Saturday, June 30, 2012

JUMBO SPLIT DECK

Split Deck, Jumbo 


Show a Jumbo Bicycle deck that has been cut in half diagonally.  Split in two - the hard way!

The cards for both halves are fanned face up to show they are mixed then turned back face down. 

A spectator selects a half card from the first half of the deck, and a second spectator selects a half card from the second half of the deck.

Amazingly, when the selected halves are put together and turned face up they match perfectly to form a complete card!  
A truly baffling effect that will have your audience on their feet!

Jumbo Bicycle cards allow you to perform close-up or on stage.  Easy to do.  Beautifully made and complete with instructions from Tin City Magic.

STRING OF FLAGS

Production String of Flags - Jumbo - Silk for Magic Tricks 

Wonderful production item that goes on and on.  Each flag represents that of a major world country.  Now wherever you go, your act will be a big hit!  Produce these colorful flags from any production prop including the square circle, dove pan, mirror box, phantom tube, change bag, newspaper, etc.   Pure silk flags are attached to a woven silk cord for maximum durability while compressing into a very small space.  May be used over and over again.  Available in different sizes to meet your needs at Tin City Magic!

ILLUSION SAUCER



Witness the amazing optical illusion created by the Illusion Saucer.  This proves that looks can be deceiving!

You will believe you can reach out and touch the ball.  But when you do, your hand will pass right through the hologram image.  Other small objects, such as a ring, a coin, or a piece of candy, can also be viewed with the Illusion Saucer.  

The illusion is perfect, and you can view the item from all around the Illusion Saucer.

A great conversation starter, perfect for home or office.  NO batteries required.  EASY to setup.  ENTERTAINING for all.

This is just one item in our Fourth of July sale at Tin City Magic.  Come down and check it out today!

Friday, June 29, 2012

PIRATE SWORD



Swashbuckler's prize!  Pirate sword is made of plastic with a long curved silver blade and 
antique gold handle.  Measures approximately 19 inches in length.  Available now at Tin City Magic!

MISMADE US FLAG



Mismade Flag


A classic magic effect perfect for patriotic shows!

You show three silk hankies - one red, one white, and one blue.  Placing them in an empty bag, you explain that you will transform them into a United States Flag.  

But you accidentally drop the blue hanky, and when you check the other hankies, they have transformed into a flag, minus the blue!  You put the mismade flag back into the bag, along with the blue scarf, but the magic again misfires and the flag comes out with all the colors, but in the wrong places!

Finally, you put the flag back in the bag and ask the audience to help.  When they shout "Fourth of July!" the flag is now a true US Flag and the audience bursts into spontaneous applause!

You again show the bag empty.  It's a great routine and a wonderful family effect that always gets amazing reactions.

We supply the hankies and the flags made from 100% pure silk, as well as the complete routine.  Use your change bag, or we have the perfect change bag at Tin City Magic that makes this a joy to perform.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

FORTUNE TELLING BOOK



Ask a question and open the book.  The book reveals the answer.  Responses to every possible question are yours for the asking.  A great gift and available now at Tin City Magic.

CAR BUGGY


Car Buggy
As Seen On National Television!

You hand out a small wooden car for examination.  You also use a deck of playing cards, which can be borrowed.

A card is selected and lost in the deck.  You lay down a "freeway" of cards.  The SPECTATOR rolls the car along the freeway.  It rolls freely until suddenly, it stops, and refuses to go further.

It STOPS on the SELECTED CARD!

This is a great trick that everyone loves.  There are no magnets, nothing added or taken away, nothing on the table or cards.  Just pure magic!

For young children use picture cards.  For women, let them write names on cards, and the "Love Bug" finds the name of that special someone.

Our Car Buggy is handcrafted of solid wood.  The tires are custom made for this effect and stop on a "dime."  There is no slippage even when used on glass.  This is very important because the effect is spoiled if the car skids past the selected card.  This will not happen when you use our Car Buggy.

Get yours today at Tin City Magic!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

SINGING DUCK PUPPET

ELECTRONIC SING-ALONG DUCK HAND PUPPET

MARVELOUS SINGING DUCK HAND PUPPET.   Make the duck quack 3 traditional children's songs with the opening and closing of his mouth.  Beautiful plush musical puppet with protruding eyes creates merriment the moment it appears.  


