Big_Laughs_Smith_digital

Samuel Patrick Smith
big
LAUGHS
for
little
PEOPLE
How to Entertain Children
with Comedy and Magic
I love these little people;
and it is not a slight thing when they,
who are so fresh from God, love us.
— Charles Dickens
Post Office Box 787 • Eustis, Florida 32727

Disclaimer. This publication is designed to provide
accurate and authoritative information in regard
to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the
understanding that the publisher is not engaged in
rendering legal, accounting, or other professional
services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is
required, the services of a competent professional
should be sought. The purpose of this publication is
to educate and entertain. The author and publisher
shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any
person or entity with respect to any loss or damage
caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly
by the information contained herein.
Notice of Performing Rights. Purchasers of this
book may use the routines in their own live performances.
However, all television and video rights are
reserved by the author.
BIG LAUGHS FOR LITTLE PEOPLE
© Copyright 1990, 2003, 2016 Samuel Patrick Smith
Sixth printing: July 2019
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced in any form without written permission
of the publisher.
Cover design by Mollie Johanson and Régis Sudo
SPS Publications, Inc.
Post Office Box 787 • Eustis, Florida 32727
www.spsmagic.com
Printed in the United States of America

Also by Samuel Patrick Smith
Books
Sell Your Act with Posters (1987)
Sell Your Act with Letters (1989)
Sell Your Act with Brochures and Flyers (1991)
On Stage: Bringing Out the Better
Performer in You (1992, 1999)
Kiddie Patter and Little Feats (1993)
Short Course on Selling Your Act (1999)
Confidential Day Care Booking Manual (1999)
Creative KidTalk, co-author (2000)
The Booking Yourself Handbook (2002)
Video
The Magic Ingredient (1995)
Kidology: The Science of Making Kids Laugh (1995)
Chain Reaction (1995)
Funny Money (1995)
On Location with Sammy Smith (2000)
Audio
Booking Yourself (1984, 1989)
Make It Happen (1985, 1989)
Sell Your Act with Letters (1990)
Short Course on Kid Shows (1995)
Periodicals
Professional Entertainer’s Quarterly (1984-1985)
Newsletter of Successful Magic
(November 1984 through June 2002)
Effects
Headband Blendo (1983)
Deja Zoo (2001)
What’s My Job? (2002)
Lucy Strikes Gold (2003)
Presents of Mind (2003)

The magic of summertime, 1968

Dedication
For my grandparents,
James Thurmon Smith
and
Willa Lee Rushing Smith,
who gave me
wonderful childhood memories of
farm animals,
crackling logs in the fireplace,
warm brownies from the oven,
big breakfasts,
sugar cane,
watermelon,
the chance (almost)
of getting to ride a cow—
and love.

8 Big Laughs for Little People

Big Laughs for Little People
9
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is not the solitary endeavor that it
appears to be. Writers need people—sometimes
for advice, sometimes for ideas, and sometimes
to protect us from a never-ending stream of timesappers
which try to stop us from writing. I want
to thank my wife, Laurel, for protecting me from
the details of day-to-day business while I was
writing this book. I also want to thank…
My mother, Elizabeth Newman, who took care
of secretarial chores for us while I was trying to
stay focused on my job of writing,
My father, Gene Smith, for offering helpful,
critical analysis of my early attempts to entertain
children,
My sister, Cheryl Ritchie, for editing the manuscript,
and for helping come up with a title for
the book,
My brother, Lee, for carting me around in his
blue Datsun B-210 while we were both learning
how to do shows as teenagers,
Selina Frederick, a great motivator and a great
friend, who helped me finish this new edition of
the book,
My good friends, Steve and Mary Somers,
who encouraged me to bring out a new edition
of Big Laughs for Little People—and it
finally happened!
Two high school teachers: Mrs. Doris M. Ragan,
who encouraged me to write throughout
high school, and Judy Moreland, who spent
hours with me talking about books and reading
and writing,

10 Big Laughs for Little People
Three college professors: Frances Johnson,
M.Timothy O’Keefe, and Fred Fedler whose
critical insight and practical suggestions greatly
improved my writing and speaking,
Bev Bergeron for advice and friendship,
J. B. Bobo, who took the time to write me long
letters of encouragement and advice when I first
started working school shows,
Dan Garrett, for reading some material from
the manuscript and saying he liked it—which
encouraged me to keep writing,
Lynne and David Ginn for suggestions and
encouragement,
Fetaque Sanders, who saw more of my shows
than anyone else, and still never gave up
on me!
Martha Martin for her excellent job in shooting
the sleight-of-hand pictures for this book,
Austin, Hannah, Jamie, Lacey, Rebekah, and
Wesley who posed in the photographs with me
while Laurel patiently snapped the shutter.
JR Bellamy, Chris Carey, Dan Garrett, Marty
and Brenda Hahne, Scott and Debi Humston,
Al and Cheryl Ritchie, and my wife, Laurel, for
proofreading and trying out my instructions to
make sure they were clear,
Chris Van Krieken, founder of The Funny
Paper magazine, for proofreading and editorial
suggestions,
The many schools, libraries, day care centers,
and other educational organizations which gave
me the opportunity to develop this material over
the past 21 years,
Jesus Christ for inspiration, guidance,
and life.

Big Laughs for Little People
11
Contents
Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Getting Your Act Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Is It Appropriate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Good Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Magical Happenings . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Winning Them Over . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Working with Audience Helpers . . . . 28
Silence—In a Children’s Show? . . . . 33
On the Other Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Sensible Nonsense . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
The Department of Redundancy
Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..39
You Can Say That Again! . . . . . . . . . 41
Return Engagements . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Repetition Is the Mother of Skill . . . . 45
Picking Props. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Packing Props . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Handle with Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Right in Your Own Backstage! . . . . . 51
Saying Good-Bye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Making Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Just the Facts, Please! . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Occupational Hazards . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Believe! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Volunteer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Headband Blendo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Super Frog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
The Vanishing Candle . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Snake Cake Bake . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

12 Big Laughs for Little People
Jasper the Friendly Ghost . . . . . . . 113
Skip It! (Cut & Restored Rope) . . . . 125
How to Cut & Restore a Rope . . . . . 138
You’re On Your Own. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
The Magic Knot Tube (Blow-Tie). . . 149
The Extra-Celestial. . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Tricky Bottles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
The Invisible Flying Silk Scarf . . . . .175
Polar Thermometers
(Chinese Sticks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Ball Brothers’ Traveling Circus
(Strat-O-Sphere) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Maxwell the Monster (Soft Soap). . . 195
Worth-Control Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Multiplying Billiard Balls . . . . . . . . 205
Basic Billiard Ball Sleights. . . . . . . 215
Cash Surprises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Coin Sleights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

13
Introduction
Childhood
memories are often
among a person’s
most treasured
thoughts. As
entertainers of
children, we can be
part of their happy
reminiscences for
years to come.
That is one of the
rewards of giving
big laughs to
little people.

14 Big Laughs for Little People
How dear to this heart
are the scenes of
my childhood,
When fond recollection
presents them to view—
The orchard, the meadow,
the deep-tangled wildwood,
And every lov’d spot which
my infancy knew.
Samuel Woodworth

Introduction
15
Introduction
When I was in second grade at Tavares Elementary
School, Mrs. Kinsler marched us down to
the auditorium one fine morning for an assembly.
I was excited—we were going to the magic
show! We waited impatiently in our hard, wooden
seats while weird Oriental music played in
the background.
Whispering excitedly to each other, we anticipated
the wonders about to unfold before our
eyes. At last, a deep, mysterious voice came over
the loudspeakers announcing that the show was
about to begin. It seemed like a long speech, and
I didn’t fully understand it. The voice told about
the mystery and history of magic and famous
magicians around the world. Finally, the grandiose
introduction came to a close. “And now,
a gentleman who has appeared in 11 foreign
countries, Brundell the Magician!”
It was over 35 years ago, but flashes of the
show still stand out in memory. I particularly
remember two features.
One was the razor blade trick, where he swallowed
razor blades and thread, then pulled them
out of his mouth glittering and dangling from
the thread. This didn’t alarm me, as a secondgrader,
but it did frighten Mrs. Kinsler, and as
we walked back to class, she warned us against
trying it.
The thing that did make me nervous, however,
was the guillotine illusion. Brundell had asked
for a helper. “The boy in the back in the green

16 Big Laughs for Little People
William Brundell in 1987, still going strong
almost 20 years after I first saw him.
shirt.” A boy stood up. He was wearing a green
shirt, so he started down the aisle.
“No, no!” he said. “That other boy, there.” Another
kid was also walking down. This was my
first revelation about the use of a stooge.
I realize now that the show was probably better
suited to high school audiences. And yet,

Introduction
17
although it wasn’t “the perfect kid-show” for
my young eyes, I still have fond memories of
the excitement and anticipation of going to the
assembly. I can still see Brundell standing up
there on stage.
That very summer, my Great-uncle Conrad
came to visit. He was a lovable old gentleman
with a sprightly manner and a cheerful laugh.
But to me, his best virtue was his talent as a
magician. One night, he put on a show in our
living room. I was so interested that I could
hardly contain myself. My parents could hardly
contain me either! Uncle Conrad’s show was
even more thrilling than the one at school, and
I determined that I would be a magician. In fact,
a box of magic tricks from Douglas Magicland
was already on the way.
It was only a couple of years later that I was
in someone’s living room, doing a magic show of
my own. I had been called upon to perform at a
birthday in the nearby town of Umatilla, thanks
to a referral by my good friend Amy Vanzant. My
mother (who sometimes felt she was running a
children’s taxi service) took me to the party. No
mention had been made of payment for the show.
I was invited, I accepted, and there I was. But
I hoped for a modest honorarium. Five dollars
would have suited me fine. The birthday mom
gave me a very modest three.
It’s too bad that video technology at that time
was only a glimmer in some mad scientist’s eyes.
It would have been priceless footage: a ten-yearold
trying to keep the attention of preschoolers.

18 Big Laughs for Little People
Looking back, I can see why it was a tough
show to do. I was ten years old. I expected it
to be easy to entertain the little darlings, an
understandable misconception for a ten-yearold.
But grown-ups sometimes make the same
mistake, not realizing that entertaining children
is a fine art.
Magicians who feel they are too sophisticated
to do children’s shows don’t realize that bringing
quality entertainment to the little ones is
a high calling. It takes a confident personality
with refined skill to win their laughter and
their hearts.
For one who masters the art and loves it
enough, children’s magic can become a legitimate
business. In 1982, I went into magic fulltime;
thousands of the shows I have performed
have been for children. Believe me, they can keep
you busy. And while children’s entertainment is
not the highest paying market, it is remarkable
what can be achieved.
I know a number of “kid show magicians”
who—though they may not be rich—earn above
average incomes. They live in fine homes, have
good family lives, and bring a lot of happiness to
children every day of the week. They don’t perform
in fabulous places; their typical theater is a
cafeteria. But they are working and contributing
and gaining experience. Should an opportunity
for “fame” come along, and they choose to accept
it, they will be prepared. If it doesn’t, they still
have plenty of work.
Of even greater value, though, are the intangible
rewards. I can vouch for that. During

Introduction
19
the past 21 years, there have been many warm
and rewarding moments—hugs from children,
lots of laughter, and seeing a child in a store
or restaurant whisper excitedly to his mother,
“That’s Sammy!”
Recently, I was at the check-out counter at
the library where I noticed a boy about 10 years
old looking at me seriously and studiously. Finally,
he spoke. With the assurance of someone
who knows a secret, he said, “You’re Sammy
the magic man, aren’t you?” I admitted that it
was true.
“I’m a magician, too,” he confided. “Do you
know the Ball in Vase?”
“Yes,” I said. “That’s a good one.”
“I have it,” he revealed, in a low voice, delighted
to have a comrade with whom to share his good
fortune. We talked shop briefly before I had to
leave for a show.
It was a wonderful moment for both of us. For
him, because he had the good luck to meet and
visit with the professional magician he had once
seen on stage. For me, because I realized that I
had made a friend. Having seen me on stage, he
still considered me approachable. Neat!
As a children’s entertainer, you will create
these happy memories for yourself. If you give
the children your very best, you will leave them
with their own wonderful memories to cherish
for years to come.
May you amaze them, delight them, and get
big laughs. But above all, leave them with warm
hearts and magical moments.

20 Big Laughs for Little People
Nothing
great
was
ever
achieved
without
enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

21
Getting
Your
Act
Together
Do you want to
plan, produce, and
perform a terrific
children’s show?
Click here!

22 Big Laughs for Little People
We are
all children
in the
kindergarten
of
God.
Elbert Hubbard

Getting Your Act Together
23
Is It Appropriate?
The first question to ask in putting together a
program is, “Would I want to see this, if I were the
audience?” In other words, Is it appropriate?
But doing material that isn’t appropriate for
the audience is a common mistake of variety
artists. This is true of clowns, comedians, ventriloquists,
and—especially—magicians. While
some are doing very childish magic for teenagers,
others are showing knife and fire tricks to
preschoolers. I once saw a magician, albeit a
teenager, do the bra trick in a school show. He
selected the most modest teacher in the school
to humiliate.
It’s especially important to ask yourself what
is appropriate for children’s audiences because
you have an extra factor to consider: What do
the adult authorities think is appropriate? Kids
may laugh uproariously at underwear jokes,
and tears of joy may come to their eyes when
you cough a rubber frog out of your throat. But
will the principal invite you back?
The Good Stuff
Children’s entertainers have often been stereotyped
as unskilled performers. Why? Well,
the answer is fairly obvious: many children’s
entertainers are unskilled. Their shows consist
of only the simplest props that anyone
could operate.

24 Big Laughs for Little People
When I was a kid, my father insisted that
I learn sponge ball manipulation, the linking
rings, and other tricks involving skill. I bought
my share of “self-working” gizmos, but he was
right about what impressed people. He took me
to a magic club meeting when I was about 10,
where members of the club were each performing
a trick. When they asked if I would like to
perform, I did the sponge balls. The president
of the club was so impressed, he offered to let
me M. C. the rest of the show!
That is why I make it a point, in every children’s
show, to perform at least one or two effects
that really baffle the adults and give the
appearance of skill. This satisfies the principal
or director who booked the show that you really
are talented—they realize that the “kid stuff” you
are doing is for the kids.
An adult watching the program may be in
charge of a company picnic or a local fraternal
organization. If he sees that you have some talent
beyond flipping pages in a coloring book,
you’re more likely to be asked about shows
for adults.
There is also another reason for using some
advanced material in your children’s show. The
more times you perform an effect, the easier it
is to do. Once you’ve mastered, say, billiard ball
manipulation or a good linking ring routine, you
can use that same material for adult shows,
simply by changing the patter. That saves you
from having to learn completely different material
for adult programs.

Getting Your Act Together
25
Magical Happenings
A remarkable quality of many children’s magic
shows is the absence of magic. The funny gags
and bits of business which make children laugh
are so tempting to some performers that they
forget to emphasize the elements of wonder and
surprise. Of course, if you aren’t advertised as a
magician, there’s no problem. The children won’t
be expecting a dazzling array of bafflers.
But if this is a magic show, let there be magic.
A show of 30 to 40 minutes should include, say,
10 to 12 magical happenings. Why? For two reasons.
First, because children are very visually
oriented. They love to see magic. They may not
care about finding a selected card in a deck of
52, but they love to watch a torn-up newspaper
magically melt back together.
Secondly, if you are billed as a magician, the
children are expecting a magic show. They have
vivid imaginations, and they may have been
playing all sorts of fantastic scenes over in their
minds. They may have pictured you making
people float and rabbits vanish in mid-air. You’ve
got to do more than make a feather flower wilt!
So, for these reasons, use gags and funny
business as adjuncts to magical happenings,
not as replacements.
Winning Them Over
How do you keep children interested in your
show? This is an important question, because

26 Big Laughs for Little People
children who lose interest in your show quickly
begin an act of their own!
I believe there are two ways to win and
maintain the interest of children: variety and
involvement.
By variety, I mean that you have to vary the
type of effects you present, as well as the length
of your routines. Tricks involving volunteers
from the audience usually run longer than “solo”
effects. So, it’s a good idea to use brief, one-man
tricks to space the lengthier routines. That puts
you in better control. Keep the children emotionally
involved, but let their attention be focused
on you.
Some performers are afraid to do this. They
think they have to get audience helpers on stage
for practically every effect to keep the kids interested.
They find themselves saying, ridiculously,
at the start of every effect, “Now, I need someone
from the audience.” After six consecutive “audience
participation” tricks, that remark is followed
by the deafening roar of “Me! Me! I never
get a turn! I didn’t get to help! Me!” This leaves
the performer feeling defeated by the end of the
show, and 95% of the children disappointed that
they “didn’t get to help.”
This is where the second key comes in: involvement.
“Audience participation” shouldn’t
be limited to those times when a child comes
on stage. Your entire show should involve the
audience. From the first word you speak to the
last break-a-way prop you use, building rapport
with your audience should be the Number

Getting Your Act Together
27
This newspaper photo, taken at one of my school
assemblies, shows that children can be involved
even if they aren’t on stage. Photo courtesy of the
Apopka Chief/Herald.
One priority. Every child should feel that he
has been intimately involved with the success
of the show.
This is why I ask the children to “take a handful
of woofle dust” or say the magic words. This
is why every effect in this book has gag lines
which respond to the reaction of the audience.
You have to let them know that you are performing
for them. (You’ve seen your act before,

28 Big Laughs for Little People
right?) As the saying goes, “People don’t care how
much you know, until they know how much you
care.” So, constantly communicate their importance
to you by acknowledging them throughout
the show.
This is not only good manners, it’s good showmanship.
If you are able to establish a positive
relationship with your audience and make each
child feel involved and special, your tricks, with
or without volunteers, will be equally effective.
You will also have fewer problems with disappointed
children who don’t get to come up on
stage, because most of the kids will already have
a feeling that they are noticed and important.
Working with Audience Helpers
Routines involving assistants taken from the
audience are a valid way to add variety and
involvement to your show. But working with
children on stage is a delicate skill. We want the
children to have a good time without going berserk,
and we need to maintain control without
being a bully. How many times have you seen a
performer treat a child badly on stage, barking
orders at him and expressing obvious dislike?
Or using the child as a prop, getting laughs at
the kid’s expense.
Such poor manners indicate one of two things.
First, the performer is ignorant. Otherwise, he
would realize that he is encouraging the audience
to gang up against him. He is making it
impossible to do his job of entertaining because

Getting Your Act Together
29
the spectators are developing a healthy dislike
for him.
Let’s consider the second possibility: The performer
feels very insecure and expresses this
insecurity through the brusque treatment of his
“helper.” The trouble with this is, by treating a
volunteer badly, the audience responds badly,
making the performer feel even more insecure.
Some years ago, I was amazed to watch a performer
completely alienate his audience. Near
the beginning of his show, he barked at some
giggling children, “Shut up!”
He could have made restitution with a humorous
comment. “Sorry! I’ve got to quit drinking
so much coffee!” Or, he could have smiled disarmingly,
winked at the audience, and said, “It
works every time!”
What did the clever performer do? When
people laughed weakly in disbelief, he called out
angrily, “I’m not kidding!”
We all have days when we aren’t feeling well
and things get on our nerves more easily than
at other times. I regret that when I started my
career, I didn’t know much about that fine line
between embarrassing a spectator and having
a good laugh with him. I hope that subsequent
years in the business have given me a greater
ability to make volunteers feel welcome and
comfortable on stage, sending them back to the
audience as heroes.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t joke with a
child. It is possible to feign disgust in such a
way that the audience and volunteer know that

30 Big Laughs for Little People
you aren’t really mad. Sometimes, it’s a wonderful
bit of comedy to have a child do something
behind your back, to your complete dismay. The
important distinction is that the child is not being
laughed at or put down. The child has created
the comedy, and you have reacted to it.
Respect is the key. It begins in the selection
of the helpers, and carries on throughout the
routine. You can avoid many problems by finding
a good helper from the start. But occasionally,
a child who is seated quietly, raising his hand,
smiling angelically, looking like the perfect
helper, undergoes a major transformation in
front of the audience. He may throw your props
on the floor and refuse to cooperate, trying to
steal the show, but actually killing it instead.
What do you do?
If this happens early in the routine, send him
back to his seat. “Timmy, I want to thank you
for coming up on stage to help me, but I’m going
to have to find someone who can hold on to
this magic wand a little better. Let’s give Timmy
a hand as he goes back to his seat.”
Avert further problems by saying, “Now, it so
happens that to be a helper in this show, you
have to use very good manners. That means
standing fairly still and cooperating with me so
we can get the magic to work. If you think you
can do this, please raise your hand quietly, and
I will find one person to join me on stage.”
These kinds of problems don’t happen every
day. Most children are pleased to be on stage
with the magician. They want to look good in

Getting Your Act Together
31
An audience volunteer can add humor to your
show. Photo by Elaine Thompson of the Sun
News/Enterprise.
front of their friends. If they think they will get
to make a good impression as part of the regular
program, they usually won’t try to write new
material for you!

32 Big Laughs for Little People
David Ginn’s standard way of getting a volunteer
on stage is to ask for someone sitting quietly,
raising his or her hand, and not saying anything.
Arnold Furst, author of Magic for Monsters, does
not even allow the children to raise their hands.
They must be quietly seated, and he will be the
one who selects the helpers.
My own method is an adaptation of David’s
phrase. I say, “I need to find someone in the audience
who is being…fairly respectable. I mean
someone who is seated and not saying anything.
Someone who is seated quietly, raising his or
her hand.”
For comic effect, I sometimes add, “Now, of
course, I can’t select anyone who is saying anything.
I can’t even invite you if you say, ‘Please.’ [I
say the word in a high-pitched, uncertain voice,
and raise my hand timidly.] I can’t even invite
some of you old professionals, who might want
to say…‘Pleeease!!! Oh, pleeease, please, please,
please, pleeease!!!’” I ham up the “please” business,
raising my own hand as I say it, leaning
forward and dragging myself closer to the audience,
taking on a subservient tone of voice and
expression.
Straightening up and acting normal (?) again,
I recap, “I just need a quiet, respectable-looking
person, seated, and not saying a word. [Pause
to look around the room.] How about the young
man on the back row wearing that bright red
jacket? Yes, sir! Come on up!”
While the volunteer is coming to the front, try
to keep the audience entertained. Don’t let this

Getting Your Act Together
33
be dead time. Lead a round of applause for the
volunteer. By the time the applause fades, the
volunteer may already be on stage. If not, fill in
the time with a humorous comment, such as, “I
would make him fly up here—but I don’t want
to be a show-off. [Pause.] I did that last week,
and the boy flew right up to the stage—and right
through the back wall! Didn’t hurt the boy, but
you should have seen that wall!”
Once the volunteer is on stage with you, treat
him as your guest, use good taste, and have a
lot of fun. You will entertain the audience and
win their respect. Handled properly, an audience
volunteer can greatly add to the humor
and interest of your show.
Silence—In a Children’s Show?
Entertainers spend so much time learning
gags and trying to think of funny things to say,
that we sometimes forget the wisdom of silence.
Silence in a children’s show? It’s the best sign
of whether or not the performer is in control.
I’ve had many people comment, “You really
had them wrapped around your finger. I could
tell because one minute they were screaming
and laughing, and the next minute they were
absolutely quiet. It was amazing to see how
closely they watched.” There you have it—the
average layman, the parent or principal who
hired you, knows instinctively whether you are
doing a good job by the control you have over
the audience.

34 Big Laughs for Little People
You will notice in the description of routines in
this book, that I often give instructions to pause.
These pause cues are every bit as important as
the patter. In fact, they are the life of the patter.
Every successful joke is the result of timing. And
timing consists of knowing when and how long
to pause. You can usually pause longer than
you think you can. Prove it to yourself in your
next show. When you reach a point where you
normally pause for effect, pause just a little longer
than usual and see what happens. You will
probably notice the attention of everyone in the
room focusing on what you are about to do.
Another reason for pausing is to let a concept
“sink in.” A newspaper has been torn to shreds.
Now you are holding it up, about to restore it.
But first, you pause, giving the spectators a
chance to consider what has happened thus
far. Sure, they’ve been watching the show and
they know you have just destroyed a newspaper.
But waiting a few seconds helps drive this
point home. Many good magical effects are ruined
because the audience doesn’t understand
or fully appreciate what has happened. Give
them time. Let them consider what has taken
place up to a certain point, then—bang!—let the
magic happen.
Do this throughout your children’s show, and
you will find them cooperating better and paying
closer attention. I remember an observation by
Bev Bergeron. He said, “The difference between
an amateur and a professional is…pauses.”

Getting Your Act Together
35
Bev Bergeron is thinking about timing! As Rebo the
Clown, Bev delighted children on The Magic Land
of Allakazam. He says, “The difference between an
amateur and a professional is…pauses.”
On the Other Hand…
Having discussed the value of silence, let’s
look at the other side of the coin: being heard.
My friend Jim Green says, “If you don’t have
sound, you don’t have a show.” If children have
a hard time hearing you, they will get restless,
and you won’t have an opportunity to practice
your pauses!

