this apparatus....

For me the pom-pom don't work as I expected with kids. Some kids say that there is a knot between and that's the explanation they find.

I use the pom-pom for adults and works very well. Is one of those thinks that I have adapted to my personality and they think is not done with sleight of hands and years of rehearsal but thay can't explain.

I use the Chinese sticks for kids (as sucker trick)... and works perfect.

I point out that there's a pompom attached to the long string. Then, that the one on the other end of the string (squeeze it) is actually half the size, if you look.

What do you call half a pompom? That's right, a pom. And this one is half the size of a pom. That's right, it's an om. And this one is half the size of the om. So it's a tiddly-om. (Now the string pulling starts) So we have a pom-pompom. But it's also an om-pompom. Now this is very important, so watch carefully. If I pull this it's a tiddly-om-pompom. So, om-tiddly-om-pom-pompom. Tiddly-om. Pompom. Pom. Tiddlyompompomomtiddlyompompomtiddlyom. (Repeated several times very fast) Do you see?
Well, it's quite simple... (and so on, and so on).
And if we break it apart, we have an omtiddlyom. And a pompompom. But that's absolutely useless. I mean, who on earth would want either of those. But if we put them together again (together again) it's really, really useful. Do you want to know why? Well, you see, the pompom is connected the pom, and the om to the tiddlyom, so you can use it as an omtiddlyompompompom. Much better than an iPhone. And look! It's also a pompompomtiddlyompompom. And - in a real emergency, it can also be an omtiddlyom pompompomtiddlyomomtiddlyompompom. And that could be very important one day. Probably not very soon, I admit. So you should all bear that in mind. (Frown seriously and nod assertively)

(Then just put it away and move on)

Perhaps changing the name from 'pom-pon' to 'ball', 'atom', 'gonad', etc; may help inspire the creation of new patter? Just a thought?
Regards, Lynchini

Not sure I'd want a room full of people laughing while I pulled on my multicolored gonads.

LOL volto!
Yes, I can relate to that! Although some audiences can be 'very' brutal these days! The seeds of creativity churn in mysterious ways!
Regards, Lynchini

The best routine in this line (in my opinion) doesn't use pompom: it's the Gaetan Bloom's bicycle pumps: you push on one and the handle of the other one gets out. It can be performed for kids or can open to very adult patters according to the performance conditions.

How about changing the pompoms to ping pong balls?

Then you can use Wayne Dobson's. "Ping Pong".

Pete, that Steven's video doesn't do your effect any justice at all!