Children can sing along to the duck, or use the duck as a traditional puppet.  Sings "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," "Are You Sleeping, Brother John," and "London Bridge is Falling Down."  


No skill required, ages 4 and up.   Limited supply available now at Tin City Magic.

SPONGE STARS



Stars VANISH from your hand and APPEAR and then MULTIPLY in a spectator's hand.  The classic sponge balls, but shaped like stars.  Sponge stars open up new possibilities in sponge magic.  Plus, they won't roll off the table!

New to sponge magic?  Tin City Magic has several great books and DVDs that will get you going!  Check them out today!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

ILLUSIONOLOGY



Illusionology - the Secret Science of Magic.

Do you wonder how Harry Houdini performed his amazing feats?  Are you burning to learn the art of making a beautiful woman appear to levitate? 

Look closely, for the secrets of the world's most famous magicians and illusionists - from the ancient Egyptians through the early twentieth century "Handcuff King" himself - are contained within this spellbinding book! 

Not only a fascinating history of magic through the ages, Illusionology is also an indispensable guide unveiling step-by-step instructions for more than two dozen astonishing feats of legerdemain.  Master the classic cups-and-ball illusion!  Mesmerize your friends with mindreading card tricks!  Including: - A magical "dematerializer" - A set of trick playing cards - A pair of "disappearing spot" paddles - A "levitating" card - and more!

Full color hardcover with inset 3D lenticular picture and raised "gem" eye, with many props and illusions included,  Illusionology is a charming interactive book that enthralls everyone interested in the art of prestidigitation.

With an array of pull-out charts, mini books, pop-ups, and secret envelopes to be explored, Illusionology is the book to astonish, astound, and help you understand the truth behind the world’s most baffling illusions.

Available now at Tin City Magic!

STRETCHING CATAPULT CHICKEN



Put the chicken head on your finger, stretch it out. and slingshot it across the room.  Great new comedy prop for clowns or magicians.  Get yours today at Tin City Magic!

Monday, June 25, 2012

MATRIX POKER


Matrix Poker - Jim Steinmeyer and Alan Wakeling

Created by two heavyweights in the world of magic, Alan Wakeling and Jim Steinmeyer, Matrix Poker is great magic that packs a wallop!

The game is very simple.  You show a small purse which contains a prediction of money.  If your prediction is wrong, the spectator can keep the purse and the money it contains.  Along with the purse, you put 16 cards on the table.  Each card has a different monetary value printed on it.

A spectator - completely freely - selects four of the cards with monetary values.  The values are added together.  Surprisingly, despite the completely free selection, you have predicted the total exactly!  The very same amount the spectator selected is found inside the coin purse.

But, there's more.  The four selected cards are playing cards - and you predicted each of these cards right on the coin purse!  Hand the purse to the audience so they can verify the card suits and values are an exact match - and permanently printed on the back of the purse!

The trick requires no sleight of hand.  It works every time, all the time.

Matrix Poker comes complete with specially printed cards (from the US Playing Card Company), custom-manufactured coin purse, 
 specially printed bills, a card wallet, and illustrated instructions.
Made in the USA and available now at Tin City Magic.

US FLAG SILK



This beautiful US Flag is made of pure lightweight silk and measures 13 x 20 inches.  Perfect for all of your routines, including productions, blendos, change bags, and more.  Wave your colors for 4th of July shows with Tin City Magic!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

RIPPED & RESTORED



Three outstanding torn & restored card routines!  They are clever, relatively easy to perform, and the visual restorations look completely impossible.  

Yves Doumergue has stunned many knowledgeable magicians with his fantastic Ripped & Restored card.  This DVD teaches this, as well as other creative new methods which have been embraced by many professional magicians.

Routines performed and explained:
  • Ripped & Restored: An outstanding new handling for the torn and restored card.  A freely selected and signed card is torn into four pieces.  The four pieces are visibly fused together one piece at a time until the entire signed card is restored.  Everything is examinable and the restored card can be given as a souvenir.
  • Puzzle Card: A freely selected and signed picture card is torn into four pieces and restored in the strangest way.  After two of the pieces are fused together you magically restore the card in a ‘mismade’ condition where two of the corners are in the wrong places.  Instantly and visually the card is restored in its entirety.
  • Blended: A variation of Ripped & Restored where all four corners of the card are signed prior to the tearing.  The restoration is made by making each of the signed pieces fuse together until the entire card is fully restored.  A reputation maker!
Includes in-studio and live performances by Yves Doumergue.  Everything is fully explained.  All region DVD available now at Tin City Magic.