36 Big Laughs for Little People
Breathing properly will help keep your voice at
a good volume and give it a better tone. (When
you inhale, your shoulders should not rise.
Rather, you should feel your lower rib cage,
abdominal area, and back expanding.) Being
well-rested will give you greater vocal strength. If
your audience is too large—say, over 100 kids—I
recommend using a microphone. I searched for
an adequate sound system for a long time and
learned the hard way that it’s better to have too
much capacity than not enough. If you’re not
sure whether or not you will need your sound
system at a show, go ahead and set it up. If you
don’t need it, you don’t have to use it. If you do
need it, you’ll be prepared.
If you notice that the children in the back rows
are restless, they probably can’t hear you clearly.
If you suspect this is true, turn up the volume,
even if you have to stop the show to do it. That
may not be dignified, but neither is losing the
back one-third of your audience!
Sensible Nonsense
In addition to making sure the audience
can hear us, we also need to say things worth
hearing. Children have always enjoyed funny
sayings—words spoken backwards, rhymes,
and gibberish. A good education in the playon-words
is Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking
Glass. Try to find an audio version, perhaps at
your local library. Listen to the narrator as he

Getting Your Act Together
37
Gene Gordon pretending to be fascinated
with the first edition of Big Laughs for
Little People.
reads this brand of nonsense that has delighted
children—and adults—for generations.
Of course, there are many books of funny
sayings and clever gags. One of the great magical
wits, Gene Gordon, wrote a wonderful book
called Gene Gordon’s Magical Legacy. It is filled
with top-quality routines and great gag lines.
Kidbiz, by David Ginn, is a valuable collection
of material by several children’s entertainers.
Use these and other resource books to help you
build a repertoire.

38 Big Laughs for Little People
The best use of reading about and seeing other
performers’ material is letting it stimulate your
own imagination. When you find something you
like in a book or a show, let that trigger your
mind to create unique things to say or do which
can become your trademark.
For instance, one comedy technique which
works for me is the use of commercials throughout
my act. I’ve used this concept in both my
children’s and adult shows for the past five
years, and it seems to work equally well with
both groups.
I got the idea for imaginary sponsors in the
mid-1980s from radio humorist Garrison Keillor,
host of A Prairie Home Companion. He often gave
such droll sponsorship announcements as, “This
Lake Wobegon portion of our show is brought to
you by Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery. Remember,
if you can’t find it at Ralph’s, you can probably
get along without it.”
That started me thinking. “Why not create
commercials for my magic act?” I started with
an old joke and turned it into this:
“This first portion of our program has been
brought to you by the National Council for Good
Picnic Weather, reminding you that, next time
it rains ‘cats and dogs,’ please do not step in
a poodle.”

Getting Your Act Together
39
The Department of
Redundancy Department
Repetition can be funny. It can also be overdone.
Whether it’s funny or a bore depends on
your skill in handling this comedy technique.
For instance, misnaming a color can be funny—
once. But beware of mindlessly repeating gags
throughout your show which got a laugh once.
On the second and third repetition—well, they’ve
heard that one before.
Entertainers sometimes re-use lines from
sheer nervousness. They reach a moment when
they need something funny to say. then panic
and grab the nearest gag in their mental filing
cabinet. It happens to be one they’ve recently
used, so the laughter is substantially reduced.
This sets the performer on edge, and makes him
liable to make the same mistake five minutes
later. Of course, this example is extreme, but it
is not unrealistic. You’ve been nervous before,
haven’t you? I know I have.
Accidentally repeating a gag can also stem
from absent-mindedness. If you have ever
worked a series of shows back-to-back, you
know that it’s easy to forget which jokes you’ve
used in one show and which ones you’ve
used in another. The best rule is, if you’re in
doubt, don’t.
One school year I had a segment in my show
where I told a series of jokes to the audience.
This was a time-filler while a volunteer checked
a set of keys to find which one opened a lock.

40 Big Laughs for Little People
Fetaque Sanders, whose school assembly career
ran from 1933 through 1958, used running gags.
Here he tries to produce a rabbit but gets a plucked
chicken instead. When he finally gets the rabbit, the
children are surprised and delighted!
(Photo circa 1944.)

Getting Your Act Together
41
“Looks like this could take a few minutes,” I
told the audience. “How about a few good jokes?
Hmmm. Oh, how about this one…The Bigger
family—Mama Bigger, Daddy Bigger, and Baby
Bigger. Which one was bigger? [Pause.] The baby
was a little Bigger!” When the kids came out of
their convulsions, I told a couple more gems.
One day when I had a series of shows, I forgot
that I had already told one of the jokes. When I
said the first part of the gag, the entire audience,
in unison, shouted the punch line back to me! I
was so astonished that every kid in the audience
already knew this joke, you could have told me
that the earth was flat, and I would have believed
you! I mentioned this amazing phenomenon to
a friend who was with me. “Did you see that?” I
asked. “Every kid in the audience already knew
that joke!”
“That’s because you had just told it to them,”
he said. Bingo! New rule: Pay more attention to
my own show!
You Can Say That Again!
Repetition can be deliberate, and it can be
funny. The running gag is a good example. Jim
Rohn, a motivational speaker with a unique,
humorous style, uses this technique beautifully.
He gives several “keys to success” throughout
his lecture. After each one, he quotes a fictional
man making up excuses as to why he can’t take
Jim’s advice.
For instance, one of the keys to success is

42 Big Laughs for Little People
Fetaque Sanders gettting big laughs from his
audience 60 years ago. One thing hasn’t changed:
kids still love to laugh!
developing the habit of reading good books every
day. To which, the man says, “Hey, you work
where I work, you get home late, you’ve got to
eat a little supper, watch a little TV, and get to
bed—you can’t sit up half the night, reading,
reading, reading!” To each key, the man makes
a similar reply, “. . . you can’t sit up half the
night, planning, planning, planning.” Using the
comedy technique of repetition, Jim Rohn helps
listeners remember his “keys to success”—and
he gets more laughter with each recounting of
“the man’s” excuse.
Many children’s entertainers have used the
running gag successfully in their performances.
One trick fails to work throughout the show.
Finally, near the end of the program, the performer
succeeds, to the surprise and delight of
the audience.

Getting Your Act Together
43
Fetaque Sanders got a great audience reaction
with a running gag in his school show of the
1940s. He guaranteed that he would produce a
rabbit by magic, but he repeatedly failed, producing
everything but a rabbit. He had an extra
interest-builder: he offered to refund the price
of admission if he couldn’t produce a rabbit. Of
course, he always succeeded before it was time
to return their money.
Return Engagements
So far, we’ve talked about repetition as either
a mistake or a comedy technique during a show.
But a frequently asked question approaches the
subject from a different angle: “Should I do the
same tricks for an audience I have previously
entertained?” In other words, if you perform for
a school or party and then are invited back the
next year, should you change your show?
I think the answer depends on the
market you are working. Let’s consider
several possibilities:
School assemblies. If you are working the
school every year, changing your program is a
necessity. But remember that children grow up
and are replaced with a new crop every few years.
Many school show performers find themselves
recycling material in five-year intervals.
Kindergartens and Child Care Centers. At
this early age, I think it is acceptable to repeat
your show (or at least highlights) from year to
year. The younger ones may not remember much

44 Big Laughs for Little People
The author performing Michael Ram’s
variation on the Shaxon Paper Tear at a
school assembly in 1984.
detail after a year’s time, and the older children
have moved on to first grade. Even if the little
tykes remember some of your show, they will enjoy
seeing it again—if they liked it the first time.
It seems that younger children have less aversion
to repetition than ten or eleven-year-olds. The
older ones are more likely to have the attitude
of “Yeah, I know that trick,” whereas smaller
children often say, “Oh, I like this one!”

Getting Your Act Together
45
Birthday parties. While these are not my
specialty, I have been told by the experts that it
is essential to change the program. Children at
parties are more apt to lose mental equilibrium
and begin shouting, “I’ve seen that before!” When
faced with this dilemma, I’ve used Trevor Lewis’
great line: “Fine. Close your eyes, and I’ll let you
know when it’s over.” (This has to be delivered
kindly, not with vengeance!)
Those working the birthday circuit have told
me that it is not uncommon to perform for the
same group of children, party after party, as
each kid in the group has a birthday. When
David Ginn worked birthday parties, he had two
separate programs to handle these situations.
(See his book, Professional Magic for Children,
Scarlett Green Publications, 1976.)
Repetition Is the Mother of Skill
One drawback to continually coming up with
new material is that you never really learn your
act. If you have to keep changing your show, you
don’t have time to polish your routines. So, don’t
change your show more often than necessary.
Instead, broaden your market base, working for
new clients whenever possible.
Another option—and my favorite means of
retaining material—is recycling. For instance,
I originally developed Headband Blendo for
the summer recreation programs at day care
centers. This market bears yearly repetition
better than others, so I used the routine for

46 Big Laughs for Little People
many summers. But I also adapted it for my
school show one year, and later used it in my
library program.
Another example is the torn-and-restored
newspaper, taught to me by Michael Ram. I used
this in all the possible kid-show markets. I got
even more mileage by adapting it for my adult
shows—banquets, conventions, churches, clubs,
and a cruise ship. Hundreds of presentations for
children’s audiences gave me the technical skill
and confidence to use it in higher-paying shows
under more critical conditions.
Picking Props
Magic for children should be simple, direct,
and highly visible. Demonstrations that are
too complicated or hard to see will not hold the
attention of children any longer than a lecture
on Emersonian transcendentalism! You’ll be off
to a good start if your props look fun. Go to a
toy store this week and look at the wonderful,
bright, attractive colors. With that in mind, look
at the props in your show. Do they have weird
designs and Chinese letters painted on them?
Or do they look bright, fun, and cheerful? The
kids are there to have fun, so try to make it look
like they have come to the right place.
Packing Props
Ideally, a show for children should be planned
so the props are either packed away or nearly

Getting Your Act Together
47
packed within 30 seconds after your last trick.
All children are curious; some are undisciplined.
They may rush to the front and start picking
through your props immediately after the show.
Adults may or may not come to your defense.
I have always believed in this precaution of
quickly packing up the show in small-group
situations. But stage shows are not exempt
from unexpected intruders. I once did a school
show where the stage, unknown to me, became
a classroom at 11:30 a.m. When I finished my
show, I was astonished by a rush of third-graders
to the stage, led by their teacher. Since I was
unprepared for this assault, my equipment was
not packed away, and kids began picking up
my props! As soon as I rescued one trick, three
other kids were merrily playing with another
item—while their teacher ignored the scene and
refused to call back the troops!
Steve Somers, an excellent children’s entertainer
from High Point, North Carolina, once
lost hundreds of dollars worth of silks, when a
similar situation occurred. He had created the
silks by magic—he could make more just as easily!
The kids ran off with his treasures from Silk
King Studios, and he never saw them again.
John Cooper, who was a full-time children’s
entertainer from Atlanta, once finished a poolside
birthday party show, and looked away from
his table for a few seconds. Before he could
lasso the culprit, a strong child picked up his
new suitcase table and threw it into the pool!
I asked John what he did about it. “Are you

48 Big Laughs for Little People
kidding?” he said, “It was a $200 table—I
jumped in after it!”
Handle with Care
Such horror stories are not daily occurrences,
and they can be largely prevented by careful
planning. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a
number of David Ginn’s school shows, and it’s
always interesting to watch him pack his show
during the show. Snakes popping out of a wand
get tucked back inside while David chats with
the audience. He re-folds the Monster Hat as he
finishes the routine. His stage isn’t completely
clean after a show, but many of the little, timeconsuming
tasks are handled and the props
safely stored away.
In the process of packing your props, try to
keep heavy items from crushing more delicate
tricks. For instance, I’ve always liked silk magic
because it is bright and colorful, and very lightweight.
But I used to find myself ironing silks
every night. Then, I came to my senses: I could
fold the silks quickly after performing the effect,
and—as I lead into the next trick—drop them
into a small, sturdy box. This simple idea has
saved me a lot of time over the years by protecting
my silks from the ravages of Die Boxes and
Linking Rings.
Painted items need to be treated with similar
care. For example, a prop with an enameled
finish can be wrapped in a towel to prevent
scratches. You may want to keep especially valuable
items in a separate, foam-padded case.

Getting Your Act Together
49
Whenever possible, David Ginn packs his props
during the show. Spring snakes, for example, are
stuffed back into this magic wand as soon as he
and the children recover from screaming
and laughing.

50 Big Laughs for Little People
Austin shows off a Fetaque Sanders-style
rabbit table. The rabbits fold flat against the
table back for easy packing.
Still another option for picking and packing
your props is Selina Frederick’s solution of carrying
your entire act in your pockets! This certainly
saves packing and wear and tear on your

Getting Your Act Together
51
Selina Frederick as “Joey.” Selina’s entire act fits
in her pockets for hospitals and other walk-around
venues.
body. Selina’s sparkling personality turns such
simple props as a roll of tickets and a scarf into
hours of entertainment. Now, that’s magic!
Right in Your Own Backstage
Most children’s shows take place in informal
settings. You don’t have a backstage area, in
most cases. If you need privacy, you have to create
it. Suitcase tables provide a private area for
keeping some props out of sight until needed.

52 Big Laughs for Little People
The nite club table (invented by Burling Hull in
the 1930s), also provides a solid front covering
for several shelves.
One technique I have used for years is turning
my suitcase into a screen. You may find it
helpful. Put your suitcase on a small, low table,
or on two chairs turned face-to-face. Then prop
up the lid of the suitcase (at a right angle to the
floor) and drape it with a 36" silk or other colorful
cloth. This gives you the privacy to pack
your props directly into your suitcase during
the show, without having the luggage in sight.
If you use a tripod table, your show props,
tripod, table top, and table cloth may all fit into
one suitcase. (But it may be a heavy suitcase!)
Saying Good-bye
At the end of your show, children may applaud
enthusiastically, or they may not. Regardless,
it’s your job to return control of the group to the
adult authorities. Chris Carey first pointed out
this concept to me. While it has less showbiz
pizzazz than a standing ovation and fanfare,
it’s far more practical. (The adults don’t want to
struggle to regain control.) My standard conclusion
goes like this:
“I would like to ask you a question now. And
please, tell me the truth. How many of you enjoyed
the show today? Raise your hands if you
did. [All hands are up, sometimes preceded by
clapping.] Great! I am so glad you did, because
I had fun, too.

Getting Your Act Together
53
“Now, if your hand is up, would you do me a
favor? Look over to where your teacher is sitting,
and say, ‘Thank you for letting us have the
show today!’ [Pause to let them comply with this
request.] If you had a really good time, you can
show them ‘thank you’ by doing two things.
“First, you can show them ‘thanks’ by keeping
your seat until they dismiss you. Can you do
that? Say yes! Great.
“And second, you can show them how much
you enjoyed the program by being good for the
rest of your lives. [Some laughter from kids,
applause from teachers.] Well, at least, do your
best for the rest of the day.
“And before we go, let’s give your teachers, the
PTA, and your principal, Dr. Pauley, a great, big
round of applause. [Applause.] Thanks again
for coming to the show—and have a happy and
magical day!”
At this point, the principal or authority figure
says, “Let’s give Mr. Smith a nice hand for
doing a great job!” Then, he or she dismisses
the children.
Making Improvements
Doing the show is only the tip of the iceberg—
the other 90% is your continuing effort to improve
the quality of your performance. It’s difficult—and
even painful—to evaluate ourselves
honestly, but the results of truthful self-analysis
are well worth the effort. A famous artist. who
suffered greatly from arthritis in his later years,

54 Big Laughs for Little People
Here I am learning how to entertain children when
I was a child myself! This show for the Tavares
Public LIbrary was one of my first programs for the
library market. Photo courtesy of The
Tavares Citizen.

Getting Your Act Together
55
was asked why he continued to paint when it
hurt him so badly. He replied, “The pain passes,
but the beauty remains.” Likewise, our continuing
quest for improvement, however difficult, will
bring lasting rewards.
Where do you start? Gene Anderson, in his
excellent lecture, The Part-Time Pro, suggests a
wonderful technique for improvement: Replace
your weakest trick. You may have many weak
effects, but start with just one. Maybe you will
eventually replace everything in your show—who
knows? But start with one effect and see what
a difference it makes.
I have an amendment to Gene’s advice: If you
find something that is definitely offensive, drop
it from your act, even if you don’t have a replacement.
It takes courage to quit doing something
you have been performing for a long time. My
wife and I once attended a banquet where a husband-and-wife
team were performing a comedy
act. Sad to say, it was not funny. I don’t mean
that I didn’t think it was funny. I mean that no
one in the audience laughed. I’ve seen the act
several times, and it is always the same.
My wife asked me a very pertinent question,
something I’ve since asked myself several times.
She said, “Why do they keep doing that act when
nobody thinks it’s funny?” I guess the answer is
habit. Even bad material feels comfortable after
we have performed it enough times.
The week after we saw this act, I examined
my own show and pulled out a couple lines that
weren’t getting a good response. This is a difficult

56 Big Laughs for Little People
thing for entertainers to do. We are so close to
our own material, and we have done some things
for so long, it’s hard for us to realize what is
outdated, ineffective, or inappropriate. For this
reason, we often need outside assistance.
Getting Help
When I started doing school shows in 1982, I
had one of my shows videotaped and passed it
along to my father. He watched the tape twice
and made detailed notes and criticisms. Most
of the suggestions were valid—I could see that,
painful though it was. I began making alterations
and improvements.
I understand that Johnny Ace Palmer, whose
delightful close-up act has won numerous
awards, had help from his mother in developing
his material. For you, it may be someone outside
the family. But whoever you find, make sure they
have the ability to be a good judge—and make
sure they are honest.
The late John Young, a professional magician
and balloon artist, remarked to me that magicians
are among the few showmen who don’t
ask for professional help. Singers take voice
lessons, dancers take dance lessons, actors
have coaches and follow the advice of directors.
But what about magicians? Or clowns?
Or jugglers? Or ventriloquists? We generally try
to do it on our own. One reason is that it’s difficult
to find a qualified instructor. Difficult, but
not impossible.

Getting Your Act Together
57
After my father had analyzed my show, I
made the corrections I knew how to make, but
realized there was still room for improvement.
I looked around to find a performer I admired
and trusted. I had seen Chris Carey at the
Florida State Magicians’ Convention in 1980 and
thought his act was wonderful and thoroughly
professional. When we crossed paths again in
1983, I asked if he would be willing to critique
my show. We arranged a two-day consultation,
and he watched one of my programs. He offered
some valuable criticism—and despite that fact,
we became good friends!
Perhaps a big step in your career, no matter
how long you have been performing, would
be to ask yourself, “Who do I know who could
critique my show? Is there a professional in the
business whose advice I could trust?” Contact
the person to find out if they are willing, what it
would cost, and when they are available to see
you work. Make sure they understand that you
want specific, honest criticism.
Just the Facts, Please!
Getting people to tell you the truth is difficult.
If they feel that you will get angry about their
advice, they will give you a vague, “Oh, uh,
yeah…enjoyed that…that was fun. Thanks for
inviting me.” Or they will give you a review you
could take anyway you want—like Mark Twain’s
reply to aspiring authors: “I have read your book
and much like it.”

58 Big Laughs for Little People
If they trust you and your maturity level, you
are more likely to get an honest evaluation. Be
mature enough to know that they aren’t criticizing
you, just your material. They may like you,
they may like your performing style and most
of what you do. But some of your act may be
inappropriate or poorly performed. The job of
the coach is to help you weed out the weak stuff
and strengthen your good material.
The key to making this process work is to
listen and learn. I was delighted in 1985 when
Fetaque Sanders, the country’s most prominent
African-American magician, went to see one of
my shows. Fetaque was one of the leading school
show magicians of the 1940s and 1950s, and a
great comic entertainer. After the performance,
I walked over to where Fetaque was seated. He
looked up at me, and he wasn’t smiling. He
paused long enough to make me wonder if I
should get out of show business. Then he said,
“Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
But I wasn’t vain enough to fall for that. I
managed to convince him, during the next few
months, that I am always looking for an honest
appraisal. Fetaque began accompanying me to
my shows in the Nashville area, and we became
good friends. One day, feeling free to offer constructive
criticism, Fetaque said to me, “You
know, that thing you do with the bag….”
“Yes?” I asked.
“Get rid of it,” he said. And I did! That is an
all-important step—if the advice of your coach
makes sense, take action!

Getting Your Act Together
59
Fetaque himself asked for and took advice
from other professionals during his own career.
One gag line he delivered at the end of a joke was,
“So would I!” A professional comedian told him
the line would have more “punch” if he shortened
it to, “Me, too!” Fetaque took the man’s advice
and found that he was right.
Occupational Hazards
Entertaining children is a delightful occupation,
but there are still risky aspects of the business.
For instance, performers in certain parts of
the country may need to exercise great caution
in dealing with volunteers on stage. If there is
a high sensitivity in your area to the problems
of child abuse or molestation, you may opt to
never touch a child volunteer. (Newspapers and
television have been known to sensationalize
this kind of story, often bringing the public to a
frenzied state of mind.)
There may also be health hazards involved by
touching children. I once asked a doctor what
I could do about the number of colds I got. He
replied, “Change your profession.” He was only
partially right. I found that washing my hands
after a show (where I shook hands with kids) reduced
the problem. A good diet, plenty of sleep,
and a more relaxed mental attitude may have
contributed to my better health in recent years.
One occupational hazard of entertaining children
came to my attention in an elementary

60 Big Laughs for Little People
school. I was doing Ali Bongo’s Monster Hat,
based on the Growing Hat of many years ago.
A child is given a paper hat to wear, which
unfolds until it reaches a monster face. I had
decided not to make the child look like an idiot.
Instead, he would wear the hat as it got bigger
and bigger, but before the last panel, I would put
it on, turning myself into a monster!
The routine worked well until I removed the
hat from the child and started to put it on my
head. At that point, several teachers in the back
of the auditorium began waving their arms frantically,
shaking their heads, and mouthing a
word which looked a lot like “No!!!” Drawing on
my deep sense of intuition, I finished the routine
with the hat on the child’s head. I learned after
the show that the boy had head lice.
Of course, entertainers have very small risks
compared to the teachers and principals who
deal with these situations every day. If you have
questions about the proper handling of a child
on stage or possible health hazards, talk to
someone who works in a local school.
Believe!
Is it worthwhile to put so much effort into a
children’s show? I believe it is, and here are two
good reasons. First, children are not “partial
people,” little beings waiting to become adults.
They are valuable—where they are, as they are.
For this reason, they deserve our best. They deserve
professional entertainment, geared toward
their special needs and interests.

Getting Your Act Together
61
Sending Puff the Magic Rabbit into a deep hypnotic
state! Puff helped me perform for children at the
Eustis Memorial Library on December 22, 1987.
Photo courtesy of The Orlando Sentinel.
The second reason for investing your best efforts
into your children’s shows is to build your
own sense of self-esteem. By becoming proficient
in your work for every type of audience—
including children’s shows—you will be telling
your subconscious mind that you are a competent,
professional person. If we cut corners in

62 Big Laughs for Little People
one area of our work, we undermine our confidence
slowly but surely. No entertainer can
afford to do that. So let’s give it our best. The
rewards will include greater self-esteem, more
enjoyment of our work, and better satisfied audiences
on every level.
What Alma lacked in spelling she made up for in
sincerity. My favorite part is, “I love you and I like
the magic.”
Some of these students are so advanced! This one
uses the Old English spelling of “show.” Sometimes
it’s hard to tell if children have misspelled or not.
One boy said I was a “goon magician.” Maybe he
meant “good magician.” Then again…

Volunteer
Support
These routines
demonstrate
effective ways
to work with
children on stage.
You can have
a lot of fun with
audience helpers,
treating them
with respect
while giving them
the spotlight.

64 Big Laughs for Little People
A smile is
the shortest
distance
between
two people.
Victor Borge

Headband Blendo
65
Headband Blendo
Effect
Five colorful headbands blend into a giant
multi-colored loop in the hands of a spectator.
Props Needed
• Five separate headbands, each of a different
color.
• Giant loop headband, consisting of five different
colors to match the separate headbands.
• Two thick rubber bands.
• A giant pair of plastic scissors found in magic,
toy, or novelty shops.
Set-up
Bundle the headband loop so that it looks
like five separate headbands stacked on top of
each other. To do this, hold the loop up so one
of the headbands, say red, is on top [Figure 1].
The center of the headband is at the top of the
loop. Line up the two cut ends of this headband,
then fold that color over against the next headband
[Figure 2]. Line up the cut ends of that
headband, and now fold the two headbands
over to the next one. Continue working your way
around until you have a bundle of headbands
[Figures 3 and 4]. One end will have five separate
colors, and the other end will be solid. (Thanks
to Mark Daniel for this method of folding the
headbands. A great improvement, since the

66 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 1. The cut ends
of one color are lined up.
Figure 2. That
headband is folded
against the next one.
headbands appear completely separate when
you’re holding the bundle and concealing the
solid end.) Hold the bundle together with one of
the rubber bands.
With the giant loop bundled up to look like
a stack of five separate headbands, place it in
an easy-to-reach location in your prop case or
behind your table, along with the giant plastic
scissors. (Real scissors are fine, too, but the colorful
plastic ones are more fun since they don’t
actually have to cut anything.)

Headband Blendo
67
Performance
Invite a child from the audience, preferably a
boy about eight years old. If you choose to perform
the routine as I do, it’s best to have a boy
who does not have a crew cut or very short hair.
For this particular routine, I also look for a boy
who looks fairly confident and outgoing.
I position the boy on my right. “Hi, there!
Welcome to the stage! What is your name? Wesley?
That’s correct! [Laughter.] Wait a minute.
Did you say, Wesley? You know what? You look
very familiar. [Pause. A look of recognition comes
Figure 3.
The gimmicked
headband folded
into a bundle.
Figure 4. The
bundle looks
like—at a casual
glance—a stack
of five separate
headbands.

68 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 5. Headband on.
over my face.] You look exactly like a boy who
used to pick on me when I was in school, and
his name was Wesley, too!
“What grade are you in? Third grade? So was
this kid! [Under my breath.] Probably still is!”
I grab his arm and pull him toward me and
say, “Are you the same kid?” He usually says,
“No! It wasn’t me!”
I let go of his arm and say, “No, I guess you
couldn’t be the same kid. Besides, Wesley, I
wouldn’t be mad at you after all these years.
“But when I was in school, this boy named
Wesley used to pick on me and call me names

Headband Blendo
69
Figure 6. Headband up!
because I was such a skinny little kid. He used
to call me Toothpick! One day I went home crying
to my mother, ‘This boy at school is calling
me Toothpick!’
She put her arm around me and said, ‘Woody...
[Pause for laughs from adults.] Don’t worry
about it. I’m going to buy you some athletic

70 Big Laughs for Little People
headbands.’ And she went to the store and
bought me some headbands so I’d look like an
athlete instead of a skinny little kid.”
By now I’ve picked up a red headband and
am positioning it over my head as though I’m
going to put it on. “And do you know what?
When I started wearing these headbands, he
never called me toothpick again. He called me
Matchstick! Thermometer Head! Remember
those days, Wesley? Hmmm?
“Well, let me just show you how I used to
wear these. Stand straight up, shoulders back,
chin down chest up, stomach in, and...relax.”
At this point, I put the headband on the child’s
head, just far enough down so it will stay a few
seconds before contracting and popping off of
his head [Figures 5 and 6]. If you’re concerned
about problems with head lice, don’t do this! I
can only say that I have never had any problems
with this, and it is a very funny sight as the
headband slowly rises up and makes the boy’s
hair stick straight up. Sometimes, depending on
the length and texture of his hair, the headband
will spring off and shoot up into the air. Other
times, it slowly rises. I watch it out of the corner
of my eye, so the audience thinks I’m not aware
of it. I let them inform me that the headband is
not staying on the boy’s head!
“That headband is too small! Sorry about that,
Wesley! Here, let’s try the green one. I’m sure
this will fit.” I put on another one in the same
fashion so it ends up springing off of his head.
Believe me, the kids will roar!

Headband Blendo
71
Figure 7. “Too much hair! Let me get the
scissors!

72 Big Laughs for Little People
When I finally see that the headband has
come off, I say, “You know what the problem is,
Wesley? Too much hair! Let me get the scissors!”
[Figure 7.] That comment will get a reaction from
the boy and the audience. As they are laughing,
roaring, or saying, “Yikes!” I reach into my prop
case to remove the giant pair of scissors. I have
the bundle of headbands in my left hand, and I
simply drop that bundle and pick up the giant
loop bundle behind the cover of the prop case.
At the same time, I’m picking up and bringing
out the scissors. This is a very natural switch,
and the kids are too busy reacting to the “let me
get the scissors” line to pay too much attention
to this.
I say, reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Wesley. I
wouldn’t cut your hair. Although last week I
accidentally cut off a boy’s ear!” The audience
laughs in disbelief. I turn to toss the scissors
back into my prop case and say offhandedly,
“But I don’t think he even heard me.” I’m still
holding the giant loop bundle in my left hand,
which the audience still thinks is a bundle of
five separate headbands.
“I’ll tell you what, Wesley. I’m going to let you
hold on to these headbands with your bare
hands. Do you have bare hands? They look like
people hands, to me!” I remove the rubber band
and let the boy hold the bundle so the five separate
pieces are toward the audience. It appears
that he is holding five headbands.
“Now everybody help. Reach into the air, grab
a handful of woofle dust, and toss it up here.

Headband Blendo
73
Figure 8.
“This will look
great if he ever
takes a trip to
Hawaii!”
We’ll say the magic words, Please and Thank
You, and let’s see what happens. We’ll look at
the blue headband first. If the blue one fits,
we’ll know we’re making progress!” I pull out
one of the headband sections which opens up
the bundle and reveals the giant multi-colored
loop. The kids react with surprise.
“I think it will fit! And if Wesley ever takes a
trip to Hawaii, this will look great when he gets
off the plane!” So saying, I drape the loop over

74 Big Laughs for Little People
my head, let the child take a bow, and send him
back to his seat.
This is a guaranteed laugh-packed routine.
I’m sure you’ll have fun with it, and I would
enjoy hearing some of your gag lines and ideas
for the routine.
Note
Many thanks to my friends John Magrum and
Steve Somers for helping me develop the original
routine. I created Headband Blendo for my Magic
of Summer show in 1983.

Big Laughs for Little People
75
Most of the
shadows of this
life are caused
by standing
in one’s own
sunshine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

76 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 9. “Say ‘hi’ to Super Frog!”

Super Frog
77
Super Frog
Effect
A card with a picture of a frog wearing a bright
red cape is supposed to disappear from one envelope
and fly invisibly across the room to land
in a second envelope, held by a boy.
When the card is removed from the first envelope,
Super Frog is gone—all that remains is a
cut-out area where he used to be. Did he jump
to the other envelope? There’s no frog, but a little
red cloth cape tumbles out!
The performer vanishes the cape, and Super
Frog appears on the second helper’s back!
Props Needed
Super Frog, produced by SPS Magic, available
from your favorite magic dealer.
The Super Frog set consists of—
• Regular card with a picture of Super Frog.
• Card with Super Frog missing.
• Cut-out version of Super Frog to attach to
boy’s back.
• Small red silk (Super Frog’s cape).
• Gimmicked envelopes.
Set-up
Tear off a four-inch piece of wide masking
tape. Roll it into a loop, sticky side out, and attach
it to the back of the frog [Figure 10]. Hide
the frog behind the stack of envelopes.

78 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 10.
Position the
cut-out frog
behind the
stack of
envelopes,
with a loop of
masking tape
attached to the
back of
the frog.
Setting the envelopes is easy. You have two
regular envelopes and one “envelope gimmick.”
The envelope gimmick is simply a regular envelope
taped at the bottom to another envelope
with the flap cut off. To set the trick, place the
card without the frog into a regular envelope
[Figure 11]. Put this between the flapless envelope
and the regular envelope, which are taped
together [Figure 12]. The flap of this middle envelope
is on the outside of the gimmick. On top
of this packet, place an envelope containing the
red silk which represents his cape [Figure 13].
No one will know the silk is in the envelope.
You may want to hold all of the envelopes together
with a loose rubber band. You can easily
slide the envelopes out even with the rubber
band around them.

Super Frog
79
Figure 11. Slide
the missingfrog
card into a
regular envelope.
Figure 12.
Slide the envelope
between the
gimmicked set,
leaving the flap
pulled out and
over the gimmick.
Figure 13.
Place the
regular envelope
containing the red
silk on top of the
gimmicked
envelope set.
Routine
“It’s time now to bring out our special guest
star, ladies and gentlemen, a trained, professional,
acrobatic frog! He’s waiting backstage

80 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 14. “If I let you hold on to Super Frog, do
you promise you won’t try to kiss him?”

Super Frog
81
right now. [Looking behind your prop case] Are
you ready?
“Here he is, please welcome to the stage, the
world-famous, one-and-only, Super Frog!” Lead
the applause.
Bring out the cardboard plaque with Super
Frog’s picture. “As long as he’s wearing his cape,
he can perform an amazing trick. But first, I’m
going to ask him to tell me who will be his assistants.
Super Frog, who do you want to help
you?” Hold the frog up to your ear.
“He says he would like the boy near the back,
wearing that light blue shirt. Yes, sir, I think he
means you. Step right up.”
Hold the frog to your ear again. “He says he
would like the assistance of the young lady right
here. Yes, I think he’s talking about you. Would
you like to help Super Frog? Wonderful! Come
on up.”
Position the girl on your left side, the boy on
your right. Speak to the girl first.
“Hi, there. What’s your name? Hannah? Hannah,
I’d like to introduce you to Super Frog.
Holding the packet of envelopes in your right
hand and Super Frog in your left hand, tilt the
frog card so the girl can see him [Figure 9].
“Say ‘Hi, Super Frog.’ The girl says ‘hi.’
Turn to the boy. “What is your name? Jamie?
It’s nice to meet you. Would you say ‘hi’ to Super
Frog?” Standing beside the boy (on his left side),
it’s a natural movement to show him the card
in your left hand, while you casually put your
right hand around his back. You are holding

82 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 15.
Slide the Super Frog
plaque into the front,
flapless envelope.
Figure 16.
Unknown to the
audience, pull out
the middle envelope
containing the
missing-frog card.
the packet of envelopes in your right hand, with
cut-out Super Frog gripped with your thumb.
As you reach around the boy’s back, pivot your
hand so the cut-out frog with the masking tape
is ready to stick to the back of the boy’s shirt.
Just stick the frog on his back as you gently
push him forward a little toward the frog card.
The boy says hi to the frog as you secretly stick

Super Frog
83
the cut-out frog to his back. All of this should
be a simple, natural motion.
Ask the boy to hold on to an envelope with
both hands, “and don’t let any frogs get inside.”
Saying this, hand him the top envelope with the
hidden silk. Since the boy is trying to stop a frog
from getting inside, and since he can’t feel the
silk, he will not question whether the envelope
is empty. Having him hold on to the envelope
with both hands will give him a job to think
about and prevent him from, say, scratching his
back and discovering a cardboard frog clinging
to his shirt.
Turn back to the girl and begin to slide the
regular frog card into the flapless envelope
[Figures 14 and 15]. “Hannah, I am going to
put Super Frog inside this envelope. If I let you
hold on to him, do you promise you won’t try to
kiss him?”
As the girl giggles and/or gives her reply, pull
out the envelope containing the card with no
frog [Figure 16] from the center of the gimmicked
pack of envelopes. Casually toss the envelope
pack aside (now secretly containing the Super
Frog plaque). Give the envelope you’re holding—
containing the missing-frog card—to the girl,
who thinks she actually got the frog card. If
you have her hold it near the bottom or by the
edges, she will feel the card and think she still
has the frog card.
“Do you have a good hold on that envelope,
Hannah? Do you feel Super Frog?” She usually
says “yes,” but if she hesitates or says no, take

84 Big Laughs for Little People
the envelope from her, open it, and pull the card
out part-way. It appears to be the card with the
frog printed on it.
“All right, Super Frog. Behave yourself, please!”
Slide the card back into the envelope and return
it to the girl. The girl is standing to your left, the
boy is on your right.
“To make this even harder for Super Frog—
[guide the girl farther to your left]—Hannah, step
right over here.”
Walk briskly over to the boy and say, “And
Jamie, step over this way, just a tad…pole.” You
can use this opportunity to make sure the frog
is firmly attached just by tapping it lightly as
you reposition him.
“In just a moment, Super Frog, the Amazing,
Jumping, Acrobatic Frog will leap from Hannah’s
envelope…fly invisibly through the air…
and land in Jamie’s envelope on this side of the
room. And, he will jump without a net! [Pause.]
Annette could not be here today.
“On the count of three! One! Two! Three!
Hannah, is he gone?!” Look as if you are
positive she will say, “Yes.” Then as you hear
her say, “No!” let your facial expression drop
in surprise.
Turn to the boy. “Jamie, did you feel anything
happen? No?
“Just one moment, please!” Step over to the
girl and take the envelope from her. (Don’t yank it
away—be polite as you take it.) Lift the envelope
flap and pull out the card slightly, establishing
that the frog (they think) is still in the envelope.

Super Frog
85
Figure 17. “He’s gone!”
In fact, speak down into the envelope, as though
you are seeing the frog.
“Super Frog! Please! Don’t do this to me! We’re
on stage, in front of a lot of people. Now, please!”
Hand the envelope back to the girl and return
to center stage.

86 Big Laughs for Little People
“Once again, ladies and gentlemen, the amazing
Super Frog will leap from Hannah’s envelope,
fly through the air, and land in Jamie’s envelope
on the other side of the room. Everyone, count
with me. One! Two! Three!
“Hannah, did you feel him disappear!?” Again,
have an expectant expression, then look dismayed
as she says, “No!”
“What? You’re kidding! All right. That does it.
We’re going to have a man-to-frog talk.” Stalk
over to the girl and take the envelope. Open the
flap and speak into the envelope.
“Hey! Super Frog! Frog boy! Frog legs!” As you
say, “Frog legs,” slap your hand over your mouth
as you realize you’ve overstepped the limits of
good taste. (No pun intended.)
Continue, speaking very deliberately, “Super
Frog, we don’t think this is funny!” If the children
giggle at that, stop speaking, look at them
in surprise, then turn back to the envelope.
“Well, some of us don’t think this is funny.
[More giggles.] Well, one of us doesn’t think it’s
funny! We are trying to do a show, here…[begin
pulling the card out of the envelope]…and if
you won’t cooperate . . . .” Pull the card all the
way out and continue speaking as you hold it
right up to your face. You are now looking right
through the place where the frog was supposed
to be. In mid-sentence, realize that the frog is
gone. “Hey! Super Frog! What…where…I thought
you had…he’s gone!”
Turn to the girl. “Did you take Super Frog?”
Turn the envelope upside down and tap it on

Super Frog
87
Figure 18. “He can’t do a show without his
capon!” Who writes these jokes?
the bottom, to show that the frog is not in Hannah’s
envelope.
Suddenly, brighten and say, “Hey! Wait a
minute! Do you think it worked? I’ll bet it did!
Jamie, open the envelope and show everyone
that Super Frog has flown invisibly through
the air and landed in your envelope.” The boy
opens the envelope and discovers the little red

88 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 18. “Super Frog made it! He just jumped a
little too far!”
silk. Kids will frequently call out, “It’s his cape!”
If they don’t, you fill in the blank for him.
“Look, it’s his cape!” I snatch the silk from the
boy and hold it up in amazement and dismay.
“He can’t do a show without his capon (cape
on). He can’t even do a show without his chicken!
We’ll have to send this cape back to him.”

Super Frog
89
Make the silk disappear using a thumb tip,
change bag or other method.
“Now, Jamie. Open the envelope and remove
Super Frog. The amazing, the one-and-only…”
Pause in mid-sentence as the boy discovers
there’s nothing in the envelope.
“That does it! We are going on a frog-hunt,
and I don’t mean maybe!” Take the boy by the
arm with your right hand, and march around
the stage area. Swing around so your backs are
facing the audience, and take the girl by the arm
with your left hand. As the three of you swing
around looking for the frog, the spectators will
soon discover the frog clinging to the boy’s back.
It’s a completely hysterical moment. The children
will shout, point, and scream. It’s frequently a
very funny moment when the boy discovers the
frog stuck to his back.
Remove the frog from his back before he
does. Hold up Super Frog so everyone can see
him well.
“He made it! He just jumped a little too far!
But he couldn’t have done it at all without these
wonderful helpers. Let’s give Hannah a big round
of applause. [The girl returns to her seat.] And a
big hand for Jamie. Take a bow!” As you instruct
the boy to bow, bow along with him. Swing your
right hand (with the frog) around behind you,
and fasten the frog to your own back. As you
straighten up from bowing, join in the applause
for the boy, as he takes his seat.
“And let’s give a nice hand to Super Frog the…
hey! Super Frog?” Look from side to side for the

90 Big Laughs for Little People
frog—then turn around to look for him. The children
will see the frog clinging to your back! This
brings on another wave of screams and laughter.
Finally realize what has happened and snatch
the frog off your back.
Holding Super Frog in your left hand, say,
“And let’s give Super Frog a big hand, too!” Then
clap your hands enthusiastically—but suddenly
realize that Super Frog is between them!
Stop quickly.
“Ah, Super Frog, I’m sorry. [To the audience.]
And I was going to take him to his favorite restaurant
tonight—IHOP!”
Background
I first learned about the idea of sticking a missing
object to a child’s back from David Ginn’s
“Comedy Card on Back Routine” over 25 years
ago. Sometime later, Edwin Hooper produced a
cute trick called, “Hoppy the Frog,” in which a
missing frog appears on a child’s back. Hoppy
was a desultory looking frog, with his back
turned toward the audience, but I still liked the
trick. I developed a routine which appeared in
the first edition of Big Laughs for Little People in
1990. Unfortunately, Supreme Magic—the manufacturer
of Hoppy—was going out of business
then, and the trick was no longer available.
Ten years hopped by before I hired an artist to
draw what I considered a better-looking frog. We
gave the frog a cape and came up with a sturdy
design with no tricky cut-outs to break or bend.
We also put Super Frog on a larger card than

Super Frog
91
Hoppy for greater visibility, and used unusually
thick card stock.
One final change was not putting a sharp hook
on the cut-out frog. I always felt this was dangerous
and thought Edwin should have supplied
a little bottle of topical disinfectant with each
trick! A loop of masking tape is easier to attach
to the child’s back, and it’s much safer.

92 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 19. “Here, hold this scarf, would you?
I’ll be right back!”

The Vanishing Candle
93
The Vanishing Candle
Effect
A candle, wrapped in a scarf and held by a
volunteer, mysteriously disappears.
Props Needed
• Fantasio Vanishing Candle.
• Silk scarf (about 20 or 24 inches diagonally).
• Candle holder (available from gift shops and
other stores).
Set-up
Extend the Vanishing Candle to its full height,
and secure it into the candle holder. It should
fit snugly enough not to collapse prematurely.
Have the candle in its stand on your table in
full view.
Routine
I use this effect to follow The Invisible Flying
Silk Scarf routine. (See page 175.)
Before the show, find out if there is a birthday
girl in the audience. There often will be—
especially if you’re at a girl’s birthday party! But
even if you’re working a preschool or elementary
school, check with the director or teachers to
find out who is having a birthday.
“Now that we can see this scarf again, I need
to find a young lady to hold it for me, and to help

94 Big Laughs for Little People
me here on stage for a few minutes. Of course, I
need someone who is sitting quietly. How about
the girl in the pink sweater. Let’s give her a hand
as she comes to the stage.
“Hi, there. What’s your name? Laurel? You
mean…you’re Laurel? The Laurel? The famous
Laurel, who is having a birthday today? Wow!
It’s nice to meet you!
“When I got here today, Miss Toni told me it
was your birthday. If I had only known you were
having a birthday today, I could have brought
you a cake. I’m sorry to say, I didn’t bring one.
But I did bring along a candle. Would you take
care of this scarf for me, until I get back, please.”
Drape the scarf over the girl’s head and turn to
the table [Figure 19]. Since the child can still see
through the scarf somewhat, it doesn’t frighten
her. Typically, the girl will giggle.
Take the candle out of the stand, gripping it
from the bottom with enough pressure to prevent
it from vanishing too soon. Hold it between your
thumb and first two fingers.
Turn back to the girl, but pretend that you
don’t see her. Since she is beneath the scarf,
you really won’t be able to see much of her! Look
puzzled. “Laurel? Laurel? Where are you?” The
children will find this very funny. Then realize
that she is under the scarf. Whisk it off of her,
exclaiming, “There you are! I thought you had
disappeared!
“Well, take a look at this candle. I think it
would be big enough for a giant birthday cake,
don’t you? But since I forgot the cake, let’s do

The Vanishing Candle
95
some magic with this candle, in honor of Laurel’s
birthday.” Pick up the scarf and hold one corner
in your left hand and the other corner of that
side in your right hand. Since you’re still holding
the candle, you can grip the silk between the
ring finger and middle finger of your right hand.
You will be able to pivot the candle behind the
scarf or swing it back up into view.
Ask your helper, “Laurel, would you name a
color for me—any color at all—and we’ll try to
change this red candle to match whatever color
you say. Name any color at all.”
Sometimes, in confusion, the girl will name
the color of the candle. In that case, you can get
a good laugh from the adults in the audience,
by saying quickly, “Red? Fine! We’ll change this
into a red candle. Wrap it up in the scarf. Pause
a moment. Snap your fingers, then unwrap the
candle and proclaim, “Red! We’ve changed this
into a red candle!” Someone is sure to point out
that it was already red.
“Oh, well, then, please name another color,
Laurel.” Let’s say that she selects purple.
“Purple [hesitantly]? Okay…we’ll change this
to purple, kind of a reddish purple. You might
say almost red!
“Okay, purple it is! Let’s wrap this candle
in the scarf, like this.” Swing the candle down
behind the scarf, near the top edge [Figure 20].
Wrap the scarf around the candle about six
times, or until the candle is completely covered.
Wrap it as tightly as you can and still leave room
for the candle to collapse.

96 Big Laughs for Little People
When the candle is wrapped up, fold over the
top inch or so of the scarf to help the silk keep
its shape. Hold the top with your left hand, and
keep your grip on the bottom of the candle with
your right hand. You can now begin letting the
candle slowly collapse into your right hand, as
you proceed with the routine. If you keep the
scarf pulled tightly enough, it won’t lose its
shape, since you have wrapped it around the
candle a number of times. Only you should know
that the candle is making its exit!
As the candle is secretly collapsing, kneel
down beside the girl. The candle should now
be in the bottom of the silk in your right hand.
You are still holding the top of the silk with
your left hand, as though the candle were
wrapped inside.
Figure 20. Getting the candle in position to
wrap it up.

The Vanishing Candle
97
Say to the audience, “Everyone, help me,
please. Reach into the air, get a handful of woofle
dust, and throw it toward the candle. Now, reach
into your pockets and get some woofle dust.
Throw it toward the candle!” Saying this, reach
into your inside coat pocket to get some “woofle
dust.” As you do, take along the now collapsed
candle. Continue holding the silk from the top
with your left hand—it will keep its shape for
that brief moment if you have wrapped it around
the candle enough times.
Deposit the candle into your pocket, and
quickly bring your hand out again, pretending
to hold “woofle dust.” Sprinkle it over the silk,
as the children throw their magic dust and
make a whooshing noise. (Involving the entire
audience in this physical action distracts them
sufficiently to practically guarantee they won’t
catch you ditching the candle. I’ve performed
this over 1000 times, and I don’t recall having
been caught once—I don’t believe the teachers
have caught this either.)
As soon as you have sprinkled your imaginary
magic dust, take hold of the bottom of the
silk scarf again with your right hand. The few
seconds you have released your hold may have
allowed it to unwind slightly, but not enough
to matter.
Say to the girl, “Laurel, I’d like you to hold on
to this for me. Reach up with your right hand
and hold on to the top of the candle. Now hold on
tight to the bottom of the candle, but—please—
don’t break it.” You can guide her hands to take

98 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 21. Ready for the magic!
hold of the right places on the scarf—the very top
and the very bottom. Make sure she is stretching
the scarf tightly between her hands.

The Vanishing Candle
99
She usually will not know that the candle isn’t
in the scarf. Or, at least, she won’t say anything
about it. (I try to get a very young volunteer!) If
she does start to say something about the candle
being gone, just plow on through the routine,
talking right over whatever objection she may be
trying to make. (But this rarely happens.)
Stand up from your kneeling position, leaving
the girl holding the candle (apparently). Say,
“When I snap my fingers, the candle will change
from red to purple, just as Laurel requested. At
least, we hope it will change! Ready? [Snap your
fingers near the scarf.]
“And, yes, it’s true! The candle has changed
from red to purple! Incredible. Now, to your
further amazement, I will change it back into a
red candle.” Pretend that you are about to snap
your fingers again, pausing long enough before
actually snapping them so that the children
have a chance to object. They will want to see
the candle purple before you change it back to
red. Or, the older kids will know that the candle
never changed colors at all.
Say, defensively, “You don’t believe me? Well,
then, Laurel, you show them. Unwrap that
candle so everyone can see that it has changed
from a red candle to a purple candle. It’s really
an amazing…” Continue chattering like this,
without looking directly at the girl unwrapping
the scarf. The girl and the spectators will scream
when they find out the candle is missing.
Continue talking about the candle changing
color even after the girl has the scarf open and is

100 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 22. The candle has completely disappeared!

The Vanishing Candle
101
shaking it out. When you finally notice that the
candle is gone, do a double-take and stop your
sentence in mid-stream. “It’s really an amazing…uh…hey!…
what happened? [Whisk the silk
away from her, turning it back and front, looking
for the candle.] I thought you had…”
Babble like this for a few seconds before asking,
“Laurel, what did you do with the candle?
Did you eat it? No? She made it disappear! That’s
amazing!” If she denies responsibility (“I didn’t
make it disappear!”), add, “She’s amazing and
modest, too! Let’s give our birthday girl a big
round of applause!”

102 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 23. Ready to bake a cake!