PUFF CIGAR


PUFF CIGAR - Joke / Prank / Gag Gift

These "puff" cigars are fake, but your audience can't tell!  They have a realistic-looking burning end, complete with ash, and a solid feel.  When you blow through the puff cigar a plume of smoke seems to appear from the lit end.  Stick the "lit" cigar in your pocket, or drop it onto the carpet or sofa, and watch the reactions!    Perfect for impressions of Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx, WC Fields, or other famous cigar smokers.  Very popular in theater productions where a character smokes but obviously a real lit cigar won't do.  Magicians use them for productions or manipulations.  Completely safe - there is no tobacco, fire, or real smoke in these products.  It is all an illusion!   Get yours today at Tin City Magic!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

CALEN MORELLI'S DRESSCODE

 

Imagine walking up to someone as you clearly and openly display your shirt.  You turn 360 degrees, and you're now wearing a completely different shirt. 

Created by Calen Morelli,  Dresscode is direct visual magic at it's finest.  It's simple, easy, and needs no patter.  The visual shock of the effect translates to any language, and any culture - it is true magic. 

The shirt at the end is completely normal.  The jacket is completely normal.  And the shirt is shown front and back before AND after the change. 

Dresscode can be done with ANY t-shirt, at ANY time.  Reset time is less than 15 seconds - you are ready to perform it once again.  It truly is the quickest, most practical quick change ever conceived.  You can wear the gimmick all day comfortably, without difficulty. 

With Dresscode, you'll be supplied with everything you need in over 45 minutes of detailed instruction by Calen Morelli.  The DVD contains performances and multiple applications to stimulate your creativity.  No gimmicked shirts are provided with the DVD - you will be using YOUR own shirt - whatever you want. 

The focus is on you.  Their eyes will be on you.  They will remember you.  Dresscode is the perfect opening to any act, walk around magic, or street magic set.  It is practical, easy, and provides a lightning fast reset.

Buy Dresscode today at Tin City Magic!

PATRIOTIC ROPES




A great trick you can do year round, but especially appropriate for the 4th of July.

Show three pieces of rope - one colored red, one white, and one blue.  In a flash, they blend into one long tricolored rope!

The transformation can even occur in the spectator's hands!  They can examine the rope - there's nothing to find!

Use it in any performing situation, from a living room to the largest stage.  Our special cotton rope makes this very easy to do, complete with illustrated instructions.  

ON SALE now today at Tin City Magic!


Friday, June 22, 2012

PK RING



Imagine being able to control objects with the power of your mind. Stop time or make small objects vanish or change with the wave of your hands.  Push a bottle cap through the bottom of a bottle.  Perform incredible cup and ball routines with borrowed objects.  You will be able to do all that and more with the powerful neodynium magnet finger ring!  Silver ring with a subtle spade design.  Check out this, as well as many other PK rings, available at Tin City Magic today!

CHIP TRICKS



Bluff Magazine columnist Rich Ferguson demonstrates and teaches how to do tricks, stunts, and flourishes with poker chips.  Many of these techniques are performed by poker players on television.  Magicians, poker dealers, and card players will all find this DVD engrossing.  Available now at Tin City Magic!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

CRYSTAL ORB MAGIC WAND

Crystal Wand Wizard Orb Wooden for Wiccan Spell Casting
The Crystal Orb Magic Wand is perfect for any wizard, and is a very useful prop for the serious magic practitioner.  Handmade from natural materials including wood, metal, and genuine clear quartz, this wand is a beautiful magic accessory.  Your wand comes complete with a wand pouch, magic wand instructions, a gift box, and a Magic Scroll.  Wand length is approximately 10 inches. 

  • Real Hardwood Magic Wand
  • Real Clear Quartz
  • Wand Pouch Included
  • Magic Wand Instructions Included
  • Gift Box Included

Get yours today at Tin City Magic!