Snake Cake Bake
103
Snake Cake Bake
Effect
A bag of flour turns into a baker’s outfit for a
girl from the audience. She tries to bake a cake,
but accidentally says the wrong magic words and
bakes—ugh!—a snake!
Props Needed
• Dove pan (mine is eight inches across).
• Spring snake(s).
• Wilting flower.
• Palming snake.
• Baker’s outfit (costume bag).
Set-up
Put the wilting flower in the empty compartment
of the costume bag. (The baker’s hat that
comes with the effect is in the other side of the
bag.) Load the spring snake into the dove pan
[Figure 24], and keep the pan and the cover
behind your table.
I took my costume bag to a sporting goods
store, where they letter football jerseys, and had
them letter the bag F L O U R. The bag is black,
the letters are white.
Routine
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time once
again for the annual Sammy Smith Cake-Bake-

104 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 24. Snake loaded in pan.
O-Rama, where one young helper from the audience
bakes a cake right here on stage. I’d like to
ask the young lady with the bright blue dress to
come up and be our baker.” Lead the applause
as she makes her way to the front.
“Hi, there. May I ask your name? Brittany?
That’s a beautiful name. Have you ever baked
a cake before? Well, you’re in luck, because I
brought along a pan for you to use in our Cake-
Bake-O-Rama!” Display the pan, flip it into the
air, letting it turn over several times before catching
it in one hand. This shows that the pan is
empty and adds the appearance of skill!
“Hold the pan, please, Brittany, while I get the
baking flour.” Pick up the costume bag in your
left hand, and hold it up for display. Poise your
right hand over the bag, ready to plunge in.

Snake Cake Bake
105
“I’ll get a handful of flour out of the bag and
toss it into that pan. [Pause.] I’ll try not to throw
it into your face! Although…last week, I had a
girl helping me with this trick, standing just
about where you are. I reached into the bag, got
a handful of flour, and tried to throw it into the
pan. But I missed and it got all over her face.
She walked out into the bright sunshine…and
broke out into tiny biscuits! I’ll try not to let
that happen.
“Now, for that handful of flour!” Reach into the
bag and bring out the wilting flower.
“Wait a minute! That’s the wrong kind of flour!”
As you say this, hold the flower near your mouth,
and let it wilt slightly.
“Hey! This poor thing needs moisture—and
fast!” Breathe on the flower, the same way you
blow when trying to fog a mirror [Figure 25]. The
flower wilts completely. Get an “I can’t believe!”
look on your face.
“Here, Brittany, blow on this, would you?”
Hold the flower near her. When she blows on it,
let it quickly go back to normal—so that it bops
her on the nose as it straightens up.
“Well, how about that! But it’s still the wrong
kind of flour! What we need is some baking flour.
Brittany, do you see any in the bag? No? Do you
see anything at all in the bag? All right, then,
snap your fingers. Perfect! Now reach into the
bag, get a handful, and bring it out.”
Open the bag so she reaches into the side
with the baker’s hat. When she removes the
hat, look at it in disgust. Take it from her and
hold it gingerly.

106 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 25. “This poor thing needs moisture!”
“A diaper! I can’t believe it! Wait…that’s not a
diaper, that’s a baker’s hat! Mama mia!” Put the
hat on the girl.
“And as long as she’s baking, she might just as
well have an apron.” Reach into the bag, grasp
the edge of the folded apron, and shake the bag
out quickly. It turns inside-out and looks like a
baker’s apron. Tie it around the girl’s waist.

Snake Cake Bake
107
Figure 26. “A diaper?!”

108 Big Laughs for Little People
“Isn’t that perfect? Everybody, say, ‘Awww.’
“Now, Brittany, let’s bake that cake. I’ll start
the fire.” Pretend to strike a match.
“Even though this is just a pretend match, I’m
still going to be very…[pause and wait for the
children to say, “careful.”]
“Careful, that’s right. Because matches and
fire are not things to play with. You could get…
ouch!” Pretend to get burned and blow out the
invisible match, shaking your hand vigorously.
Then strike another one.
“Brittany, hold that pan away from your face.
You don’t want to burn off your eyebrows!” Pretend
to drop the match into the pan. Make a
hissing noise, to imitate the sound of a fire.
“Whoah! This is getting out of control! I’d better
put out that fire now! Pick up the top of the dove
pan from your table (or behind your table). Take
the bottom part of the dove pan from the girl,
and pretend to extinguish the flames by covering
the pan with the lid. Once covered, pretend
that it’s very hot by tossing it from hand to hand.
Then, pretending that you’re trying to let go of a
hot pan, try to balance it on one knee—then the
other. Finally, hold the pan by insulating your
hand with the bottom of your jacket.
“Okay, Brittany, say the magic words, ‘Cake,
cake, cake.’” After she says the words, start to
remove the lid, then stop.
“Wait a minute. Did you say cake or
snake?” She will usually giggle or laugh and
say, “Cake!”
“Oh, thank goodness! I thought you said . . .”
Remove the lid, allowing the snake to pop out

Snake Cake Bake
109
Figure 27. “Look, Mama, it’s Snake and Bake!
And I helped!”

110 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 28. “Don’t worry about
that snake. I got his tongue!”
[Figure 27]. Go berserk.
“Snake! Ahhhh! It’s a snake!” Wrestle with
it a moment before beating it down into your
suitcase or behind your table. While disposing
of the snake, pick up the palming snake and
unsnap it so it’s ready to release. Step back to
center stage.
“Whew! You won’t have to worry about that
snake biting you. I got his tongue!” Hold up the
red flap of the palming snake before releasing
the spring [Figure 28]. Then, let it go!
“Auhhh! A baby snake!” Wrestle that one down
into your suitcase or show basket. Return to the

Snake Cake Bake
111
girl and begin taking back the hat and apron. I
suggest removing the apron with care so you do
not touch the girl more than necessary.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news and
bad news. The bad news is, there is no cake.
But the good news is, tomorrow for lunch,
everyone gets peanut butter and snake sandwiches!
Let’s give Brittany, our baker, a big
round of applause!”

112 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 29. “That’s not Jasper! That’s Mr. Bones!”

Jasper the Friendly Ghost
113
Jasper the Friendly Ghost
Effect
A make-believe ghost appears, disappears,
turns into a comical skeleton, and finally reappears
on a volunteer’s back.
Props Needed
• Two silks, same color (I use 9" x 9" orange
silks).
• Change bag (available from magic shops)
• Rubber skeleton (mine is 12" long).
• Large magic wand (Topsy Popsy Wand or
Pop-Away Wand)
• Honker horn.
• Set of giant beagle-puss glasses (the kind
with the bushy eyebrows and a big nose).
Set-up
Put the rubber skeleton and one of the silks
in one compartment of the change bag.
Make sure the silk is covering the skeleton.
Then switch the compartments so the bag
appears empty.
Conceal the beagle-puss glasses, magic wand,
and second silk behind your table. Roll a twoinch
strip of masking tape backwards with the
sticky side out, and put it on one corner of the
second silk.

114 Big Laughs for Little People
Routine
Figure 30. What the boy sees when he
looks into the bag to get Jasper.
I use this routine following a trick in which
something disappears. Looking around for the
vanished object, I say, “Now where in the world
could that have gone? That was a pretty wonderful
trick. In fact, it was a better trick than I could
have done.” Now, begins the routine.
“There must be…a ghost in this room, playing
a trick on us, and I’ll bet it’s Jasper the Friendly
Ghost! Hey, Jasper, are you in here?” Looking
around, spy something behind your table.
“I think he’s backstage. [Bring out the change
bag.] I believe he’s in here. When I snap my fingers,
Jasper will come out of this bag and fly over
your heads.” Emphasize the phrase, “fly over
your heads” by pronouncing each word slowly.
As you say it, gesture with your hand toward
the audience, as if pointing out the path that

Jasper the Friendly Ghost
115
Jasper will take.
“Here goes: One! Two! Three!” Snap your
fingers and pretend to follow him out of the
bag straight up into the air. Do a double-take
as you realize he hasn’t appeared. Look back
into the bag with an expression of surprise
and confusion.
“Maybe he’s asleep. I’ll wake him up.” Pick
up the horn. Peer into the bag. Now, speaking
softly, say,
“Hey, Jasper. Jasper. It’s time to wake up.”
Point the horn into the bag and honk it loudly.
Your soft-spoken “wake up” followed by a loud,
inconsiderate honking horn is a funny contrast.
Repeat this gag.
Then, for the third time, say, “Jasper. Time
to get up.” Honk! Honk! Lean down to peer into
the change bag and let your right hand with the
horn go behind your back. Do this as a natural
gesture, as you would rest the back of your hand
on your hip.
As you are peeping into the bag, allow the
audience to get completely quiet in anticipation
of what you will find. Then honk the horn
behind your back. Jump in surprise and turn
quickly around to see what caused the noise. In
mock disgust, toss the horn aside and continue
your patter.
“All right, Jasper. That does it. I’m coming in
after you.” Poise your hand over the bag, and
plunge in to grab him. Look disappointed as
you discover the bag is empty. He’s not there!
[Softly.]

116 Big Laughs for Little People
“You know what we need? We need someone
so quiet that he could sneak up and grab him
before he knows what’s happening. How about…
you.” Select a boy, preferably a fairly hefty child
of eight or nine. You have been speaking softly,
so the children should be quiet. If you do this
right, they will not be jumping up and down
screaming, “Me!” Bring the boy to the stage,
positioning him to your right.
“Hi, there. What’s your name? Austin? Are you
afraid of ghosts? I didn’t think so. You probably
don’t even believe in them. I certainly don’t. But
I’m glad we have someone brave enough to look
for Jasper. Do you see any ghosts in the bag?
No? Do you see anything at all in the bag?”
Turn the bag inside out, and as he is looking,
get it closer and closer to his face until you are
covering his eyes.
“Austin says he can’t see a thing! Now, let’s
see if he can round up Jasper. Austin, hold your
hand over the bag and snap your fingers. Perfect.
[Switch to the compartment holding the silk and
rubber skeleton.] Do you see anything now? [He
should see only the silk.] You do?!”
Peer into the bag, and say, enthusiastically,
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s true! Here he is…
Jasper…the Friendly Ghost…dressed up like a
handkerchief!” Pull out the silk, holding it high
in the air for display.
“Here you go, Austin. Hold onto Jasper. Hold
him high in the air. Hey, stop that! [Disgustedly.]
Don’t pull his nose!” Whisk the silk away from
him, turn it around, then give it back.

Jasper the Friendly Ghost
117
“And now, for the magic of Austin and Jasper!
[Flip the change bag to the other compartment.]
Place Jasper into the bag. That’s right, push him
all the way into the bag.”
The boy now has his hand inside the
change bag. Remark, offhandedly, “Watch out
for spiders.”
Continue: “Now, Austin, hold your hand over
the bag and snap your fingers again. Jasper
the Friendly Ghost will disappear. [Switch the
bag back to the side with the skeleton.] Yes, it’s
true, he’s really gone. Reach into the bag and
see if you can find him.” The boy reaches in
and discovers the rubber skeleton [Figure 29].
Usually, he will gingerly pull it out and display
it to the audience, holding it by the head. But
you don’t notice.
“It’s really amazing, Jasper is completely…hey!
That’s disgusting! That’s not Jasper—it’s Mr.
Bones!” Take the skeleton from the boy.
“Mr. Bones, how are you doing? You’ve lost
weight, I see.” Hold the skeleton to your ear as
if he’s telling you something.
“You’re going to beat me up? Ha! You don’t
have the guts!
“Mr. Bones, you just relax over here.” Absentmindedly
slam him down on your table.
This next bit is particularly funny to the audience
and quite baffling to the child, so don’t
overlook it. Like a lot of children’s routines, it
plays better than it reads!
Say, “We’ve got to find Jasper. Austin, try
snapping your fingers again. Maybe that will

118 Big Laughs for Little People
work.” Hold the bag at an angle so the boy can’t
see you flipping the change bag to the side with
the silk. After he snaps his fingers, tip the bag
so he can see the silk. Keep it just far enough
away so he can’t snatch it out.
“Is he back? Yes? Quick! Pull him out!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, once again, the
amazing…you what? You can’t find him? I
thought…oh, well. Let’s try again. Snap your
fingers.” Repeat the ruse, letting him see the
silk, but as he reaches for it, flip back to the
empty compartment.
“I know what the problem is! Jasper’s afraid of
you. He knows you’re after him. But don’t worry.
I’ve got a disguise for you so he won’t know who
you are.” Step behind the table and bring out
the beagle-puss glasses. This gets a roar. Put the
glasses on the boy, and then position him so he
is directly facing the audience. While the audience
is laughing, return to your table to get the
giant wand. You will also pick up the duplicate
silk with masking tape on the corner.
“Since this is an especially important job, I’m
going to give you an extra large magic wand.”
Take the wand in your left hand and the silk in
your right, letting your right hand drop to your
side so the silk is out of sight from the audience
and the boy.
Approach the boy from his left side. As you
step behind him, give him the wand with your
left hand. Your right hand goes behind his back.
Quickly stick the silk to his back and continue
bringing your arm around him. With your now

Jasper the Friendly Ghost
119
Figure 31. “Now Jasper will never recognize you!”
empty right hand, take his right arm and guide
it to take hold of the magic wand.
Say to him, “Use both hands, please.” This
motion of putting the silk on his back will be
undetected because it looks like you are simply
reaching around him to make sure he holds the

120 Big Laughs for Little People
wand properly. Besides, the audience is probably
still laughing about the glasses, and now at
the giant wand. (You may want to select a fairly
hefty child who is wide enough so the audience
doesn’t catch a glimpse of Jasper.) Leave the boy
holding the wand, as you step back to your table
to pick up the change bag.
“Now, Austin, tap the bag with the magic
wand. Is he back? Quick, then, grab him! [The
boy misses him again.] That does it! We’re not
letting him get away with this.” Remove the
glasses from the boy and toss aside—the glasses,
that is. Toss aside the change bag also. Take
the magic wand from the boy, holding it in your
left hand, and take hold of his left arm to swing
him around.
“We’re going to find that ghost! We’re going to
look high and low. He’s not just going to disappear
and not come back . . .” As you rave, walk
about the stage looking for Jasper, pulling the
boy along with you. By this time, everyone has
seen the silk stuck to his back. Children, of
course, will be screaming; parents will be laughing.
You finally realize they are trying to tell you
something. Notice the silk with great surprise.
Point to it and the boy will turn around in a humorous
manner, trying to remove it. Beat him
to the draw. Pull the silk off, holding it high in
the air.
“Thank goodness, we found Jasper, and I’m
so glad we had Austin to help us do it! Let’s
give Austin a great hand! Austin, take a bow.”
The audience applauds, Austin bows. As you

Jasper the Friendly Ghost
121
Figure 32. “He must be around here
somewhere!”

122 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 33. Found him!

Jasper the Friendly Ghost
123
say, “Take a bow,” bow along with him, your
right hand behind you, sticking the silk on your
own back.
“Thanks, Austin. And let’s give Jasper a big
hand, too. Jasper? Hey, Jasper?!” Turn around
to look for him, and the audience will let you
know where to find Jasper. Quickly remove him
from your back. Let’s give him a big hand and
say good-bye.” Wait for the applause, then toss
the silk aside.
“And Mr. Bones is dead tired. Better say goodbye
to him, too.”
Some Thoughts about Jasper
• If you are performing for a fundamental religious
group, a routine involving a ghost may
be objectionable. In this case, you can change
Jasper into “Harry the Happy Handkerchief.” As
a Christian myself, I do not feel that the Jasper
routine is in poor taste, since it doesn’t promote
anything occult, grotesque, or frightening. It’s
simply a fun routine about a playful character.
• Keep in mind that you would not perform
the Jasper routine in the same show with, say,
Super Frog, since both effects end with a missing
object on the boy’s back.
• Sometimes when I first mention the name,
“Jasper the Friendly Ghost,” kids will call out,
“You mean Casper!”
I say, “No, this is Jasper. His cousin Casper
couldn’t be here today because he’s all covered
up with copyright laws!”

124 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 34. The
World Famous
Sammy Smith Rope
Jumping Routine!
Figure 35.
I think I’ll just
skip it!

Skip It!
125
Skip It!
(Cut & Restored Rope)
Effect
This is a comedy presentation of the classic
cut and restored rope—but in this case, after the
performer proudly restores the rope by magic, a
child from the audience duplicates the feat.
Props Needed
• Piece of soft rope, about six feet long.
• Pair of comedy break-away scissors.
• Pair of regular scissors—sharp enough so
you don’t have to struggle to cut the rope!
Set-up
This is one of those wonderful effects requiring
no set-up once you learn the technique.
If you don’t already know a method of cutting
and restoring a rope, refer to the two methods I
explain at the end of this routine.
Routine
Begin with the rope in hand. “I’d like to ask
you a personal question. I say personal because
it’s about…me. How many of you have seen, advertised
on television, the world famous Sammy
Smith Rope Jumping Routine?”
You’ll be surprised how many children raise

126 Big Laughs for Little People
their hands!
“Well, I have a special surprise for you. Would
you like to see this famous rope-jumping demonstration
today, live and in person? Okay, if
you insist! Here goes.”
Hold the rope by the ends, with the center
dragging the floor in front of you. Extend your
arms slightly and assume an attitude of deep
concentration, as though you’re getting yourself
braced for a difficult feat [Figure 34]. Now for
some funny business. (The first bit only works if
you wear glasses, but if you have 20-20 vision,
you can adapt to suit your situation.)
If you have done your pantomime properly, the
audience should now be quiet and attentive. You
try to flip the rope backwards over your head,
but it doesn’t quite make it. On its descent, the
rope catches on your glasses [Figure 35]. Pause
and look at the audience with an “Oops!” or “Oh,
dear!” expression. This is really a very funny
gag, and though I mentioned that it works only
if you wear glasses, you may be in luck if you
have a big nose!
For the second time, try to flip the rope over
your head, but again, let it catch on your glasses
or—this time—in your hair. Now assume a determined
expression. Swinging the rope vigorously
over your head, let it clear your glasses
and hair but whack you on the back of your
legs [Figure 36]. Turn around quickly to see
who hit you. Seeing no one, proceed with
your patter.

Skip It!
127
Figure 36. Ouch!
“This just takes a little warming up.” Now, with
the rope behind you in the standard position for
rope jumping, lift your feet a few times as though
you’re flexing your knees and legs before you
start. Accidentally step on the rope, so you’re
thrown off balance as you try to swing the rope

128 Big Laughs for Little People
around front. You can make a minor production
of this by getting tangled in the rope, and when
you finally extricate yourself, say, “Aw, I think
I’ll just skip it.”
Continue, “But don’t worry, we’ll try something
even better than rope jumping. There is a very
famous illusion in magic, where the magician
takes a piece of rope and tosses it high into the
air, where it remains suspended.”
As you say this, toss your rope into the air. Of
course, it doesn’t stay, and this isn’t meant to be
a gag. You are simply illustrating how the trick
would be performed. Don’t even pause here, but
continue your patter.
“Then, a small boy [look directly at a child]
climbs the rope, all the way to the top—
and disappears.”
Continue looking at the boy as you say this.
Smile broadly at him and say, “Would you like
to see that trick?” The audience will probably
shout, “Yes!”
“Would you really like to see it?”
Let them respond, then pause and say emphatically,
“Me, too!” (The late Fetaque Sanders,
gets credit for this line.)
After the spectators react, say, “Unfortunately,
I never have seen that one. But I do know something
I think you’ll like just as well. It uses a rope
and a pair of scissors. [Say scissors with a hard
“c,” “skizzers.”] Now, I know most people don’t
pronounce the k, but I never learned how to say
scissors. [This time, pronounce it properly.]
If some kid says, “Hey, you just said scissors!”

Skip It!
129
look surprised, pause, and comment, “Scissors!
That’s my point!
“Well, let’s get on with this. There is someone
in the audience who is about to come up here
and help me. Do you know who that is? I’ll tell
you. [Soft voice.] It’s someone who is sitting
down, being very quiet, and looking fairly respectable.
How about the young man, right over
there in the blue shirt? Yes, sir, that’s you. Step
right up here, please. And as he’s coming up,
let’s give him a nice hand.”
Lead the applause as the boy comes up front.
(Sometimes, you’ll overhear another child say,
“Oh, that’s Michael.” If you hear the boy’s name,
but the rest of the audience hasn’t overheard,
you can surprise the volunteer and the spectators
by saying, “Hi, there, Michael. What’s your
name?” It’s an old gag, but it works beautifully
under the right conditions.
“Michael, thank you for coming up. I’d like you
to hold on to these scissors, please.”
Start to hand the break-away scissors to the
boy, but then draw them back for a moment to
slip in this educational message: “You’ll be careful
with these, won’t you? You know, of course,
that you should never carry scissors around the
house with the point…[Pause and wait for the
audience to say, “Up.”]
“That’s right. Because you could trip and accidentally
cut yourself or poke somebody with
the scissors. And that would be awful. So instead,
you carry scissors with the point going…
that’s right—down. And you never run while

130 Big Laughs for Little People
you’re holding scissors, do you? That’s because
we want to always be careful with anything
sharp, like scissors. So I know you’ll be careful
with these scissors if I let you hold them,
right? Great.”
Surprisingly, I’ve found that the children are
very attentive to this little safety lecture. Letting
them say, “Up” and “Down” at the appropriate
places keeps them involved. Maybe that’s why
they listen—you’ve given them a chance to fill
in the blanks.
“Michael, please hold onto these with both
hands. Take a handle in each hand, like this.”
Open and close the scissors to demonstrate. This
suggests that the scissors are normal. Give them
to the volunteer, making sure he is holding them
safely, with a handle in each hand. For younger
audiences, I don’t let the child hold the scissors.
Instead, they fall apart while I’m holding them.
Why? Because a small boy could accidentally
drop a blade on his foot. Kids have little hands,
so I play it safe.
Last summer, a boy came up to help and told
me his name was Pearce. I said, “I hesitate to
give a pair of scissors to a boy named Pearce.
[Laughter from parents.} But you look like a
reliable young man…”
Well, back to the routine! As the boy takes the
scissors, pick up the piece of rope, place both
ends in your left hand, and reach down for the
center of the rope with your right hand. Pull the
center up and place it in your left hand, clipping
it with your thumb and forefinger, as you
continue talking to the volunteer. This shows in

Skip It!
131
a very natural way how you’ll be handling the
rope in a moment—except that the next time
you do this, you’ll be switching the center for a
section closer to the end. But meantime, you’ve
shown how fairly and simply you’ll be handling
the rope.
“Now, please open the scissors very carefully.
I’d like you to cut the rope right here in
the center. Just take those scissors, and…”
By this time, the scissors have fallen apart
in his hands, and the audience will notice
and howl. (That’s their job. Two steps:
(a) Notice (b) Howl—the standard script for an
audience of children!)
Set the rope aside, or drop it, and quickly
take the scissors from the boy, before he starts
swinging them around or handling the blades.
When the laughter dies down, look at the broken
scissors in disgust and say, “J-Mart!” (Name a
local discount store.)
After the laughter, say apologetically, “Just
kidding, J-Mart shoppers—although the same
thing happened to the car I bought there last
week!” If someone objects, “You can’t buy a car
there,” reply, “You’re telling me!”
Pick up the real scissors. Look at them. Turn
them front to back.
Then, remark, “Small-Mart,” naming another
local discount store.
“Maybe these will work. But Michael, please be
more careful this time.” Say that with a smile,
not in a reprimanding way.
Pick up the rope. With the ends in your left

132 Big Laughs for Little People
hand, reach down with your right hand and take
hold of the center—just as you did earlier. But
this time, execute the false move as you bring
the center to your left hand, switching the center
for a section close to the end. (See detailed
instructions on page 138.)
“I’d like you to cut the rope right here. Cut only
the rope, please.” After the boy cuts the rope,
take the scissors from him and place them on
your table.
“What do you think? Would it be a good trick
if I could put this rope back together? All right.
Here goes.” Bring the ends together—actually,
the ends of the small section which the boy unknowingly
cut off for you. Hold them together
for a moment, then release them and sing out,
“Together, again….” Stop short and notice that
the rope is not together again.
“Hmmm. This may take longer than I thought.
But I’ll get it. I just need to step into my office.
Be right back.”
Turn around and tie the ends together. Again,
you are actually tying the short piece into a
knot, around the long piece of rope. Exaggerate
your movements as you tie the rope, so it’s plain
that you are actually tying it together. Conceal
the knot behind your right hand fingers. Turn
around and display the rope, as though it is
completely restored. It will appear restored, and
some children may even be fooled by this, since
the knot is concealed in your right hand.
“And here it is, ladies and gentlemen, back
together into one long piece of rope. Thank you
very much!” Start taking some bows, and they

Skip It!
133
will usually begin clapping.
“Thank you! And thank you, and thank you….”
On this last “thank you,” gesture toward someone
in the audience who is clapping. Gesture
with your right hand, inadvertently revealing the
knot. The children will notice this right away—
those who were fooled and those who weren’t will
join in a chorus of “You tied it together! Look!”
Realize your mistake, and try to cover up the
knot again with your hand. Finding that it’s too
late, hang your head and say, dejectedly, “Oh,
well, I guess you caught me.” Hold up the rope
now so the knot is in full view of everyone.
“I guess you wanted me to put it back together
by magic. What do you think I am, a magician or
something? That would be impossible to do, putting
a rope back together without a knot, after
it’s been cut. No way!” As you say this, take hold
of the knot and slide it off the rope completely.
Don’t acknowledge what has happened for a few
seconds. Then, in astonishment, notice the knot
you are holding in your right hand, free and clear
of the “restored” rope in your left hand.
“Hey, wait a minute! That can’t be done. That
would be magic!” Your very denial of the fact
will provoke the children to let you know that
you did put it back together. Since you’re not
claiming that you succeeded, there’s no room for
anyone to say, “I know how you did that!” You
aren’t acknowledging that it has worked, and
this reverse psychology will drive them crazy!
(It’s for their own good.)
You may now wrap up the routine, sending

134 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 37. Cutting the rope a second time.
the boy back to his seat with a rousing round of
applause, but I’ve had success in breaking the
standard rule of magic and repeating the effect.
But I use a different method on the second go
‘round, and this time, the volunteer gets to work
the magic. If you opt for this longer presentation,
continue as follows:

Skip It!
135
“No, no. I certainly couldn’t put the rope back
together by magic. But I know someone who
could. And he’s standing right here on stage with
me. Before he was a kid, Michael used to travel
around the world as a famous magician, the
Amazing Michael-dini! You never told them about
that? [Turn to audience.] He’s so modest.
“Well, what do you think, Michael? If I were to
cut this rope and give you both pieces, could you
put it back together for us? Let’s try. Since you
got to cut the rope last time, I’ll do it this time,
and then you can try to put it back together.”
This time, you have the scissors in your right
hand, one end of the rope in your left hand, and
the other end of the rope on the floor [Figure
37]. You very neatly appear to cut the rope in
the center. (See detailed instructions following
this routine.) You are left with, of course, a small
piece of rope and a long piece. Lay the scissors
aside. As you gather up the rope, retain the short
piece in your right hand, but continue holding
the bundle of rope with both hands.
“Here you go, Michael. Take both pieces of
rope and hold on to them tightly.” Hand him the
bundle, but only give him the full length of rope,
and don’t let go of the bundle just yet.
“Do you have both pieces?” He will innocently
say, “Yes.” The bulk of the rope is in his hands,
but your hands, with the concealed small portion,
are resting on top of the bundle.
“Now, everyone help Michael. Reach into the
air and get a big handful of woofle dust. Everybody!”
You can now step away from the boy and

136 Big Laughs for Little People
the rope, with the small piece palmed in your
right hand. Reach into the air with your left hand
and pretend to get some woofle dust, along with
everyone else.
“Okay, throw your woofle dust toward the
rope!” Make a whooshing noise to indicate the
woofle dust being thrown. The kids will instantly
join in.
“Now, reach into your pockets and get some
more. Everyone, reach into your pockets and get
a big handful of woofle dust.” As you say this,
reach into your own pocket (I reach into my left
inside jacket pocket) and leave the small piece
of rope. Quickly bring your hand back out with
a pretended handful of magical dust.
“Throw it toward the rope!” The children are
pretending to throw woofle dust (which they’ve
never heard of until now), they’re having a good
time being involved, and you’ve ditched the
evidence of how the effect works. Michael is
wondering what’s going to happen.
Standing to the volunteer’s left side, a few feet
away, gesture toward him with your right hand,
and say, “And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s
the incredible, the one-and-only, the unbelievable
—Michael-dini! Michael, show us the rope,
and hold it up high!”
The boy will usually shake out the rope and
display it nicely. If he doesn’t, reach over and
assist him. You can take one end of the rope
and very gently pull it, letting it unravel from
his hands. Then, holding it up high, with both
hands, say, “He’s amazing. He’s the one-and-

Skip It!
137
only Michael-dini! How did you ever do that?”
The boy will shrug or say, “I don’t know!”
“And he’s humble, too! In fact, Michael is so
modest that he will never again show you that
trick, no matter how much you beg. He doesn’t
want to be a show-off. But what great magic
he’s done for us today! Let’s give Michael a big
round of applause!”
Warning
Letting the children do the magic is a wonderful
technique, because it gets them involved in
the show and makes them feel very special. But
there are dangers in a trick like this one. I once
had a boy about 10 years old assist me with
this effect. He was completely delighted when
he apparently restored the rope. I later found
out that he went home and promptly cut one
of his mother’s belts in half! To his amazement
and his mother’s dismay, he couldn’t get it back
together! Hmmm.
Sometimes when I think a child may be especially
impressionable, I’ll say to him after the
show, “Michael, let me tell you a secret. You
know that rope trick? It’s amazing, but for some
reason it only works during one of my shows.
When you get home today, don’t try to cut up
anything and put it back together, because it
probably won’t work. If you want to try that
again, just wait till we’re together at another one
of my shows, okay?”

138 Big Laughs for Little People
How to Cut & Restore a Rope
(Two methods used in the Skip It
Routine)
Method One
First, let me briefly explain how the effect
works, then give you the detailed mechanics.
The audience thinks that you have taken hold
of the center of a length of rope and cut it in
half. You do take hold of the center of the rope,
but before you cut it, you secretly switch for a
portion of rope near the end. You don’t actually
cut the rope in half. You cut just a few inches
off the end. (I’ll explain how this short segment
is disposed of later.)
Now, for a step-by-step explanation. Use a
piece of rope about six feet long. Hold both ends
in your left hand. One end of the rope goes under
your thumb and the other end between your
forefinger and middle finger, at the first joint of
your forefinger [Figure 38]. The ends of the rope
stick out a couple inches behind your left hand.
Your left hand is on your left side, your palm
facing the audience [Figure 36]. The center of
the rope is hanging down.
Approach the rope from the front with your
right hand. Take hold of the center of the rope
with your right thumb and middle finger, your
palm face-up [Figure 39]. (It’s tempting to use
your forefinger and thumb, but don’t do it. Hold
the rope between your middle finger and thumb,
keeping your other fingers extended slightly and

How to Cut and Restore a Rope
139
Figure 38 Figure 39
out of the way.) Bring your left hand around to
chest height with the back of your hand toward
the audience. At the same time, bring your
right hand (still holding the center of the rope
between thumb and middle finger) up behind
your left hand.
As your right hand goes out of sight behind
your left, balance the center of the rope on top of
your right thumb and middle finger, by slipping
your thumb under the rope [Figure 39]. (Your
thumb and middle finger are pressed together as
though you are going to snap your fingers.)
With your right thumb and middle finger,
reach around the segment of rope just below
your left thumb. This part of the rope is now
encircled by your right thumb and middle finger
[Figure 40]. You want to bring this part of the
rope into view and leave the actual center of the

140 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 40
rope hidden in your left hand. To do this, use
your left thumb to hold the center of the rope
behind your hand, and bring your right hand up
slightly above your left forefinger, allowing the
encircled portion of the rope to come into view
[Figure 41]. Close your left thumb and forefinger
around this small portion of rope, creating a loop
about two inches high—which appears to be the
center of the rope. The spectators think they see
the middle of the rope; they actually see a segment
a few inches from the end [Figure 41].
Pick up the scissors with your right hand and
cut the segment, apparently cutting the rope in
half. This leaves you with a short piece of rope
about four inches long, and a length just under
six feet.
This move—picking up the center of the
rope and switching for a segment a few inches

How to Cut and Restore a Rope
141
Figure 41
from the end—should be done as a single
smooth gesture.
To show the rope as two separate pieces, keep
a good grip on the short piece by pressing against
it with your thumb and the base of your forefinger.
Then extend all of your left hand fingers,
allowing both ends of the long piece of rope to
drop. The center of the long piece will be draped
across the short piece of rope and hidden behind
your hand [Figure 42]. To the audience, it looks
like two three-foot pieces of rope.
The rest is easy. Simply tie the short segment
of rope into a knot around the longer piece. It
will look as though you have tied the ends of two
pieces of rope together [Figure 43]. To restore
the rope, slide the knot off.

142 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 42
Figure 43

How to Cut and Restore a Rope
143
Method Two
In this method, you again switch the center
of the rope for a segment of rope a few inches
from the end. You apparently cut the rope in
half, but in reality, you cut only a few inches
from the end.
Hold one end of the rope in your left hand,
between your forefinger and middle finger. Allow
a few inches to hang behind your fingers,
with the rest of the rope hanging down in front
of your fingers on the palm side of your hand.
The end of the rope rests on the floor.
Open the scissors with your right hand (palm
up) and use the lower blade to pick up the center
of the rope [Figure 37]. Bring the center toward
your left hand (the back of your left hand is facing
the audience). Use your left thumb to secretly
press the center of the rope to your palm as it
goes behind your left hand [Figure 44].
There are now two segments of rope against
the face of your left hand. One segment (on the
left) is pressed against your palm with your
thumb. The other is hanging down along the
middle joints of your fingers. Put the lower blade
of the scissors on the right side of this segment of
the rope [Figure 45]. Slide the scissors to the left
to pick up this section, then raise them slightly
above your left forefinger [Figure 46]. This allows
the portion of rope held by the scissors to come
into view. The scissors appear to be positioned
at the center of the rope. Make the cut. Set the
scissors aside and gather the rope into a bundle
using both hands. In the process, remove the

144 Big Laughs for Little People
short piece of rope you have already cut off,
concealing it in your right hand.
Give the bundle of rope to a spectator and
ditch the short piece. The routine calls for
reaching into your pocket for woofle dust—and
this is the time to drop the short segment. The
spectator is now holding a regular, uncut length
of rope, and you have only to instruct him to
“show us the rope”—and it appears that he has
made the restoration.
Figure 44

How to Cut and Restore a Rope
145
Figure 45
Figure 46

146 Big Laughs for Little People
Laugh
and the
world
laughs
with you.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

147
You’re On
Your Own
The routines in
this section are
designed to keep
the audience’s
attention focused
on you, the
entertainer.
This establishes
your ability to
help the audience
have a good
time.

148 Big Laughs for Little People
Recall it
as often as
you wish,
a happy
memory
never
wears out.
Libbie Fudim

The Magic Knot Tube
149
The Magic Knot Tube
Effect
The performer pushes three silks into a clear
tube, then blows them out into the air. The silks
are now mysteriously knotted together.
Props Needed
The routine requires Pavel’s Blow Tie, marketed
by Tenyo as The Crystal Tube. There are
numerous knock-offs, but I personally like the
original Tenyo brand because it’s a little larger
than the imitations and it’s a softer, better tube
for one of the gags in this routine.
Set-up
Prepare the tube as shown in the instructions
which come with the trick. Have the three silks
on the table or easily accessible. (My preference
is to tuck the corners of the silks a couple inches
into the tube. This leaves the silks dangling out
so they can be seen, and it keeps them in place
in case of a breeze.)
Routine
“I’ve had a lot of requests about this particular
trick…but I’ve decided to go ahead and do
it anyway!” Pick up the tube and remove the
dangling silks.
“We have three handkerchiefs—red, yellow,
and blue.” Display the silks one at a time, then

150 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 47
tuck them lightly into your left pocket so they
stay in view.
We also have the Magic Knot Tube, which is
completely empty. I’ll show you.”
Say to a boy on the front row. “Do you see anything
inside the tube?” Hold it close to his face
so he can look straight through it. Sometimes,
for the entertainment of your audience, the boy
will say, “Yes.” If that happens, the other kids
will often laugh—they can see that it’s empty,
and they know he is just pulling your leg. (If that
happens, I sometimes snap my fingers and say,
“Look! It’s gone!”)
Look mildly disgruntled. Lean down and place
your left hand on the boy’s head, then deliver a
swift whack to the back of your hand with the
tube. The tube striking the back of your hand
will make a good hollow-sounding “thunk.” It

The Magic Knot Tube
151
will appear that you have popped the kid on the
head. The entire audience can’t see that your
hand is on his head, and since this bit of business
is done quickly, they don’t have time to
reason it out. Often, the boy will rub the top of
his head, adding to the entertainment value.
Now, proceed with the effect. “We are going to
fill the tube up with these handkerchiefs. We’ll
start with the blue handkerchief, which I will
poke into the tube part of the way, then blow it
the rest of the way through.”
Blow the silk through, holding on to the end
so it doesn’t accidently fly completely out of the
tube. Quip, “I just blew it.”
Unabashed by sailing tomatoes, continue.
“Next, we have a…yellow handkerchief. Would
you like me to poke this into the tube, or blow
it in?” Most kids will say to blow it in.
Ignoring their request, begin pushing silk into
the tube. “Fine, I’ll poke it in.
“And last, we have a…red handkerchief. Shall
I poke it in, or snap my fingers, let it fly around
the room over your heads, and jump into the
tube by magic? [The kids scream, “Snap your
fingers!”] OK, I’ll poke it in.” Then push the silk
into the tube.
As you push the yellow and red silks into the
tube, make sure a small corner of the blue silk
is folded over the end of the tube [Figure 47],
to guarantee that the gimmicks securely fasten
the silks.
With all three silks tucked into the tube, flip
it into the air, letting it spin around a few times,

152 Big Laughs for Little People
and catching it on the way down. It’s not hard to
do, and it makes a nice flourish. As soon as you
catch it, say, “Now, everyone, help out. Reach
into the air and take hold of an invisible piece
of string.” Reach up and pretend to pluck one
from the air.
“Tie it into a knot.” Pretend to knot the invisible
string. The children should be doing
the same.
“Hold those knots up in the air. [Pause.] But
before you throw them, let’s have a little ‘knot
music.’ Hum along, please.” Using the tube as
a baton, lead the audience in humming a brief
tune. I’ve used, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee”
and occasionally, “Blest Be the Tie That Binds”!
Hum with the children, just long enough for their
complete discord and audience-wide cacophony
to be heard. Look as though you’ve just tasted
a sour lemon.
“That’s definitely knot music! [Pause for groans
or laughs.] Now, everyone, throw your knots!”
Allow a few seconds for the spectators to throw
their imaginary knots.
“Now, let’s see if it worked. I will blow the
handkerchiefs out of the tube.”
Hold the tube up to your lips—pause—and
take a deep breath. As you inhale, draw part of
the blue silk out of the tube to your lips, and
coughing, make it look as though you’ve accidentally
choked on the handkerchief.
Cough and recover for a few seconds, then wipe
your brow and exclaim, “Just about scarfed that
down! Hey—that’s the best gag in the show!
“Now wait a second. If I blow these hand-

The Magic Knot Tube
153
kerchiefs out of the tube, and they are tied
together with the knots you made, that would
be a pretty good trick. If this works, I’d like you
to give yourselves a big round of applause. If it
doesn’t work—you can sit there pretty much
like you are!”
Raise the tube toward your mouth. “Ready?”
Take a deep breath and blow the silks out of the
tube, getting them to fly up as high as possible.
Let them float back down, but catch them by
the end of the blue or red silk before they reach
about chest or waist height. Then hold them
high, waving them back and forth.
“You did it! Give yourselves a big round
of applause!”
Another Gag
Let three people on the front row inspect the
tube as you show it empty. To the first person,
say, “Do you see anything in the tube?” Hold it a
few inches from his face so he can look through
the tube.
“Not a thing, he says. [Step a few feet over to
another person.] Do you see anything in the
tube? Nothing, she says. [Step over to a third
person.] The only person in this room who can
see anything inside this tube is this gentleman.
Look through here and tell us what you see.”
Hold one end of the tube a few inches from
him, but lean down toward the other end, with
your mouth just a couple inches away. As he
looks through the tube, smile very broadly so
he can see your teeth at the other end. You have

154 Big Laughs for Little People
just instructed him, “Tell us what you see.”
He will usually say, quizzically, “Teeth.”
“That’s right,” you exclaim. “Teeth, and nobody
else can see them.” Then proceed with
the routine.

155
To laugh often
and much; to win
the respect of
intelligent people
and the affection
of children…
to leave the world
a bit better…
this is to have
succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

156 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 47. The Extra-Celestial. His eyes are
covered in this photograph to avoid possible
confusion with another well-known outer space
celebrity. In actual performance, he looks ’em
straight in the eye!

The Extra-Celestial
157
The Extra-Celestial
Effect
An extraterrestrial being comes to your show
and demands the use of your telephone.
Props Needed
The props will take a little bit of explanation.
First, is a Phoney-Ring, a commercial product
which consists of a plastic telephone receiver
and cord and a separate ringing device, set off
by pressing and holding a button. I realize that
this hasn’t been made for years! But I found
one of these—and the puppet below—on eBay
recently. Of course, you can find key chains
and toys which make a noise like a cell phone,
but I personally like the Phoney-Ring because I
think the old-fashioned ringing phone is a funnier
sound.
You will also need an outer space being (best
to use a puppet). The one I use is similar to the
punching puppets you may have seen in toy
departments, sometimes made as clowns or
other characters wearing boxing gloves. Inside
the puppet are two levers which can be operated
with your thumb. When you press either lever,
it causes the puppet to fling one of its arms out
and appear to be boxing. A strange toy, but good
for laughs. I came across one of these puppets
at a flea market 20 years ago—it had the head
of a popular extraterrestrial character, whom I’ll
call Extra-Celestial, or E. C. for short. Thanks to

158 Big Laughs for Little People
Fetaque Sanders for this version of the name, although
he personally did not care for the prop.
Although I mentioned earlier in this book the
advisability of taking the sound advice of your
mentor, this routine was one instance where I
felt that Fetaque was mistaken. He encouraged
me to stop doing this routine because he felt
it was unprofessional to use a child’s toy as a
prop on stage. If a puppet were to be used, he
said, it should be a professionally made vent
figure. However, the great success of this routine
was undeniable, and kids screamed—and still
scream—in glee.
While this routine is not something you would
use unless the majority of the spectators are under
10, I think you’ll see the comedy potential.
Set-up
Put the telephone receiver inside your jacket,
under your left arm. Tuck the end of the
cord about an inch into your pants on the left
hip side.
Place the phone ringer on the floor, just out of
sight behind your table. You will be able to make
it ring when you’re near the table by stepping
on the button. A little practice will enable you
to set it off without looking.
Placing the ringer on the floor behind your
table will conceal it perfectly if you are using
a nite club or suitcase table. But what if you
have a tripod table? You can solve the problem
by placing another prop (such as the ball vanisher
from Strat-O-Spheres) on the floor in front

The Extra-Celestial
159
of the ringer, and covering both of them with a
silk. When it’s time to use the other prop, reach
down, uncover it, and bring it up, leaving the
silk on the floor, covering the ringer. It doesn’t
matter whether you use the ringer before using
the other prop or not.
E. C. should be out of sight, maybe in
your suitcase.
Routine
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to
bring out a special guest star for our show. Do
you know who it is? He’s a famous movie star,
direct from Hollywood, California. Let’s hear it
for him…here he is…a big round of applause
for our special guest star….” Lead the applause,
but when the “star” doesn’t come out, look a
little embarrassed. Turn to your case (or wherever
you’re hiding the being) and say, “Excuse
me, we’re ready for you. Pardon? You’re what?
Still putting on your make-up?” The children
will laugh.
Looking toward E. C., quip, “Would you like
a knife and putty?” Laugh hysterically—maybe
the teachers will join you.
In my own shows, I prefer to use this as a
curiosity-builder, so I say, “I guess we’ll have to
come back to him in just a little while. Meantime,
let me show you some magic.” Then I do
an unrelated routine. Following that effect, we
come back to our special guest star.
“Well, I wonder if our movie star is ready to
come out yet. Let’s see. [Look into your suitcase.]

160 Big Laughs for Little People
Hello! Are you ready? You’re what? You’re not
coming out? [Turn to the audience.] He says he
doesn’t want to come out, because he’s afraid
you’ll laugh at him.”
Pause, and you’ll find most of the children
declaring fervently, “Oh, no, we won’t laugh.”
“Oh, yes you will. You’ll take one look at him
and burst out in uncontrollable laughter.” This
will make them even more vehement. “We will
not laugh at him.”
“Are you sure? Well, okay. I’ll tell him.”
Look back to where E. C. is waiting. “Listen,
this is a nice audience. They’ve promised me
that they won’t laugh at you. Really. No one is
going to laugh at your face.” As you’re talking to
him, do a double-take, then burst out into hysterical
laughter. Laugh for about five seconds,
then realize what you’re doing, and stop short.
Give yourself a quick slap on the face, as though
trying to restore yourself to sanity. Resume a
serious expression, and continue.
“Maybe it would help his feelings if we all
clapped for him. Movie stars love that sort of
thing.” Lead the applause.
[During applause.] “Yes, ladies and gentlemen,
it’s true. Here he is in person, direct from Hollywood,
California . . .” He still doesn’t appear.
“Okay, that does it. I’ll have to go get him. But
do you promise not to laugh? Okay.”
Reach back to E. C.’s hideout, put him on your
hand, and bring him into full view. “Here he is,
your friend and mine, E. C.!” The kids will go
into hysteria. When they’ve quit laughing, you
can continue.

The Extra-Celestial
161
Holding the puppet up to your face level and to
your right (if he’s on your right hand), say, “E. C.,
I want to apologize. I can’t believe they’ve been
laughing at you. They seemed like such a nice
audience.” Look out to the audience, but keep
the puppet up to your face level, about eight to
ten inches away.
“I certainly would never laugh at your face,
E. C. I wouldn’t even…” At this point, allow the
puppet to punch at you [Figure 48]. Since you’re
looking at the spectators, you don’t notice this.
Continue making a profuse apology to the puppet,
as he continues punching at you. Between
punches, though, glance back at him, then turn
to the audience to make another sentence of
apology to E. C.
By this time, the kids should be dangling
from the fluorescent lights, shouting that E. C.
is punching you!
“Punch? No, there’ll be no punch served at
this show today. What? Punching me? E. C. is
punching me? Come on, now. You don’t expect
me to believe that, do you? E. C. would never do
anything like that.” Bring him up closer to your
face and look at him tenderly.
“How could you accuse this poor little fellow?
He wouldn’t hurt a flea. Look at those baby blue
eyes, look at that…uh…face. E. C., you wouldn’t
punch me would you?” You look directly at the
puppet, and he lets you have it.
“Hey, stop that! No, no! E. C.! Get a hold
of yourself! Hey, stop it!” As you jump around,
trying to avoid his punches, work your way
over to your table, so you can operate the tele-

162 Big Laughs for Little People
phone ringing device with your right foot. Don’t
ring it yet, just get into position. E. C. finally
quits punching.
“Exactly what is your problem?” Tilt your head
down to hear what he says.
“You what? [Turning to the audience.] Do
you know what he said?” Say this slowly and
with disbelief.
“He said, ‘E. C. phone home!’” As you say that
line, tilt the puppet back, so he is looking off into
space, and let his left arm stretch all the way
out. He should look as though he is pointing off
into outer space. The children will laugh.
Push his hand back down. “E. C., you can’t
phone home. We’re in the middle of a show. Besides,
there’s not even a phone in this room.”
As soon as you’ve said that, press down on the
phone ringer button with your foot. Do a double-take
as you hear the phone ring. Since you
aren’t looking down at your feet, the spectators
won’t know exactly where the ringing is coming
from. Look around in surprise, trying to find the
phone. As you twist around, look behind you,
allow the phone receiver to drop from under your
arm, and out the side of your jacket. It will be a
funny sight, this phone dangling out from under
your coat, bouncing up and down [Figure 49].
When you finally see the receiver, act startled.
Pick it up and put it very cautiously to your ear.
Wait for the audience to calm down before you
speak. At this point, it’s crucial to re-establish
control. If they haven’t calmed down after, say,
30 seconds, put the phone to your chest, as
though trying to block out the noise, and say,

The Extra-Celestial
163
Figure 49. A phone conveniently appears.
“Please. I’m on the phone.” This almost guarantees
quiet.
Start to speak into the phone, but pause,
look at the audience, and say tersely, “This
is weird!”
Speak into the receiver: “Hello? [Gasp.] You
don’t say! [Pause.] You don’t say! [Pause.] You

164 Big Laughs for Little People
don’t say! [Turn to the audience.] Do you know
who this is? [Pause.] She didn’t say! Just a moment,
please.
“Yes, may I ask who’s calling? [Put the phone
to your chest again, and say your next line slowly
and incredulously.] It’s E. C.’s mother!”
After laughter, say, “We’ll let them talk. I’m
sure it’s long-distance.” Hold the puppet to the
phone and periodically move him around so
that sometimes he appears to be listening, and
sometimes he is in the talking position.
While E. C. and his mother are chatting, you
can interject a joke: “I came home the other
day, and guess who I found in my living room.
E. C.! But he had fainted. The poor thing was
just stretched out on the floor. You know what
happened? He’d just opened his phone bill!”
After E. C. and his mother have talked for a
few moments, the puppet turns to you. Hold him
to your ear as you pretend to listen.
Say, nervously, “Your mother wants to talk to
me? Well, that’s very nice, but I really can’t…I…
uh…I have to do a show here…[nervous laugh]…I
think I hear my mother calling…[nervous laugh].”
E. C. delivers a good punch to your head, and
begins boxing you. Fend him off!
When E. C. quits punching, say, “Well, yes,
of course, I’d love to talk to your mother. Hello?
Yes, ma’am, this is Sammy Smith. Pardon me?
Stop the show?!”
Take the phone from your ear, look at the children,
and say, “She says to stop the show.” Hold
the telephone receiver out toward the audience,

The Extra-Celestial
165
Figure 50. “Who’s calling? E. C.’s mother?!”
and the kids will tell her what they think of that!
(If they say, “Well, OK”—you’re in trouble.) They
should shout, “No!”
“Well, Mrs. E. C., as you can hear for yourself,

166 Big Laughs for Little People
we can’t stop the show. But tell me…how did
you know we were having a magic show today?
You’ve been what? You’ve been watching us!”
Put the phone to your chest and turn to the
audience with an expression that says, “Oh, no!”
Look nervously around the room.
Put the phone to your ear again. “Well, Mrs.
E. C., it has been a pleasure talking to you, but
I have to go now. Pardon? You want me to send
E. C. home now? Sure, I’d been glad to. Yes,
ma’am, I’ll drop him in the mail this afternoon.
Okay, well, thank you for calling. Yes, and you
have an extra-terrestrial day, too. Thank you.”
Say to the audience, “Well, I guess we should
unplug this phone before we get anymore telephone
interruptions during the show. And besides,
E. C.’s mother said to send him home.
That’s such a long trip, I think he had better get
some beauty rest first. You know he needs it.”
Address the puppet: “E. C., I want you to get
your beauty rest, so when you wake up, at least
you’ll be rested. ”
Tilting the puppet so he is on his back, gently
put him away, telling the audience, “Let’s say
good-bye to E. C., and thank him for coming to
the show today.”