BICYCLE BLACK ROBOCYCLE DECK



The US Playing Card Co developed this exciting deck based on robot designs from the 1950's.  The court cards feature robots instead of the traditional royalty, and the deck includes two custom robot jokers.  The back design is of the circuit boards from inside the robots and the custom ace of spades continues showing the inner workings of the robots.  Printed with metallic inks on premium stock.  Includes a blank faced card for special magic tricks.  Limited edition available now at Tin City Magic.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

WIZARD HAT TEARS


Hat Tear - Wizard

The Wizard Hat Tears are back!  Quality made in the USA and available now at Tin City Magic!

Show two pieces of tissue paper and tear them to pieces.   The torn pieces then magically transform into a large conical wizard's hat complete with stars!  The hat can be worn by yourself or an audience helper.  Put it on a child for a wonderful photograph.  Easy to do and always gets a nice round of applause.

With the current popularity of wizards like Harry Potter, Dumbledore, Merlin, and Gandalf, the wizard hat tear is a great, and topical, effect.

Packed 12 per bag and supplied complete with illustrated instructions and a suggested routine. 

Perfect for kid shows, Harry Potter-themed entertainments, and just about any performing situation you can imagine.

Pick them up today at Tin City Magic! 

ZIPPER BANANA

 


Tin City Magic brings you - the Zipper Banana!

- What do you call a banana with a zipper?  A fruit fly!

The Zipper Banana is a hilarious comedy prop.  Pull out a banana, unzip the skin, and eat the banana.  This jumbo visual gag provides many opportunities for fun!

- Bananas are never lonely because they hang around in bunches.

Zipper Banana comes with a removable imitation banana you can use as a puppet.  If you're not a vent let the banana whisper to you and you repeat back, "Your name is Chiquita?  You have a-PEEL?  You know Senator Dole?"

You can also replace the insides with other items, such as a real banana, a cucumber, a bottle, a yellow rope for your next trick, the choices are endless!

- Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana!

Great comedy mind reading prop -- the audience thinks of a food item, and you produce a banana.  Audience says that's not right, they were thinking of an ear of corn.  Unzip the banana to reveal an ear of corn!

- Bananas are sensitive.  They have peelings.

Get yours today at the fun store, Tin City Magic!

- Buy two and then you'll have a pair of slippers!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

PLATE LIFTER


PLATE LIFTER - Joke / Prank / Gag Gift

Make someone's plate or coffee cup mysteriously move from the opposite side of the table.  You control it.  The other person will think the plate has come alive!
Loads of fun at the dinner table from Tin City Magic!

BICYCLE VARIETY GAFFED DECK



Assorted gaff card deck, exact match to your standard poker size Bicycle Rider deck.  Perfect for magicians just needing a few gaffed cards for use with a variety of magic effects.  Tin City Magic also stocks full decks of each type of gaffed card.

Monday, June 18, 2012

DR. WHO IN YOUR POCKET KEYCHAIN



There are a lot of things you'd like to exterminate on a bad day.  That trick that didn't go right.  The heckler who kept on saying he knew how you did it.  The lady who simply couldn't remember her card.  Your agent who has changed the date of your booking eight times in the past three days.  Of course, really exterminating them is still illegal on Earth, so you'll have to make do with this fine keychain.
Doctor Who in Your Pocket is a keychain fob with exactly six buttons.  Each of these buttons is tied to a phrase or sound effect from the Doctor Who TV series, most notably those belonging to the Daleks, Cybermen, K-9, and the sexy TARDIS herself.  Press a button to Exterminate that annoying heckler.  Upgrade your agent to one that knows exactly what day you're supposed to perform.   And finally, vworp vworp vworp away in the TARDIS when life gets a little too much to bear.
Product Specifications
  • Press button, receive Who sounds
  • Officially licensed Doctor Who collectible
  • Classic lines from Daleks, Cybermen, and K-9.
  • Six Phrases:
    • You are an enemy of the Dalek; you must be destroyed.
    • Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!
    • You will be deleted. Delete, delete, delete.
    • You must be upgraded. Upgrading is compulsory.
    • Affirmative, Master.
    • Vworp, vworp, vworp (TARDIS materialization sound)

Get yours today at Tin City Magic.

WHITEBOARD MENTAL EPIC




A great whiteboard version of the classic Hen Fetsch "Mental Epic" Slate.   A classic of mentalism, brought up to date for a modern audience.