Tricky Bottles
167
Tricky Bottles
Effect
The performer covers a soft drink bottle with
a tube. He turns the tube back and forth several
times, and the audience tries to guess whether
the bottle is pointing up or down. The bottle is
always pointing in the opposite direction. Finally
the bottle appears to be pointing both up
and down.
Props Needed
Tricky Bottles, an easily available commercial
effect made by MAK Magic. The trick comes with
two bottles, two tubes, and a gimmick which
enables you to show the bottle right-side-up
when it is really up-side-down. For this routine,
you will only need one tube, one bottle, and the
gimmick. Save the other tube and bottle for
a spare.
Set-up
Have the bottle and gimmick inside the tube,
on your table.
Routine
“I’ve been working…[look at your watch]…oh,
five or six minutes now. So, if you’ll pardon me
for just a moment, I have to take a break—union
regulations.” I brought along a bottle of Grant’s

168 Big Laughs for Little People
Black Cherry Soda—my favorite soft drink, but
it’s hard to find, because not many stores sell
it. [None, in fact!] Let’s see…it’s around here,
somewhere.”
Notice the tube on your table. Put your hand
on top of it, inserting your middle finger into the
mouth of the bottle. Grasp the tube and gimmick
between your thumb and forefinger, as you lift
it from the table. You will be lifting the bottle,
gimmick, and tube all together. Look on the table
underneath the tube. Not finding what you’re
looking for, set the tube back down.
Continue looking around for a few seconds.
Look behind your table, under a silk, in your
suitcase. Then go back to the tube. Pick it up
again, as described above, holding the bottle out
of sight with your middle finger.
Not seeing the soda, set the tube back on the
table. Secretly release your grip on the bottle,
but leave your hand on top of the tube for a moment.
Say, “I thought it was right here.” Look
away from the tube and toward the audience.
At the same time, lift the tube about four inches
from the table, exposing the bottle.
Then, still looking at the audience, lower the
tube and say, “But I guess it’s not.”
The children will scream, “There it is!” Play
along by innocently lifting the tube (this time,
picking up the bottle with your finger). Look at
the table beneath the tube, and seeing no evidence
of a bottle, ask, “Where?”
Set the tube back on the table and release
your grip on the bottle. “I don’t see it.” Look back

Tricky Bottles
169
toward the audience and quickly lift the tube a
few inches, leaving the bottle on the table.
Declare, “It certainly isn’t under there,” and
the children will tell you impatiently that it is
there. Repeat this gag, if you like, but don’t drag
it out too long, and be sure to stop before the
children go completely berserk.
“Ah! Here it is. Why didn’t someone tell me! I’ll
just pour myself a nice, cold glass of…uh-oh…
this bottle is empty! Someone drank the whole
thing! Oh, well. I guess there are other things
you can do with a bottle of soda. For instance,
listen —” Hold the bottle under your lower lip
and blow into it, making a musical tone. Do that
a few times. (The children will get really quiet to
hear this. Amazing!)
“I could have been a musician. Would you like
to hear me sing?” If they say, “No!” look sad, and
say, “I didn’t think you would.” Then continue
the routine.
If they say, “Yes!” you can sing a short, humorous
song. I’m not an accomplished singer (yet),
but I’ve managed to croak out this witty verse I
once heard on “The Department of Folk Songs”
on A Prairie Home Companion.
“I have a dog, his name is Fido,
I have raised him from a pup.
He can stand up on his hind legs . . .
If you hold his front legs up!”
After the audience responds, you can defend
yourself by saying, “That’s why I went into magic
instead of music!”

170 Big Laughs for Little People
Continue, “Well, I have another idea. With an
empty bottle and a tube like this one [quickly
show the tube empty], we could probably figure
out a game to play. Would you like that?
“All right. Here’s what we’ll do.” Hold the bottle
in the palm of your left hand, the mouth of the
bottle pointing up. Hold the tube in your right
hand (keep a grip on the gimmick).
“I’ll cover the bottle with the tube.” Slide the
tube over the bottle and place your right palm
on top of the tube, with your left palm supporting
the bottom.
“Then, I will flip the bottle back and forth a few
times.” Turn the bottle upside down and back up
again between your hands several times. Then,
stop with your left hand on top, so the bottle will
be pointing mouth down.
“When I stop, I’ll ask you to tell me if you think
the bottle is pointing…down….” Slowly lift the
tube a few inches, showing the neck of the bottle
resting on the palm of your hand. Lower the tube
back down to your palm. Then, invert the tube
and bottle, so your left hand is on top.
Continue your sentence: “. . . or pointing up.”
Completely remove the tube from the bottle,
showing the bottle right-side-up. Be sure to
keep a firm grip on the bottom of the bottle as
you show it.
Having stated “rules” of the game, ask, “Is that
fair enough? It looks easy, but I’m going to try to
trick you. Ready?” Still holding the bottle upright
in your left hand, cover it with the tube. Your
right hand should be on top of the tube.

Tricky Bottles
171
Figure 51. “Everyone’s a winner!”
“Watch closely!” Flip the bottle back and forth
a few times, quickly. Stop when the bottle is
pointing down.
“Which way is the bottle pointing, up or
down?” The kids will shout a response.
Say, decidedly, “The bottle is pointing down!”
Slowly, lift the tube, but leave the gimmick behind
so the bottle appears to be pointing up.

172 Big Laughs for Little People
Quickly retract your “down” with, “Up! I
mean, up!” Give the audience a few moments
to react.
“Let’s try it again.” Lower the tube, cover both
ends with your hands, and flip the tube and
bottle back and forth several times. Stop when
the bottle is actually pointing up.
Ask, “Which way?” The kids will respond.
You declare, “The bottle is pointing…down.”
Raise the bottle a few inches to reveal that the
bottle is pointing up.
“Up! I meant, up!” Continue lifting tube until
the bottle is completely exposed.
Exasperated, say, “Okay, let’s try this one
more time. I’ll cover the bottle with this tube.
[Do so.] I’ll flip it back and forth, one, two, three
times. [Flip the bottle, as before, ending up
with it pointing down—your right hand will be
on top.]
“This time, let’s take a survey. How many of
you think that the bottle is pointing up? Hands
up for up! Okay, hands down. Now, hands up
for down! [Look around to see whose hands are
up.] Hands down.”
Often, the children will vote for both options.
Look at the teachers and say, laughingly,
“Hmmm. The same hands! This is going to be a
better trick than I thought!”
Continue, “And now, the moment you’ve
been waiting for…the winners are…those who
said….” Lift the tube a few inches, leaving the
gimmick behind, so the bottle is apparently
pointing up.
Complete the sentence: “…up! The winners

Tricky Bottles
173
Figure 52. Food fit for a king. “Here, King!
Here, King!”
are those who said, up!” As some of the children
shout, “Hurray!” and gloat over their victory,
quickly lower the tube and lift it again, this time
bringing up the gimmick. The actual bottle will
be exposed and shown to be pointing down.
Look completely astonished and say, “Down?!

174 Big Laughs for Little People
I thought it was up! It was? Do you mean to
say the bottle was pointing up and down at the
same time? [Remove the tube—and the gimmick
concealed in the tube—completely, and carefully
turn the bottle upright.] That can only mean one
thing: everybody in the room is a winner! So give
yourselves a great big round of applause!”
Funny Finish
Here’s a funny kicker to the routine. Wrap a
label from a can of dog food around one end of
the gimmick. Simply use the other end for the
regular routine. After the routine is over (apparently)
and you’re holding the tube with the
bottle of Cherry Soda, remark that you’re not
really all that thirsty. You’d rather have a snack
instead, and being a magician, you can turn
that drink into some wonderful food—food fit
for a king. “And the magic words are…[make a
clucking noise as if calling a dog]…‘Here, King,
here, King!’” Then, lift the tube revealing the can
of dog food!
Thanks to Jim Jayes for the idea of putting
the dog food label on the gimmick. Jim is a good
friend and a very creative performer residing
in Minnesota.

The Invisible Flying Silk Scarf
175
The Invisible Flying Silk Scarf
Effect
After pretending to make a large silk scarf
change colors, it vanishes instead and magically
reappears in your sock.
Props Needed
• Two matching silks (I use scarves measuring
24 inches diagonally. In December, I use bright
Christmas green silks; around Valentine’s Day,
I use bright pink.)
• Handkerchief pull. (A standard vanishing
device available from magic dealers. I use a
flesh-colored Vernet brand pull, from which I’ve
removed the screen on the end, so it will accommodate
a large silk.)
Set-up
Conceal one of the matching silks in your sock,
leaving a few inches sticking out (hidden by your
pants’ leg) so you can get a hold of it easily.
If you wear a jacket, attach the handkerchief
pull to the inside of your jacket, putting the
safety pin at neck level, so the bottom of the pull
hangs down to about the small of your back.
If you don’t wear a jacket or a vest, you’ll need
to find another method for vanishing a silk. You
can use a change bag if you want to be very
simple about it. But I prefer a handkerchief pull
for vanishing silks, because it looks like real

176 Big Laughs for Little People
magic: put a silk scarf into your hands, then—
presto!—it’s gone. If your coat tail has a slit in
the middle, you’ll need to be careful that the pull
isn’t exposed.
Routine
“I just love this cold weather, don’t you? I think
winter is one of my favorite seasons—and one
reason is, you get to see the funny way people
dress when it gets cold.” Hold up the silk scarf
for display.
“Women, for instance, wrap their heads up
like this.” Put the scarf around your head, pulling
the diagonal ends under your chin. If you’re
a man, this will be funny to younger children.
If you’re a woman, this still may be funny—I
wouldn’t know!
Removing the scarf from around your head,
say, “But men don’t wear scarves like that. They
usually wear them like this….as they get dragged
off to go shopping!” Wrap it around your neck
and pantomime someone dragging you away by
the end of the scarf. Make a gagging cough as
you do this. (Do this very briefly.)
Take the scarf away from your neck and say
quickly, “But I would never wear this scarf. Do
you know why? This is a magic scarf. That’s
right. This scarf can change colors in an instant.
I could toss this scarf into the air, and it would
change colors faster than you could see.” The
children will demand a demonstration. If they
don’t, fake it.
“You want to see that? All right. Here goes. I

The Invisible Flying Silk Scarf
177
Figure 53. “Here—catch this scarf!”

178 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 54.
The scarf
reappears in
your sock!
will toss the scarf into the air, and it will change
colors faster than you can see.” Hold the scarf
in your right hand and take a few moments
getting ready to toss it into the air. Build up
the suspense a few seconds. You’ll be surprised
how quiet the audience will be, waiting for this
wonderful color change to occur. Suddenly,
toss the scarf up and let it float down for a brief
moment before you snatch it out of the air with
your right hand.
Triumphantly hold the scarf high into the
air, then put your hands on your hips in sort of
a defiant pose. The scarf is in your left hand,
allowing your right hand to reach around inside

The Invisible Flying Silk Scarf
179
your jacket and get a grip on the handkerchief
pull. This happens in just a brief moment as you
put your hands on your hips.
This action will be covered by the children’s
response to the scarf not changing colors. “Well,”
you say, “It did change colors—but it was faster
than you could see.” This probably will not satisfy
them!
“You don’t believe me? Okay, we’ll try it again.
Name a color, any color at all.” One child will
usually start the chorus, “Red!” Others will join
in, naming various colors. Again, if they don’t,
just pretend that you heard someone else name
a different color. Call out the various colors as
you hear them.
Begin pushing the silk into the pull (apparently,
into your hand). The children are calling
out the colors of their choice. As each one is
named, pretend that you’re starting to change
the color of the silk, but then you hear another
preference, so you start to change the silk to
that color.
After hearing several colors, say, “Hold
it! Wait just a moment! We can’t change this
scarf into red, and blue, and white, and purple,
all at the same time! I have an idea—why don’t
we just make this scarf invisible?” Say this with
the right tone of voice—say it with excitement
and positive expectancy—and the kids will say,
“Yeah…let’s make it invisible!”
At this point, it’s tucked firmly into the pull,
with a small portion of the silk showing over the
top of your hand. Put both hands together, as

180 Big Laughs for Little People
though you are holding the scarf and compressing
it slightly. If you are not on a stage and are
able to do so, step forward to the front row of
the audience. As you do, let the pull slowly slip
out of your hands and go beneath your jacket.
(Don’t let go of the pull suddenly, hoping it flies
back under your coat. Let it slip out silently.)
Keep your hands together—remember, you are
supposed to be holding the scarf.
Step toward the front row and stop in front
a girl. Hold your hands—still together—about
ten inches away from your body. “Excuse me.
Would you hold this scarf for me? Yes, reach
your hands up and catch it. Here…” Open both
hands, pretending to drop the silk. Follow the
supposed silk with your eyes, as it is falling into
the girl’s hands. Be sure to open your hands
fully, showing them empty.
With an expression of surprise, exclaim, “Look!
It worked! She has turned this into an invisible
scarf!” Reach down to the girl and pretend to
take the scarf from her, holding it up high as
you go back to center stage.
“Do you see it? No? Well, that’s because
it’s invisible!” Pretend to display the scarf for
a moment.
“Okay, you know that magicians don’t usually
reveal their secrets. But here’s what could
have happened. While you were blinking, I could
have stuffed that scarf up my sleeve so fast, it
ricocheted off of my shoulder, went down my
jacket, down my pants’ leg, and landed right here
in my sock!” Whisk the silk out of your sock to

The Invisible Flying Silk Scarf
181
the amazement of the children.
This sounds like a very simple way to reproduce
the scarf, but the kids love it. Thanks to
Atlanta magician John Cooper for this suggestion.
I carted around a crystal production box
for years and finally discovered that I get a better
reaction pulling the silk out of my sock, and
that’s one less prop to pack!
I follow this routine with the Vanishing Candle—an
appropriate lead-in since you have the
right size silk for wrapping around the candle.

182 Big Laughs for Little People
Some of my
best friends
are children.
In fact,
all of my best
friends are
children.
J. D. Salinger

Polar Thermometers
183
Polar Thermometers
(Chinese Sticks)
Effect
The performer holds two sticks, one with a
long string attached to the end, and the other
with a short string. When the short string is
pulled down, the long string becomes short. This
is repeated several times, and the performer
holds the sticks apart from each other to prove
that they are not attached.
Props Needed
One set of Chinese Sticks, a common commercial
product available from magic dealers.
The ones I use are a metallic silver color, which
suits this particular routine better than those
with an Oriental look (sometimes made out
of bamboo).
Set-up
Place the sticks side-by-side on your table with
one string long and one short.
Routine
Pick up the sticks and hold them in your right
hand as you display them to the audience. The
ends of the wands with the strings should be
separated by four or five inches. The other ends

184 Big Laughs for Little People
of the sticks, the ends closest to you, are held
together in your right hand. The string on the
left stick (your left) is long, the one on the right
stick is short.
“This first portion of our show is brought
to you by Polar Thermometers, makers of the
weather indicator sticks you can trust.”
“Yes, friends, if you get tired of cold weather
this winter, you may need to take a trip to find
out what cold weather is really like—to get a new
appreciation for our state. If so, you’ll want to
head to the North Pole. And if you go, you need a
set of these, genuine Polar brand thermometers.
They’re easy to use. I’ll show you how.
“The first thing to do when you arrive at the
North Pole is to take off your parachute. Then,
you’ll need to check the weather. Simply hold
your Polar brand thermometers in the air, like
this.” Hold the sticks in front of you at about
your eye level—but a little to your right, so you
won’t block your face.
“When the string on this thermometer is long,
all the way down like this, that means it’s going
to be snowing.” Touch the left stick and run
your fingers lightly down the string. But when
the string on this stick is long [take hold of the
string on the right stick, and pull it slowly down
as you complete this line], that means it won’t
be snowing, but it will still be cold.” As you’ve
pulled the short string (on the right stick), the
long string on the left stick has become short.
Pause to let this fact sink in.
Now, repeat the move, pulling down on the
short string so it becomes long, saying, “Long

Polar Thermometers
185
Figure 55. “This portion of our
program is brought to you by Polar
Thermometers!”
over here for snow [pause to show what has happened],
and long over here [now pulling down on
the other string] for cold, but no snow.
“Now, friends, one of the outstanding features
of Polar Thermometers is that you can even hold
them apart, and they still work just fine.” Saying
this, take the left stick into your left hand, leaving
the other stick in your right hand, showing
that they are not connected at the end, as some
spectators may have suspected.
The stick in your left hand now has the short
string, the one in your right hand has the long
string. Reach over to the short string and pull it
down with your right hand—still holding a stick
in your right hand. As you do so, the string on
the right stick becomes short, and you repeat,
“Long over here for snow. ”

186 Big Laughs for Little People
Hold the sticks apart, showing that the effect
still works. Duplicate this move, pulling down
on the short string (now on the right stick) with
your left hand, saying, “And long over here for
cold weather, but no snow.”
Repeat this move and the line for each stick.
“Long here for snow, and long over here for cold
weather, but no snow.”
Continue, “Now, I must tell you that you have
to be careful not to get confused. For instance,
when both strings are long [pull down on the
short one, making it long, and leaving the other
string long, as well], it’s hard to tell what the
weather’s going to do.
“And [take a deep breath and blow on both of
the sticks, meantime allowing both strings to
become short] hot air drives them crazy!” Pause
for laughter. Then say, “Brought to you by Polar
Thermometers, the brand you can trust,” and
take a slight bow.

The Ball Brothers’ Traveling Circus
187
Ball Brothers’ Traveling Circus
(Strat-O-Sphere)
Effect
Three balls—red, green, and yellow—are
placed in a clear plastic tube, which is covered
with a slightly larger metal tube. The red ball is
on top, but when the metal tube is lifted, it has
moved to the bottom of the stack.
Next, the red ball is placed in a separate box,
and the green and yellow balls are put in the
clear tube, covered with the metal tube. When
the box is opened, the red ball is gone. It is
found in the clear tube, beneath the green and
yellow balls.
Props Needed
Strat-O-Sphere, manufactured by MAK Magic
and invented by U. F. Grant over 50 years ago. It
is available from magic dealers. The trick comes
with the tubes and box, as described above.
There is also a duplicate red ball.
Set-up
Have the three balls in the clear tube with the
red ball on bottom, yellow ball in the middle,
and green ball on top. Cover the clear tube with
the painted metal tube (which has the duplicate
red ball). The ball vanishing box is behind
your table.

188 Big Laughs for Little People
Routine
“This next portion of our show is brought
to you by The Ball Brothers’ Traveling Circus,
‘Fine Entertainment for Over 30…Days.’ The
Ball brothers are on their annual tour through
Florida this spring, and you’ll be happy to know
that they are here today. Let me introduce you
to them.*
Lift the metal tube from the clear tube containing
the balls. Set the metal tube to the side.
Pick up the clear tube by the base, holding it in
your left hand. To show each ball, tip the tube
so the balls roll out into your right hand, one
at a time.
“The first Ball brother is Mr. Green Genes.
(I guess greenness just runs in his family.)”
Tip the tube so the green ball rolls out into
your right hand. Hold it up to show the audience.
Toss the ball into the air about three feet,
following it up with your eyes, then back down
as it lands in your hand.
“The next Ball brother is Mr. Mellow Yellow.”
Repeat the action of rolling the ball out and tossing
it into the air. You still have the green ball
in your hand, making it a little harder to throw
and catch the yellow ball. I hold the green ball
against my hand with my right pinkie and ring
finger, while throwing and catching the yellow
ball with my thumb, forefinger, and middle finger.
This may sound harder than it is.
* I want to thank my good friend Steve Somers of High
Point, North Carolina for coming up with the humorous
names for the Ball brothers—20 years ago!

The Ball Brothers’ Traveling Circus
189
Figure 56. The Ball Brothers’ Traveling
Circus.
“The last Ball brother is Mr. Red Head.” Pour
the red ball into your right hand. You now have
a precarious handful of three balls. Gesture as
though you are throwing the ball into the air,
but retain it in your hand. Pretend to follow its
path upward with your eyes, then back down to
your hand. Of course, the ball has gone nowhere.
Act somewhat triumphant when you supposedly
catch the red ball.

190 Big Laughs for Little People
Juggle the balls, if you know how to juggle.
Whether or not you are juggling, the patter is
about the same:
“Here they are, the three Ball brothers of The
Ball Brothers Traveling Circus. They all look nice
and bright, but I have to tell you that Mr. Red
Head is a trouble-maker. He’s always jumping
in front of people.”
If you’re juggling, throw a pattern so the red
ball is flying back and forth over the others.
“Hey! Mr. Red Head! Stop that! Mr. Red Head . .
.” Try to call him down as he continues jumping
over the other two balls. Finally, go back into a
regular three-ball pattern.
To the audience: “Jumping out in front of
people like that is not very nice, is it? How would
you like it if you were waiting in a line, and
someone came up and said, ‘Hey! Get outta my
way!’—and pushed in front of you!
“Well, let me show you the kind of thing Mr.
Red Head does all the time.” Stop juggling, and
place the metal tube over the clear tube.
“If the Ball brothers were waiting in line to
go inside the magic tower at The Ball Brothers
Traveling Circus, Mr. Green Genes would go
first, because he has the best manners.” Push
the green ball into the tubes.
“Mr. Mellow Yellow would go second, because
he has the second-best manners.” Push in the
yellow ball.
“And Mr. Red Head would go last, because…
he doesn’t have any manners at all!” Push the
red ball into the tube.

The Ball Brothers’ Traveling Circus
191
Figure 57. I never miss!
“I can almost hear him saying, ‘Hey, you!
Watch it!’ as he pushes his way in front of the
other Ball brothers.” Begin to lift the metal tube,
so the red ball can be seen.
“And then, before you know it, there he is.”
Now, completely remove the metal tube, setting
it to the side, as you pick up the clear tube with
your left hand. The red ball is now on bottom.
“Mr. Red Head! What are you doing? Pushing
your way in front of other people. That’s no way
to make friends.”
Say to the audience, “Let’s take another look
at the Ball Brothers.” Begin pouring the balls out

192 Big Laughs for Little People
one by one into your right hand, naming each
one and tossing them into the air. Again, when
you get to the third ball, just pretend to toss it
into the air and catch it.
“Never miss!”
Begin juggling the balls, and again, let the red
one fly over the others, back and forth. “Hey! Mr.
Red Head! Stop that!” Finally, he stops, as you
get the red ball back into the regular pattern.
“You know, I have an idea.” Begin juggling the
yellow and green ball in one hand, tossing the
red ball up and down with the other hand. This
shows their separateness—Mr. Red Head on one
hand, and the well-mannered Ball brothers on
the other!
“Since Mr. Red Head is being a trouble-maker,
I think we’ll separate him from the other two.”
Stop juggling. Put the metal cover over the
clear tube.
“We’ll let Mr. Green Genes and Mr. Mellow
Yellow go inside the magic tower, but we’ll put
Mr. Red Head by himself.” If you can find a redhaired
child, hand him or her the red ball and
say, “Here. Will you hold on to Mr. Red Head,
please? No reason in particular that I asked you
to hold Mr. Red Head! Just hold him up high,
please, so we can keep an eye on him.”
Push the green and yellow balls into the tube,
then bring out the ball vanishing box. If you have
given the red ball to a child, ask him to drop the
ball into the box. Otherwise, do it yourself. Then
say sternly, “Mr. Red Head, you’ll have to stay in
here until you can learn some manners.” Drop

The Ball Brothers’ Traveling Circus
193
the red ball into the box. Hold the box in front
of you at chest level as you continue addressing
Mr. Red Head.
“Do you hear me, Mr. Red Head? You’ll get to
come out just as soon as you learn some good
manners. [Pause.] Okay? [Pause.] Mr. Red Head.
Please answer me, Mr. Red Head. [Becoming
slightly annoyed, rap on the front door with
your knuckles.] Mr. Red Head, do you hear me?
[Pause.] Look, if you can’t play by the rules, you’ll
just have to…” Raise the box to eye level as you
flip open the front and back doors. You will be
looking straight through the empty box toward
the audience.
“Mr. Red Head is gone! I can’t believe it!” Close
the box and put it away quickly, looking around
the room to see where he may have gone. The
children will often say, “He’s in the tower!” If they
don’t, just lead them in that direction.
“The magic tower? You don’t think he’s
in there? You do? I’ll look.” Peer down into
the tube.
“No, I don’t see him.” Then, still looking down
into the tube, lift the metal cover slightly, so the
spectators will see the red ball on the bottom of
the stack. They will scream.
Lower the cover and look at the audience. “I
didn’t see him.” They will demand that you look
again. Do the same ruse, looking into the top of
the tube, saying “No, I don’t see him,” as you lift
the cover and let the audience see the ball.
When the excitement level of the children
reaches 211° Fahrenheit (just before the boiling

194 Big Laughs for Little People
point!), suddenly realize what they are saying,
and exclaim, “Mr. Red Head! What are you doing
there!” Remove the metal cover, pick up the tube
with the balls, and hold it up high for display.
“Mr. Red Head, you’re pretty tricky, but since
you’re on the bottom you’re going to be the last
one in line for supper tonight. And, please, no
pushing!
“Let’s give the Ball brothers a big hand
for coming to the show today—Mr. Green
Genes, Mr. Mellow Yellow, and that impossible
Mr. Red Head!”