You make three predictions of apparently random items - say a person's name, the serial number on a bill, and a color, all chosen by members of the audience.

These predictions are found to be absolutely correct!  Your audience will be amazed!

Suitable for presentation under all conditions.  The results will be different every time you do it, but your predictions are always accurate!

The apparatus is compact enough to carry in a briefcase, but permits writing that can be seen at a considerable distance by a large audience.  Measures 8" x 11 3/4", complete with whiteboard marker and instructions.

We predict you'll love the Whiteboard Mental Epic at Tin City Magic!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS



Optical illusions are fundamental to many magic tricks and methods.  In this massive book, Al Seckel visually demonstrates and then analyzes many of the optical secrets used by magicians to baffle audiences for centuries.  Available now at Tin City Magic!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY



HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Fathers get a FREE MAGIC WAND just for stopping in today and mentioning FREE MAGIC WAND. 

Tin City Magic is open today, Father's Day, from Noon until 5pm.

Enjoy your day!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

MULTIPLYING SPONGE RABBITS



These soft sponge rabbits vanish, appear, and multiply IN THE SPECTATOR'S HAND.  One of the great tricks of magic, and available now at Tin City Magic.  

TRICKS WITH NUMBERS



Great DVD for students, teachers, and anyone who'd like to entertain whenever pencil and paper, or a whiteboard, are available.  A must have for anyone who does school programs or summer camps.  Fifteen easy to learn tricks that will fool your family and friends!  Be the coolest kid (or Dad) when you do tricks with numbers!

Included on this DVD:  Lightning Add, Invisible Dice, 142857, Heavy Digit, Square of Nine, and much more!

"My buddy David Garrard is not only a fine magician, he's also mighty smart.  These amazing tricks with numbers will make you look like a smart magician, too!"  Mac King, professional magician, Las Vegas, NV.

This is just one of the fine magic and related arts DVDs available at Tin City Magic.  Check out our comprehensive selection today!


Friday, June 15, 2012

MAGIC PAPER HAT TEARS



You show two pieces of colorful tissue paper.  Tear them in half, and in half again, until you are holding a handful of torn tissue.  Give them a magic twist and restore them into a colorful paper hat which can be placed on the head of an assistant.  Our expertly made hat tears are used by professionals worldwide.  Easy to do and a terrific effect. Comes with complete instructions and ideas for use!  Get some today at Tin City Magic!

DARTH VADER IN YOUR POCKET




Darth Vader's voice intones "I am your father."  Great gift for Father's Day!

When your audience expresses doubts about your ability to perform a miracle you have just promised, have Darth Vader say, "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Other iconic phrases available at the touch of a button include:

- The force is strong with this one
- If you only knew the power of the Dark Side
- You have failed me for the last time
- The force is with you young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet

as well as Darth Vader's distinctive breathing.  

Officially licensed Star Wars product.  Imported from the UK.   Check out this, and other great sound effects key chains, at Tin City Magic today!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

SQUARING THE CIRCLE



Show a large metal circle.  You can even hand it out.  Take it back, and hold it so it faces the audience.  Suddenly it visibly changes to a square!  Change it back just as easily.  A great effect that lends itself to many possibilities.  Available now at Tin City Magic!

FLAG DAY USA PLAYING CARDS



American Flag Playing Cards
The American Flag deck of cards is a Bicycle poker-size deck with distinctive patriotic features.  On the back, or outside, there is a snapshot of the stars and stripes crisply snapping in a breeze. On the playing side, there is a hidden world.  Kings, Queens, Jacks and Jokers feature imagery that is distinctly and proudly American. The Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol are just a few of the landmarks on this elegant and patriotic deck of cards.  Pick up several decks today at Tin City Magic.

THE COMPLETE MAGICIAN



Finally, a magic set designed for older teens and adults!  A great Father's Day gift!

Give the gift of magic.  The gift of performing a trick that leads to oohs and ahhs.  Of learning a new skills and dazzling dinner guests.  Of adding fun to parties, of delighting business associates, of completely bowling over friends and family.

Combining a great book, an entertaining instructional DVD, high quality props, and a sturdy, handsome case to hold it all, The Complete Magician is made for giving -- an impressive, all-in-one kit with everything an aspiring magician needs to put on a show, or to entertain when the moment arises.