Maxwell the Monster
195
Maxwell the Monster
(Soft Soap)
Effect
Three stained handkerchiefs are placed into
a laundry detergent box. When removed a few
moments later, they are clean. The spectators
suspect that the stained handkerchiefs are still
in the box, but after a few moments of pretended
reluctance, the performer proves that the box
is really empty.
Props Needed
• Soft Soap, a standard effect available
from many magic dealers. It comes with three
“stained” handkerchiefs and three clean handkerchiefs
(one of which is gimmicked).
• Empty box of laundry detergent. I use a onepound
box of Tide, because it’s a well-known,
easily recognized brand. The sizes of soap boxes
have changed since this effect was first produced
in the early 1940s by Stuart Robson’s Conjurer’s
Shop. If necessary, you can cut a box apart and
make it the right size.
Set-up
The standard conclusion of Soft Soap is to tear
the box into small pieces, proving that there are
no stained handkerchiefs inside. This is a good,
dramatic way to prove the point. But you can

196 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 58. Preparing a re-usable box.
also prepare boxes to be re-used up to 40 or 50
times. When a box needs to be replaced, you
can tear it up during the show.
Here’s how easy it is to prepare. After emptying
the detergent, carefully open the bottom of
the Tide box. Separate the seam along the side
of the box. Once the box is open, wipe out the
inside to remove the last remnants of soap.
Take the box to a well-ventilated area (outside,
for instance!), and place it on a sheet of newspaper,
with the inside of the box facing down
[Figure 58]. Spray the outside of the box with
clear acrylic plastic.
When the spray coating is completely dry, refold
the box and hold it together with two small
pieces of masking tape along the side seam and
two pieces on the bottom. Leave the top of the
box open.
Next, insert the gimmicked handkerchief, but

Maxwell the Monster
197
Figure 59. Setting up Soft Soap.
don’t push it too far down. Since you will be
holding the box in your left hand, it’s best to put
the gimmicked handkerchief on the left side of
the box. That way, you can grasp the gimmick
through the box [Figure 59] and stop it from
moving around as you stuff in the stained handkerchiefs.
Put the two regular, clean handkerchiefs
into the box, pushing them down and over
to the right side. Leave the gimmick as exposed
as possible, to make it easily accessible.
Of course, the handkerchiefs should not be
visible to the audience. (Although, it actually
doesn’t make much difference if the audience
catches a glimpse of a handkerchief, since you
want them to think you’ve used two sets. Still,
it seems to me that it’s too obvious for them to
catch you early in the game.) Put the box out of
sight—behind your table, if you’re using a nite
club table.
Finally, place the stained handkerchiefs on
your table. My set has lipstick, ink, and paint

198 Big Laughs for Little People
stains. (If yours isn’t the same, it should be easy
to make up a set of your own.) Put the lipstick
stained handkerchief on bottom, the one with
ink stains in the middle, and the handkerchief
with paint stains on top.
Routine
Early in the show, I ask if the audience would
like to meet my pet monster, Maxwell. They do
want to meet him, but we haven’t been able to
find him. (Finally, near the end of the show, I
present the Monster Hat.) This Soft Soap routine
comes mid-way into the program.
Standing to the left of your table, you’ll be
picking up the stained handkerchiefs with your
right hand to show to the audience, and passing
each one to your left hand as you pick up the
next one to display.
“I sure do wish Maxwell the Monster would
show up. I’ve been wanting to talk to him, to find
out what his problem is. Last week, he found
three brand-new handkerchiefs of mine, and
messed up every one of them.
“It looks like he was doing some finger painting
and wiped his fingers off on this handkerchief.
“This second one is very badly stained with
ink. I don’t know how he did that—maybe he
had a leaky magic marker.
“And I am far too polite to ask how he got…
lipstick on this one! [Pause for the kids to react.]
It may have come from his ghoul-friend, but I
don’t think I’ll ask!
“Well, these are pretty stubborn stains, aren’t

Maxwell the Monster
199
Figure 60. I did this trick in a magic contest.
You’ll never guess what happened!
they? But do you think we can clean them?
Sure we can, because….” Now, drop the handkerchiefs
onto your table and reach for the Tide
box as you continue. But finish your sentence
with a slightly deeper tone of voice, imitating a
radio announcer.

200 Big Laughs for Little People
“This portion of our show has been brought to
you by…that fine product.” Hold up the box and
pause. Then, as the children are reacting, begin
stuffing in the first stained handkerchief.
“What? You wanted me to clean these handkerchiefs
by magic, not with soap? Well, I’ll tell
you what, let’s try using both.”
Continue stuffing the stained handkerchiefs
into the box, one at a time. As you do so, say,
“I once did this trick in a magic contest, and do
you know what happened? I won. [Pause.] Well,
actually, I Tide!” Wait for groans from teachers.
Continue at your own risk.
“I didn’t expect a Cheer for that.” Continue
stuffing in the handkerchiefs.
“That was rather Bold of me! Not much to Gain
with that kind of humor!”
As the groans and/or tomatoes continue,
venture, “I can tell some of you are thinking, ‘Is
that All?’ And, yes, it’s true, I guess it’s time to
get a Fresh Start!”
This incredibly low humor is a fine way to punish
an audience. Do the kids get the jokes? Kids
10 to 12 years old like them. Kindergarteners
and lower grades have no idea what you’re talking
about. But the teachers will enjoy the fact
that you’ve aimed these toward them. It takes
just about 30 seconds to deliver this rapid-fire
of puns, and the children will be able to hang in
there, impressed with the fact that their teachers
seem to be enjoying the show, too!
Now that the handkerchiefs are in the box,
close the lid, and grasp the box with the top side
in your right hand and the bottom in your left

Maxwell the Monster
201
hand. Turn it horizontally in front of you.
“Everybody help me. Let’s pretend that we
are in a giant washing machine, and you’re the
soap. Everyone here is a flake! Okay? Everybody,
shake!” Begin shaking the box up and down
vigorously. The children will gladly join in.
After 10 or 15 seconds of shaking, say, “All
right, now agitate!” Start shaking the box side
to side for another 10 seconds or so.
Before you stop shaking the box side to side,
look approvingly around the room, and remark,
“What a bunch of agitators!”
And finally, “Now, spin. Wait! Don’t spin! I’ll
spin the box, instead.” Turn the box around
several times, end to end. Stop turning the box
and leave it upside down.
“Okay! Let’s see if the handkerchiefs are
clean.” Open the bottom of the box and slowly
remove the first clean, ungimmicked handkerchief.
Hold it up to show that it’s clean.
Exclaim, “The first handkerchief is…clean!”
Toss it behind your table. Kids will probably
begin to complain that the box is upside down.
Ignore them. Begin pulling out the gimmicked
handkerchief. Show it briefly.
“And the second handkerchief is…clean!”
Toss it behind your table, perhaps onto a piece
of foam, or on top of some silks, so it doesn’t
make a noticeable “clunk.” Start pulling out
the last clean, ungimmicked handkerchief from
the box. Do it a little more slowly to build up
the drama.
“And the last handkerchief is…clean! Wonderful!
How fantastic! Isn’t that absolutely…. What?

202 Big Laughs for Little People
The box? You don’t want to see inside the box.
There’s nothing in there! You do want to look into
the box? Well, all right, I’ll let one eye-witness
from the audience check it out.”
Step to the front and find the smallest,
youngest child in the room—a baby, if you can
find one!
Say to the child, “Excuse me, ma’am. Do you
see anything in the box?” Open the lid slightly
and hold it in front of the child for a second or
two. Quickly withdrawing it and closing the box,
continue in a victorious tone of voice.
“Nothing! she says.” Step back to center stage
immediately. The audience will still want to see
inside the box. Finally, concede.
“All right, if you insist. We’ll open the box.”
Tear lose the masking tape along the side and
then on the bottom, but keep the box from falling
open with your hands. Pause a moment. Look
around the room, and with an expression of
regret and trepidation, flip open the box. When
it’s obvious to everyone that the box is empty,
act equally surprised. Flip the open box around
front-to-back several times.
Finally, toss the box aside, commenting,
“Whew! That turned out better than I expected!
For a minute there, it looked as though I was going
to be put through the wringer! But I couldn’t
have done it without your help—thank you for
helping me clean those handkerchiefs.”

203
Worth
Control
Skills
You can increase
your value as
a children’s
performer by
improving your
skills. Displaying
skill pleases the
children and
increases your
worth in the minds
of the adults who
booked you.

204 Big Laughs for Little People
I know
what
pleasure is,
for I have
done
good work.
Robert Louis Stevenson

The Multiplying Billiard Balls
205
The Multiplying Billiard Balls
Effect
The performer causes a bright red ball, held
between his fingers, to multiply into two, three,
four, and finally eight balls.
Props Needed
• Set of Multiplying Billiard Balls, available
from most magic dealers. These are actually
miniature billiard balls, sold to magicians, not
pool halls. They are available in a wide variety
of sizes, colors, and textures. I prefer solid wood
balls (with a bright red enamel paint), about
1-3/4” in diameter. Sometimes, I practice with 2”
billiard balls but perform with the smaller size.
The very shiny painted finish is the easiest to
work with for me. The glittery, rough-finished
billiard balls aren’t as easy to grip as it would appear.
A smooth finish clings to your skin better.
• A four-ball gimmick—which is, simply, four
billiard balls with a wire running through them.
The wire is hooked at the end, so you can fasten
it to your belt, beneath your coat.
Set-up
Place one ball and shell in your left inside coat
pocket. One ball goes in your left outside coat
pocket, and another one in your right inside coat
pocket. Fasten the four-ball gimmick to your
belt on your left side, somewhat to the back,

206 Big Laughs for Little People
beneath your coat.
You may want to rub a small amount of glycerin
on your hands to keep the balls from slipping.
Burling Hull, who wrote the classic text in
this field, Expert Billiard Ball Manipulation, used
to market something called Velvette Palming
Cream. In his later years, and perhaps earlier,
his formula consisted primarily of a certain
brand of theatrical vanishing cream.
Some magic supply companies still sell nonslip
products, which work very well and may be
especially valuable when you are first starting
to work with billiard balls. However, I prefer
glycerin, because it is eventually absorbed into
your skin. If your billiard ball routine doesn’t
work out, you can keep the glycerin to use as
hand lotion!
Routine
You may be surprised by how much adults,
as well as children, enjoy this effect. As you
proceed with the routine, you will probably find
adults watching with rapt attention. I frequently
see teachers looking at each other with a “Wow!
That’s good!” expression—not because I am an
expert, but because this is an obviously difficult
stunt, not a mechanical gizmo.
If I see that this is going over especially well,
and a teacher has made a positive observation,
I will sometimes joke with them by remarking, “I
got this trick out of a cereal box.” But I’m getting
ahead of myself. Here’s the routine:

The Multiplying Billiard Balls
207
“During the show today, I’m going to be doing
a lot of magic. Some things are going to happen
very fast, and you will need to be watching
closely. So, let’s start out with an eye test to
make sure you will be able to watch the magic
today.” Reach into your left inside coat pocket
with your right hand and remove the ball, leaving
the shell in your pocket. Hold the ball up for
display, between your thumb and middle finger.
“Can everyone see this in the back? This may
look like a giant piece of bubble gum, but it’s
not.” Drop the ball on your table, so it makes a
loud noise and the audience realizes it is solid.
(My table top during one school year was thin
fiber board covered with cloth. So it was safe to
throw the ball against the table top from six to
twelve inches away. The flexibility of the table
top kept the paint on the ball from cracking and
also prevented it from rolling around too much.
And, it made a very satisfying “thump.”)
After throwing the ball down or dropping it several
times to prove it solid, hold it up for display
again. “This ball is solid wood, painted bright
red to make sure that everyone can see it. Here,
the young man in the green shirt—would you
catch this, please?” French Drop the ball (see
“The French Drop,” page 215, and “The Classic
Palm ,” page 217) and pretend to toss it to him.
Quite often, the boy will reach out to catch the
ball, but of course, it won’t be there. His facial
or verbal expression of surprise can get a good
laugh from the audience.
Be just as surprised as the boy when the ball

208 Big Laughs for Little People
vanishes. After you have tossed the ball, leave
your hand open in the toss position. Look back
to your left hand. (The ball is palmed in your
right hand. See “The Classic Palm,” page 217.)
“Maybe it went up my sleeve.” Pull your left
sleeve back using your right hand. Turn your
left hand over and show it front and back.
“Or, maybe it’s over here. . .” Bring your palms
together for a moment, switching the ball from
your right palm to your left, as you turn your
hands and bring them over to your right side.
(See “The Burling Hull Change-over Palm,”
page 218.)
“No, not here, either [Figure 61].” (At this point,
I bring my hands back to my left side, switching
the ball into my right hand, and showing my left
hand empty again. If you choose, you can skip
this extra display of your “empty hands” and
proceed with the next move, keeping your hands
on your right side. However, I will describe the
routine as if you opted to do the extra changeover,
and your hands are now on your left side,
with the ball palmed in your right hand.)
Show your left hand empty front and back,
pulling your sleeve back again with your right
hand. Remark, “I guess it really is gone!” Your
right hand, having pulled back your sleeve, is
still near your empty left hand. As you turn your
left hand over again, transfer the ball from your
right palm to your left palm.
“We’ll probably never see it again.” Let your
right hand drop to your side, casually, while you
continue looking at your left hand. The back of
your left hand is toward the audience.

The Multiplying Billiard Balls
209
Figure 61. The Burling Hull Change-over Palm is
an effective way to show both sides of your hands
empty. See page 218 for the full explanation.
“I guess that’s just one of those unexplained
mysteries in life.” As you say this, the ball reappears
between your forefinger and middle finger.
(See “Open-hand Reappearance,” page 222.)
Since you haven’t noticed the reappearance of
the ball, the audience will tell you about it.
React with surprise. Take the ball in your right
hand, looking at it quizzically, and toss it into the
air. “It’s back! That’s amazing!” As the reaction
of the audience is dying down, start to put the
ball back into your left inside coat pocket. But
pretend to hear a comment from the audience.
“Pardon me? You want to see it again?” Look
toward a specific person near the back of the
room. The children, as a group, will say that
they do want to see it again.
“The young lady in the back says she wants to

210 Big Laughs for Little People
see this again. Well, let’s try another trick with
this bright red ball, to make sure you’re watching
closely.” While you are supposedly putting
the ball away, slip the ball into the shell. As you
pretend to hear the request for a repeat demonstration,
bring the ball back out, this time with
the shell. If this is done naturally, the audience
will forget that the ball was ever out of sight.
Holding the ball between your thumb and
forefinger, turn your body so your right side is
toward the audience. Let your left hand slip unnoticed,
into your left outside coat pocket. Look
at the ball and shell (the audience is unaware of
the shell), then look at the audience. Pause long
enough for their attention to focus on the ball—
let it sink in that something is about to happen.
“Watch close! Don’t blink!” Lift your right hand
slightly, and take a breath, as though you are
about to do something difficult. Stop, turn your
head and look at someone on the front row. Get
a very serious expression on your face.
“I saw you blink. [Pause.] I told you not to
blink. You see, if you blink [at this point, execute
“The Multiplying Move,” page 225, causing the
ball to apparently turn into two] you’re going
to miss this, and you will always say, ‘I wish I
hadn’t blinked.’”
As you have been chatting, a second ball (apparently)
has appeared between your fingers.
Once again, let them point it out first. Then,
you can act surprised. This eliminates such
ill-bred comments as, “Oh, I know how you did
that”—because you aren’t trying to fool them.
The magic happens in your hands, but you are

The Multiplying Billiard Balls
211
surprised about it. The children are beating you
to the punch, pointing out things that you—supposedly—aren’t
even cognizant.
Bring your right hand, holding the ball and
shell, around to your right side, your left hand
following. (You have a ball palmed in your left
hand. With your right hand a little lower than
shoulder height, bring your left hand up to take
the top ball from your right hand and display it.
Meantime, slip the ball palmed in your left hand
into the shell. (See “Loading a Palmed Ball into
the Shell,” page 225.)
“Two of them! Would you like to try for
three?” The audience replies with an emphatic
affirmative.
“What do you think I am, a magician or something?
Well, I’ll give it a try.” At this point, pause
briefly before executing the “Two-to-three Move,”
page 228. This is such a good sleight, you want
to make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed!
“Here goes. [Pause.] One. Two. [Turn your
hand over, as described in Two-to-three, page
228.] Three! [Turn your hand back over as
you say, “Three,” and the third ball makes
its appearance.]
Bring your right hand, now supposedly holding
three balls, in front of you. Be careful not to
expose the shell as you swing your hand down,
and then up to about your chest level.
With your left hand, reach up to the balls
in your right hand, and pretend to take one of
them. Your left hand briefly conceals the balls
from the spectators, so they cannot see that you
are actually returning a ball to the shell and

212 Big Laughs for Little People
pretending to hold it in your left hand.
“Here, sir, please take a look at this one.” Pretend
to toss the ball to a boy. Again, follow its
supposed path into the audience. The ball has
obviously vanished. But ignore that fact and ask
the boy to throw it back to you.
“Here it comes!” Follow its invisible path from
the audience straight to you, pretending that it
lands in your right inside coat pocket. Reach
into your pocket and pull out the ball you hid
there before the show. Place it in your right hand
between the pinkie and ring finger. You are also
holding a ball and shell between your thumb and
forefinger and one between your middle finger
and ring finger.
“Shall we try for four?” The kids will agree.
Sometimes, a kid may say, “Let’s try for five”
or “Let’s try six!” But never fear—you’re about
to end up with eight, and they have no idea
it’s coming.
“All right, but I need you to help me. Hold your
fingers out, like this. [Extend your left hand fingers
straight out and wiggle them.] Now, wiggle
your fingers and say the magic words, ‘Hocuspocus,
bow-legged locust!’”
After the children say the magic words, look
down at your right hand, and discover that nothing
has happened. “Somebody didn’t say the
magic words. Let’s try it again, and this time,
everybody help!”
As they shout the magic words, use “The Multiplying
Move,” page 225, to produce the fourth
ball (actually, three balls and a shell). Turn your
right side slightly toward the audience, so your
left hand can secretly pick up the four-ball gim-

The Multiplying Billiard Balls
213
Figure 62.
The four-ball
gimmick is
attached to
your belt
beneath your
coat so it can
be secretly
picked up
by your
left hand.
mick you have hung on your belt (on your left
side, beneath your coat).
“I don’t know if this is going to work. We may
have to . . .” By this time, the fourth ball has
already appeared, and the children are pointing
this out to you. In the midst of their distraction,
pick up the four-ball gimmick, but keep it to
your left side, out of sight for the moment [Figure
62]. Look down at your right hand, noticing that
the fourth ball has appeared.
“You are absolutely amazing! How did you do
that? You’ll have to tell me . . .” As you babble
about their amazing feat, bring your left hand
to the front and wait—for about, oh, half-asecond—for
them to notice that both hands are
now completely full.
Let them respond for a few moments before
declaring, “You are too amazing for me. I think
you’re just trying to confuse me!” Dispose of the

214 Big Laughs for Little People
balls by dropping them into your suitcase or
whatever container you are using. Quickly come
back to the front for a bow, if the teachers have
led a round of applause. If they haven’t, you can
lead the audience in a hand for themselves or
go on with your next routine, still baffled about
that amazing magic.

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
215
Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
The following sleights are used in the billiard
ball routine. These detailed explanations are
made separately to avoid cluttering the description
of the routine. If you are uncomfortable
presenting sleight-of-hand, welcome to the club.
Many entertainers shy away from the “difficult
stuff.” Certainly, you should not attempt any
of these sleights until they are completely mastered.
But if you’re hesitant about this “hard
stuff,” why not give it a try, just for fun, and see
whether or not you can do it. You never know
until you try.
The French Drop
This is a basic—and excellent—method of vanishing
small objects. Unfortunately, it has been
burlesqued by performers who execute the move
in both senses of the word. When performed
with quick, erratic, suspicious movements—the
magician pointing determinedly at the hand in
which the object is supposed to be—it looks
pretty weird. But done in a natural, deliberate
manner, the French Drop is extremely effective
and deceptive.
Hold the ball in your right hand, between your
thumb and middle finger [Figure 63]. Your hand
should be turned so your palm is facing up (your
forefinger nearest the audience and your little
finger nearest your body).
Approach the ball with your left hand, as if to
take it from your right hand. The palm of your

216 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 63. The French Drop. Hold ball
between your right thumb and forefinger.
Reach for it with your left hand.
Figure 64. Curl your left hand fingers
around the ball, but allow it to drop into
your right palm.
Figure 65. Performer’s view. Drop the
ball into your right palm, keeping the
fingers of your left hand curled, as though
you are holding the ball.

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
217
left hand is aiming toward the ball. Let your left
thumb go beneath the ball and your left fingers
close around it [Figure 64]. As your left fingers
cover the ball, let it drop into your right palm
[Figure 65]. At the same time, turn your right
palm a little more toward your body. Your right
middle finger presses the ball into the Classic
Palm position in your right hand, while your left
hand—supposedly containing the ball—moves a
few inches up and to the left. Curl the fingers of
your left hand, so it really seems as though you
are holding the ball.
Allow your right hand, now palming the ball,
to drop slightly—so the left hand is the focus of
attention. There is no need to vigorously point toward
the left hand. Simply allow the right hand,
with the ball in the Classic Palm, to naturally
move down toward your waist, out of the way.
The Classic Palm
The object of this sleight is to conceal an
item—usually a coin or a ball—in your palm,
leaving your hand as natural as possible.
Place the item in the palm of your hand, gripping
it by tightening the muscles slightly [Figure
66]. Let your fingers curl naturally. Do not try
to keep your fingers straight or twist your hand
into any other unnatural contortion.
To make sure you are palming the item correctly,
allow your empty hand to drop to your
side, completely relaxed. Look at your hand in
a mirror—this is how it should look when you
are palming a billiard ball.

218 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 66. The Classic Palm.
Many people find that the Classic Palm takes
a great deal of practice. Your skin should not be
too dry or rough, otherwise the smooth surface
of the ball will not adhere to your palm. As I
mentioned in describing the routine, you may
want to try rubbing a small amount of glycerin
on your hands to get them properly moisturized.
The Burling Hull Change-over Palm
This is one of many methods for showing both
hands empty. Burling Hull called these ruses
“acquitments”—you prove that both hands are
empty, showing that you are “not guilty” of having
the ball. Occasionally, you find a performer
using several “acquitments” to prove his hands
empty. But this doesn’t make sense. Once you
have shown them empty using one method, it
is only a confession of guilt to continue showing
them empty with a variety of peculiar gestures. I
recommend Burling Hull’s method of doing the
Change-over Palm because it is one of the sim-

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
219
Figure 67. The Burling Hull Change-over Palm.
plest and most honest-looking ways of showing
your hands empty.
With the ball Classic Palmed in your right
hand, and the right side of your body turned
toward the audience, your left hand is open and
extended to the left of your body. With your right
hand, reach up to your left sleeve and pull it
back slightly, proving there is nothing up your
sleeve. Turn your left hand back and front once
to show it completely empty.
Bring your right hand (with the palmed ball)
up to your left hand [Figure 68]. (Your left hand
should be extended an inch or two farther than
your right.) Transfer the ball by allowing it to
strike the heel of your left hand, as you bring
your hands together, rolling the ball into the
Classic Palm position in your left hand [Figures
68 and 69]. As you grip the ball, pivot your left
hand upward so the backs of both hands are
toward the audience [Figure 70].
At the same time, begin to bring your hands

220 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 68.
Bring your
palms
together
briefly.
Figure 69.
Performer’s
view.
Transfer the
ball from
Classic Palm
in your right
hand to
Classic Palm
in your left
hand.
Figure 70.
Pivot the left
hand (now
holding the
palmed ball)
so the back
of the hand
is toward the
audience.

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
221
Figure 71.
After
bringing
your hands
to your right
side, turn
your right
hand over
to show that
it’s empty.
over to the right side of your body. As you turn,
both hands will momentarily point down as you
swing them to the right, keeping the backs of
your hands toward the audience.
When your hands are to the right of your body
(your right hand on top, left hand on bottom),
pause briefly, then turn your right hand over to
show it empty [Figure 71]. The ball, of course,
is gripped in your left palm.
To once again show your left hand empty,
simply reverse the technique—bring your hands
together, grip the ball in your right palm, pivot
your right hand up so the back is toward the
audience, and bring your hands back to the left
side of your body, where you may then turn over
your now empty left hand.
I mentioned the absurdity of showing the
hands empty several times consecutively, using
a variety of acquitments. But I think this
extra showing in the Change-over Palm is fine
because it is a continuation of a gesture you are
already making.

222 Big Laughs for Little People
One additional point: When holding your
hands on either side of your body to show them
empty, do not hold them out too far. It would be
an odd gesture to extend your arms fully as you
show your hands empty. Keep your elbows bent
and your hands fairly close to you to make the
Change Over Palm more natural and convincing.
Open-hand Reappearance
This sleight lets you bring the ball to your
fingertips from the Classic Palm position. I believe
this is an original sleight. But no one has a
copyright on common sense, and that’s all this
is. It’s a plain and simple way to get the ball back
into view using one hand.
Once you have displayed both hands empty,
and the ball is now—let’s say—in your left palm
[Figure 72], the back of that hand toward the
audience, allow your empty right hand to fall to
your side. Look away from your left hand and
toward the audience. Bend your left middle finger
inward, wrapping it around the palmed ball
[Figure 73]. With a good grip on the ball (using
your middle finger only), begin to roll the ball out
of your palm [Figure 74]. Do this by somewhat
straightening your finger and keeping pressure
against the ball. After you have rolled the ball
forward out of your palm, use your thumb to
push it between your forefinger and middle
finger [Figure 75]. As soon as you have the ball
gripped between your fingers, allow your hand
to straighten to as normal a posture as possible,
given the circumstances! The ball has now ap-

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
223
Figure 72. Backstage
view. Ball is Classic
Palmed.
Figure 73. Middle
finger wraps around
the ball.
Figure 74. Backstage
view. Middle finger rolls
the ball out of Classic
Palm.
Figure 75. Thumb
pushes the ball
between the forefinger
and middle finger
Figure 76. Middle finger wraps
around the ball.

224 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 77. The
Multiplying Move.
Hold the ball and
shell between
thumb and
forefinger.
Figure 78.
Bring your middle
finger up to the
top of the ball.
Apply pressure
so you can pivot
the ball with your
middle finger and
forefinger.
Figure 79. Pivot
your middle finger
back into position,
bringing the ball
out of the shell.

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
225
peared between your fingers, “unknown” to you.
The Multiplying Move
This is usually performed with the hands held
out to the side. But in the routine I describe,
this move is performed with your right hand
held about ten inches in front of your body, at
chest-level. Hold a ball, covered with the shell,
between your right thumb and fore finger, with
the shell toward the audience [Figure 75]. Bring
your middle finger to the upper side of the ball.
Maintain a grip on the shell with your thumb and
forefinger, but allow your middle finger and forefinger
to get a hold on the ball [Figure 76]. Pivot
your middle finger back into position, carrying
the ball as it swings down. You will now have the
shell held between your thumb and fore finger,
and the ball held between your forefinger and
middle finger [Figure 77]. It will appear to the
audience that one ball has multiplied into two.
Loading a Palmed Ball into the Shell
Once you have used “The Multiplying Move”
to create the illusion of two balls, and you have
palmed another ball in your left hand (see routine),
this move lets you load the extra ball into
the shell. With the ball loaded into the shell (set
for another multiplier effect), you can “prove”
that the balls are solid.
Here’s how: Having finished “The Multiplying
Move,” the shell and one ball are in your right
hand. Swing your right hand to the right of

226 Big Laughs for Little People
your body, keeping the front of the shell toward
the audience.
(The shell is between your thumb and forefinger,
and the ball is between your forefinger
and your middle finger.) In your left hand is a
palmed ball. Bring your left hand toward your
right hand. As you do so, roll the ball palmed in
your left hand forward into a finger palm position.
With your left thumb and forefinger, reach
for the real ball in your right hand [Figure 78].
When your left hand blocks the audience’s
view of the shell, roll the finger palmed ball into
the shell using your left middle finger [Figure
79]. At the same time, take hold of the real ball
(that your right hand is holding) with your left
thumb and forefinger. Pull the ball away from
your right hand and display it. You now have a
loaded shell in your right hand, between your
thumb and forefinger, and a single ball in your
left hand.
Hold the ball in your left hand beneath the ball
and shell in your right hand [Figure 80]. Strike
the balls together, hitting them slightly toward
the back so you do not strike the shell. It will
appear that you have struck the balls together
and proved them solid—which, of course, you
have. You have simply avoided hitting and revealing
the shell.
After striking the balls, replace the ball (held
by the left hand) between the forefinger and
middle finger of the right hand. This will leave
your left hand empty, and your right hand with
a ball and shell between your thumb and fore-

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
227
Figure 80. What the
audience sees. You
are apparently taking
hold of the top ball.
Figure 81.
Backstage view. You
are actually loading
a palmed ball into the
shell.
Figure 82. Hold
the balls apart, then
strike them together
to prove that they are
solid. The ball and
shell are in your right
hand; your left hand
holds a single ball.

228 Big Laughs for Little People
finger, and a ball between your forefinger and
middle finger. In this position, you can—if you
choose—proceed with the final, and to be truthful,
most difficult sleight in the routine.
Two-to-three
In the original edition of this book, I mentioned
that Florida magician Ned Way showed me a version
of this sleight, credited to Frank Garcia. Ned
later told me this was not the sleight he showed
me. Well, I’ll still give him credit for inspiring this
handling. It is a beautiful and baffling move, because
you apparently show all sides of two balls,
as they visibly change into three balls.
Mastering this sleight is cruel and unusual
punishment. However, I have found this to be
an excellent sleight, which greatly impresses the
adults as well as the children. I recommend this
move for the brave and strong of heart.
After you have loaded a ball into the shell, as
described above, you are left with a ball and shell
between your right thumb and forefinger and a
ball between your forefinger and middle finger
[Figure 81]. The back of your right hand (with
the balls) is toward the audience. (Figures 81,
82, 83 show the backstage view.) Bring your ring
finger down beneath the single real ball [Figure
82]. Apply pressure against the ball, then swing
your finger back up, pivoting the ball upward at
the same time [Figure 83]. The single ball should
now be located between your middle finger and
your ring finger. The ball and shell are still between
your thumb and forefinger.

Basic Billiard Ball Sleights
229
Figure 83. Hold the ball
and shell between thumb
and forefinger; a solid ball
between forefinger and
middle finger.
Figure 84. Bring
your ring finger down
and press against the
underside of the regular
ball.
Figure 85. Pivot ring
finger back up, carrying
the ball with it. The ball
is now lodged between
the middle finger and ring
finger. The ball and shell
are still between thumb
and forefinger.
Figure 86. The
audience’s view. Turn
the palm side of your
middle finger, ring
finger, and pinkie
toward audience, but
leave your thumb and
forefinger stationary.
Figure 87. Grip the ball
(from the shell) between
your forefinger and
middle finger. As you
turn your hand back
around, a third ball
magically appears.

230 Big Laughs for Little People
Here comes the strange part. Turn your hand
over, so the palm side of your hand is facing the
audience. But as you turn, do not let the ball
and shell turn over. Allow your hand and three
fingers (middle, ring, and pinkie) to pivot, but
your thumb and forefinger remain unturned
[Figure 84]. This leaves the shell (still covering
a ball) facing the audience.
As your other fingers turn over, allow the ball
in the shell to lodge between your forefinger and
middle finger. At this point, pause. (First, to get
your breath, and second to let the audience realize
you have turned your hand over to show
them both sides—apparently—of both balls.)
Make sure you get a good grip on the ball (still
in the shell) with your forefinger and middle
finger. Turn your hand back over, but allow the
ball to stay gripped between your forefinger and
middle finger [Figure 85]. The back of your hand
should now be toward the audience. Between
your thumb and forefinger is the empty shell, appearing
to the audience as a solid ball. Between
your forefinger and middle finger is a solid ball,
and another solid ball is between your middle
finger and your ring finger.
You have apparently shown two balls front
and back, then created a third ball right before
their eyes.

Cash Surprises
231
Cash Surprises
Effect
The performer finds a coin behind a child’s ear.
Then he discovers another one, and another. He
finds money on other children, and finally on
himself, dropping all the coins into a glass, so
the audience can see and hear that the money
is real.
Props Needed
• Four half-dollars. (I prefer real silver halves,
dated 1964 or earlier. Brightly polished, they
look better than the metal alloy coins of more
recent years. Other performers, including Fetaque
Sanders, use silver dollars. Experiment
to find out which size coin suits you the best.)
• Medium-sized glass. I used an opaque plastic
tumbler for several years, but Chris Carey
suggested that a real, clear drinking glass would
look and sound better. To get around the dangers
of carrying a glass, I use a clear plastic soap
dispenser and discarded the top with the soap
pump. These are made of a hard plastic which
still makes a nice ringing sound as the coins
are dropped.
Set-up
Turn the glass on its side. Place three half
dollars, overlapping each other, inside the glass
near the rim. Put the fourth half dollar in your

232 Big Laughs for Little People
right pants pocket, or coat pocket—whichever
provides easiest access.
Routine
Begin with the fourth coin in the Classic Palm
position. (Since this effect has never been my
opening number, I keep the coin in my pocket
and palm it as I begin my patter.)
“Now, I’d like to show you….” Pause in midsentence,
looking at a girl on or near the front
row. Look surprised.
“Excuse, me…I couldn’t help noticing …that…
[reach toward her ear—your hand appears empty
since the coin is Classic Palmed]…you have a
coin behind your ear! ” Execute “The Valadon
Catch” (see page 240), and holding the coin at
your fingertips, bring it up slowly so everyone
can see it. Look at the half dollar with an expression
of wonder.
Figure 87. Turn
the tumbler on
its side and
stagger three
half dollars
inside near the
mouth.

Cash Surprises
233
Figure 88. This girl is loaded with cash!
Looking back to the girl, ask, “Did you know
you had that dangling from your ear? It’s the
latest in high-fashion jewelry—money earrings!
I guess I should give this back to you, since I
found it behind your ear. Here you go.” Perform
“The French Drop” (see page 215) or other coin
vanish, pretending to toss the coin to the girl,
meantime putting it in the Classic Palm position
(see page 217) in your right hand.

234 Big Laughs for Little People
Feign surprise when the coin apparently vanishes
in mid-air. “Don’t worry. I see another one
on this side!” Reach behind her other ear, performing
the Valadon Catch again, then displaying
the coin at your fingertips very deliberately.
Addressing the audience: “This girl is loaded
with cash! [Place the coin in your pocket—actually
Classic Palming it—and nod toward the girl.]
Thank you very much! I needed that!”
Look at her again, scrutinizing her very closely.
“Now, this is interesting. Here’s one right on top
of your noggin!” Remove a coin from the top of
her head (again, using the Valadon Catch or
other method to bring the coin to your fingertips
from the Classic Palm).
“We had better get something to put this
money in.” Reach back for the glass. Cover the
overlapped coins with the fingers of your left
hand, as you pick up the tumbler and come to
the front. Pretend to drop the half dollar into
the glass, but palm it instead. As you pretend to
drop the coin, secretly release one of the coins
hidden by your left hand.
Continue: “But, you know, what really amazes
me . . .” Stop again, in surprise, and look at a
boy near the front.
“I can’t believe it! He has money hanging off of
his head, too!” Reach behind his head, and pull
out the half dollar. Look at it carefully. Pretend
to drop it into the glass, actually palming the
coin and dropping the second concealed coin
from your left hand into the glass.
“And, look! There’s one here!” Step along the
front row to another child, removing a coin from

Cash Surprises
235
his or her ear. Pretend to drop it into the glass,
actually releasing the third concealed coin from
your left hand.
You now have three half dollars in the glass
and one half dollar Classic Palmed in your right
hand. Since you have produced coins from
several children, many of the others may want
to get in on the act. To prevent noisy chorus of
“Try me! Check my ear!”—divert the attention
to yourself.
Step back to center stage, and try to talk. But
cough, instead. Shake your head, trying to get a
grip on your voice. Then swallow hard and take
hold of your tie. Hold it loosely about the middle
with your right hand, and hold the glass underneath
your tie with your left hand. Shake your tie
and allow the Classic Palmed coin to drop from
your hand. The coin will fall down behind your
tie and appear to come out the bottom, landing
in the glass.
Now, pour the coins out of the glass into your
hand. “Look at all this money!” Pour the coins
from your hand back into the glass, openly
retaining one. Put the glass away and hold the
single half dollar up for everyone to see.
“It’s time for us to get on with the show, but
I certainly don’t want to be selfish about this
money. So, I’ll tell you what. I’m going to make
you a very special offer.” French Drop the coin,
or use another vanish to get the coin into the
Classic Palm position.
Holding up your left hand (supposedly containing
the coin) say, “I’m going to toss this out,
and the first one who catches it, gets to keep it.

236 Big Laughs for Little People
Ready? Here goes!” Pretend to toss the coin into
the audience. Kids will reach up for it, until they
find that it has vanished.
“Wait! There it is! Do you see it?” Pretend to
spot the coin in mid-air, somewhere over their
heads. Follow the flight of this invisible coin as
it circles the room, then appears to be getting
closer to you. Back up a little bit as it supposedly
approaches you. Make a grabbing motion about
ten inches in front of your face, producing the
coin at your fingertips.
“Here it is! And, since I was the first one to
catch it, I guess I get to keep it!” Smiling broadly,
drop the coin into your pocket.
You are now faced with the job of appeasing
them. If the children laugh, as they often do,
realizing they have been tricked, you can say
whimsically, “Easy come, easy go. But let’s get on
with the show!” But if you choose, you can ease
the pain more by offering to give away a special
prize at the end of the show. In the days when I
made balloon animals, I sometimes gave one to
the first boy or girl who says the magic words.
(The magic words are “please” and “thank you.”)
If you opt for this gift idea, close out the coin
routine by saying, “Well, it looks like someone
has been tricked! But I’ll make it up to you, because—before
the end of the show—I’m going to
be giving away a special prize to someone in the
audience. And I’ll tell you who that person is, in
just a few minutes. Right now, though, it’s time
for. . .” Then proceed with your next routine.

Cash Surprises
237
Figure 89. “She has so much money, I can hear it
rattling in her head!”
Another Version
In recent years, rather than picking coins off
the ears of several children, I single out one girl
on the front row. This prevents other children
from wanting you to find coins in their ears. In
this version, say, “I just saw the most unusual
earring—look at this.” Reach down to the girl’s
right ear and bring out a coin at your fingertips.
Proceed with the routine, offering to return
the coin but making it vanish instead. After the
coins have been produced and dropped into the
tumbler, say, “This girl is loaded with money. I
can even hear it rattling in her head.” Turn your
right side toward the audience, with the glass of
coins behind you in your left hand. Lean down
toward the girl and gently shake her head with

238 Big Laughs for Little People
your right hand. As you do so, give the glass of
coins a good shake behind your back. This gets
a good laugh, even though the children know
you’re only kidding.
Another way to end the routine is to display
all the half dollars in your right hand and say,
“Before we bring out our next special feature,
we’re going to have a little contest—a very quick
contest. The first one who catches these coins…
gets to keep them. Ready?” Pretend to transfer
the coins to your left hand, retaining them in
your right. Toss the supposed coins out over
the audience with your left hand. The kids will
make a quick grab into the air. About three or
four seconds later, exclaim, “Oh! I got them!”
Quickly reach out with your right hand in a
grabbing motion and allow the coins to rattle as
you pretend to catch them. Triumphantly, pour
them from your right hand into your left. Smile
and say, “This is my lucky day.” Then proceed
with your next routine.
Adapt What You Already Know
Throughout this book, I have tried to give the
patter and presentation I have used in hundreds
of shows. However, I did omit three things from
this coin routine, because it seemed unlikely
that many, if any, readers would want to learn
the sleights. These are things I had already
mastered when I put together this routine. The
sleights I have described should be sufficient to
present an effective display of coin magic. But for
the curious, my full-length routine also includes

Coin Sleights
239
• The visible coin “falling up.”
• Multiple-coin vanish and reappearance,
mentioned in “Another Version,” above.
• Invisible coin flight from my left hand to
right hand, using the back thumb palm and
one-handed reappearance.
As I say, these are sleights that I happened to
know when I started working on my children’s
routine. Other coin effects can also be worked
into the routine quite easily, so—of course—I
hope you will adapt this presentation to your
own special skills and make it uniquely yours.
Coin Sleights
Two Sleight Encores
I recommend two sleights which have already
been explained in the billiard ball section. “The
Classic Palm” [Figure 90] and “The French Drop”
work as well with coins as with billiard balls.
The Sound of Money
A key part of the coin-catching act, or Miser’s
Dream, is creating the audio-illusion of dropping
the produced coins into the container. My
routine uses a plastic tumbler—others use a pail
or (of all things) an opera hat.
To create the sound of coins falling into the
tumbler, what better secret gimmick could you
use than…coins! Here’s the set-up: Turn the
glass (plastic tumbler) on its side. Now, place

240 Big Laughs for Little People
an overlapping row of three coins in the mouth
of the glass [Figure 87]. When you pick up the
glass with your left hand, cover the coins with
your fingers, positioning your thumb on the
outside of the glass.
During the routine, as you pretend to drop
coins into the tumbler, release one coin at a
time. After you have dropped the three coins, you
can simulate the sound of more coins dropping
in. Simply strike the lip of the glass with your
right hand, as you pretend to drop in additional
money. The noise the coins make as they rattle
in the bottom of the glass will create an excellent
audio-illusion.
The Valadon Catch
The only other sleight for this routine is a
special method of producing coins at your finger
tips—bringing them into view from the Classic
Palm position. Burling Hull taught me this when
I was about 14 or 15 years old, and I have used it
ever since. I have never found this move in print,
and though I’ve shown it to several expert coin
workers, no one seems to have seen it before.
This shouldn’t be too surprising because Burling
learned the sleight from Paul Valadon, Kellar’s
choice (before Howard Thurston) as successor
to his show. Burling told me many times that
Paul Valadon was the finest all-around magician
he had ever seen.
Hold a coin in the Classic Palm position
[Figure 90]. (The back of your hand will be toward
the audience.) Bend your middle finger in

Coin Sleights
241
Figure 90. The Classic Palm using a half dollar.
toward your palm [Figure 91]. Press down on
the closest edge of the coin, causing it to pivot
upward [Figure 92]. When the coin swings up,
you will be able to clip it between your ring
finger and middle finger [Figure 93]. With the
coin securely clipped, you may now straighten
your fingers, and the coin will be seen at your
fingertips [Figures 94 and 95]. Thus, you will
have produced a coin at your fingertips, with
your fingers separated, and your hand apparently
empty.
I usually make an immediate transfer of the
coin to a different position. I bring my thumb
up to the outermost edge of the coin [Figure 96],
and flipping it away from my ring finger, I grip
it between my middle finger and thumb [Figure
97]. This is an optional move, not part of the
Valadon Catch described to me by Burling Hull.
I use the extra movement, however, because
it shows off the coin a little more, letting the

242 Big Laughs for Little People
light strike the coin as it flips over. Also, holding
the coin between your thumb and middle
finger seems more natural than the original
“catch” position.
Figure 91.
The Valadon
Catch. With
the coin in
Classic Palm
position, bend
your middle
finger toward
the coin and
press down on
the edge.
Figure 92.
Pressing down
on the edge
of the coin
causes it to
pivot upward.

Coin Sleights
243
Figure
93. Clip
the coin
between
your ring
finger and
middle
finger.
Figure 94.
With the
coin securely
held
between
your forefinger
and
middle finger,
straighten
your fingers
to produce
the coin.
Figure 95.
Audience’s
view of the
produced coin.

244 Big Laughs for Little People
Figure 96.
To display
the coin
differently,
bring your
thumb up
to the outermost
edge of
the coin and
flip it away
from your
ring finger.
Figure 97.
Grip the coin
between your
thumb and
middle finger.

245
Conclusion
How can you get
the best possible
response from
the material you
present?
Here are some
things to check
to guarantee
maximum
results.

246 Big Laughs for Little People
Blessed
is the man
who has
found
his work.
Thomas Carlyle

Conclusion
247
Conclusion
When I was writing this book, Fetaque Sanders
told me about one of the risks involved in publishing
my routines. Some people, he predicted,
would buy the book, read my routines, and try
to be me. I sincerely hope each reader knows
that the script is only part of the game.
The routines in this book work for me. They
are funny, sometimes baffling, and they get good
audience reactions. But the performer’s presentation—interpretation
of the script—can make
or break a routine. I once saw a play presented
by a professional theater group in Nashville. It
was an intense, emotional production, with just
enough comic relief to keep the audience from
melting into tears. The director actually used the
tension of the play to strengthen the effectiveness
of the comedy. I later saw the same play—
the same script, the same words—presented by
a different group, and the director didn’t get it.
The lines which should have provided humorous
relief weren’t well-timed or delivered properly.
The funny stuff, delivered in a serious way,
came out serious. The mood of the audience, as
we streamed out of the theater, was depressed.
Interpretation makes or breaks a play.
If you try material in this book, and it doesn’t
work, there are a couple things to check.
First, check your delivery. Are you pausing in
the right places? Are you pausing long enough?
Should you emphasize a different word or
phrase? Should you deliver a line in dialect?

248 Big Laughs for Little People
If the comedy still doesn’t come across, the
second thing to check is your personality.
Perhaps the gag or routine doesn’t fit you. I’ve
written this material as I have delivered it. That
doesn’t mean you need to follow it word-forword.
I’ve seen some hilarious routines that I
couldn’t do because they didn’t fit my style.
For example, look at two well-known performers
on opposite ends of the spectrum: Terry
Seabrooke and David Ginn. They are completely
different, but both good in their fields.
When David is trying to let the children in
his audiences know they aren’t clapping loudly
enough, he may say, “What’s that? I think I
heard a cricket out the window.” I doubt that
would work in Manhattan, even if the children
had crickets out their windows. But after 30
years of full-time performing, David knows his
rural Georgia audiences, and he gets laughs
from the simplest and sometimes, most nonsensical,
jokes.
On the other hand, take Terry Seabrooke.
When a child helper is on stage he asks the child
pleasantly, “Do you like magic?”
“You do? Well, that’s fine, but I don’t like
children.” I’ve seen him roundly abuse children
on stage, but his delivery is so perfect that he
doesn’t offend them. I’ve watched his audience
helpers carefully to see how they are taking his
W. C. Fieldsian attitude—and they seem to love
him! He breaks every rule of good manners in
dealing with audience helpers, and he gets away
with it.

Conclusion
249
I’m pretty sure there’s only one Terry Seabrooke,
so I hope no one tries to imitate him. By the
same token, your personality may be far different
from mine, so feel free to re-write the scripts in
this book to fit you.
No doubt, you have heard the oft-quoted epigram
of Robert-Houdin, “A magician is an actor,
playing the part of a conjuror.” This familiar
saying has been a source of confusion to many
performers. Why? Because they misinterpret
that quotation and try to be somebody they’re
not. I met a charming gentleman recently, whose
manner is wonderful and confident and warm.
But when he gets on stage, he becomes someone
else. That lovable manner evaporates in the heat
of the footlights, and he plays the part of a person
who isn’t nearly as pleasing as his real self.
Occasionally, you find a performer talented
enough to play a role. My friend John Young
was once called to do a birthday party. The
mother said, “ I don’t want a clown, and I don’t
want a guy in a suit doing magic tricks. I want a
real magician.”
“Oh, then you want Zomar,” John said, naming
and creating a new character on the spot.
He arrived at the show wearing a turban and
other mysterious garb, looking the part of someone
who might really know magic. The eightyear-old
guests, seated on the ground, looked
at him with considerable respect.
John spoke in his best and deepest radio
voice. “Good afternoon. My name is Zomar. It
will be my pleasure to show you some mysteries
of magic today.”

250 Big Laughs for Little People
And quoting Dunninger, which he had always
wanted to do, he said, “To those who believe, no
explanation is necessary. To those who do not
believe, no explanation is possible.” He wasn’t
smiling. Neither were the kids. They looked
at him in wonder and awe, and not once during
the entire show did Zomar have trouble
with hecklers.
By the end of the show, John was still in control.
A boy who, on any other occasion would
have been rambunctious, was called on to help
Zomar with the Sword Through Neck. John
pushed the sword through the stocks. As the
boy looked down and saw the sword coming
through the front of the stocks, he looked very
surprised, and knowing the sword had gone
straight through, he coughed and cleared his
throat to help it along!
It was a great performance, a beautiful example
of an actor playing the part of a conjuror. But
how many are capable of doing this? I suspect
that there are more performers capable of being
themselves and getting a good audience reaction.
Many times, we are too tense to let our real
selves come through. We look as though we’ve
been reading the book, You MUST Relax. Instead
of enjoying our time with the audience, we are
worried about everything else in the world.
“What if the kids catch this trick? What if the
tape doesn’t hold? What if I lose control of the
audience? What if . . .” There are lots of what-ifs,
but most of them never happen.
If you give yourself permission to relax and—to

Conclusion
251
use Chris Carey’s phrase—“do the stuff that’s
you,” you’re far more likely to give the spectators
their money’s worth than if you fretted and
stewed about all the negative possibilities.
Make sure your script fits your personality,
and practice until it becomes a part of you. If
you follow this track, you will most likely get “big
laughs from little people.” But most importantly,
both you and your audience will enjoy the ride.

252 Big Laughs for Little People
About the Author
Samuel Patrick Smith began a full-time
career of entertaining children over 35 years
ago. Several thousand performances later, he
wrote two books on working with children, Big
Laughs for Little People and Kiddie Patter and
Little Feats. His seven other books, including On
Stage: Bringing Out the Better Performer in You,
focus on showmanship and marketing.
As the founder of SPS Publications and spsmagic.com,
Sammy has produced over 50 books,
videos, and props for children’s entertainers.
He has lectured and performed throughout the
United States and Canada, but his favorite audience
is in Eustis, Florida, where he lives with
his wife and two sons.