The 288-page book is Magic: The Complete Course by Joshua Jay.  "Finally, a book that brings the art of magic into the 21st century!" (Rick Merrill, World Champion of Magic).  It combines expertise, more than 600 full-color photographs, and step-by-step directions for more than 100 amazing tricks, including the 10 Greatest Card Tricks.  Each trick is broken down into the Effect, the Secret, the Set-up, and, most important, the Performance, with lessons on what to say, how to direct the audience's attention, where to keep your hands, and more. 

The feature-length 132-minute all region DVD demonstrates 35 tricks, showing both how to do them and how to perform them convincingly.  This set includes tricks using items you would normally find in a home, office, or restaurant, as well as some using special props.

And the props are pro classics:  metal Linking Rings, Svengali Deck, Paranormal Deck, Magic "Pen-etrating" Pen, and more!

Attractively packaged in a full color box.  In stock now at Tin City Magic.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

MR. T IN YOUR POCKET



Forget the mace and brass knuckles. Just slip the "Mr. T In Your Pocket" talking keychain into your pants and you're secure as a member of the A-TEAM!  A must-have for any fan of the hit show or for anyone who remembers the 80's.  A great Father's Day gift -- he doesn't need any more of your back talk!
Each button produces one of 6 classic Mr. T phrases in his real voice:
- "I pity the fool."
- "Don’t gimme no back talk, sucka."
- "Quit your jibba jabba."
- "Don’t make me mad (growl)."
- "First name mister, middle name period, last name T."
- "Shut up, fool."
Great for magicians, comedians, or public speakers.  The perfect heckler stopper -- just hold it up to the microphone and press the button for a hilarious comeback that will bring the house down!
Mr. T would say "I pity the fool who doesn't buy one today at Tin City Magic!"
Replaceable batteries included.  Limited production run, imported from the UK.
Check out our great selection of other novelty key chains and sound devices at Tin City Magic.

HOUDINI BIOGRAPHY



HOUDINI - A photographic story of a life

A copiously illustrated biography that is fascinating.  It contains over 100 photographs of artwork, artifacts, and of Houdini himself, including photographs of his famous escapes, posters from throughout his career, and even images of his collection of handcuffs.  Author Vicki Cobb describes Harry Houdini as an American success story.  Born Ehrich Weiss, the kid who will become Harry Houdini leaves home at the age of 12, gets bored working in a tie factory, and starts practicing coin tricks in his spare time.  Eventually the son of poor immigrants would be selling out the theaters of Europe as the greatest magician and escape artist in the world.

To set the stage for Houdini's life, Cobb begins with a prologue, "Failure Means a Drowning Death," that talks about his performance in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 27, 1908.  Having escaped from the local police station the day before, Houdini performs his "Death-Defying Mystery: Escape from a galvanized iron can filled with water and secured by massive locks."  By the time you get to the part where you wonder how he did it, Cobb has you interested in how Houdini became the greatest magician of all time. The book then sets the stage for his early life, with a fascinating read about how the Weiss family came to America, what Show Business was like in the 1890s, and how the young Houdini learned his trade as a magician and ended up taking his name from Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, his childhood hero.

Cobb pays attention to how Houdini developed his career and it is fascinating to see all of the posters that document his career: they start off with lots of text and hyperbole, but by the time he becomes famous as the "master mystifier" basically he just needed "HOUDINI" in large print.  So Houdini goes from "Dime Museum Harry," to "The King of Handcuffs" and then the "Self-Liberator" who conquered Europe at the end of the century.  Cobb highlights a quotation from Houdini: "The whole secret is getting the first hand free; after that it is all plain sailing."  The glory days of Houdini cover him as a great self-promoter, but also pay attention to his family and his work as a scholar and author in the field of magic.

The final chapters looked at how Houdini started taking risks to come up with bigger thrills for his audiences by doing dangerous things like jumping into rivers and flying an airplane.  This goes hand in hand with his great creativity, including the amazing Water Torture Cell.  The last stage of Houdini's career deals with not only his death defying feats, but also his debunking of mediums ("The Dead Don't Talk"), which became part of his legacy when he died on Halloween in 1926 from a ruptured appendix.  Houdini had told his wife that if it were possible to speak to her from beyond the grave, he would do so, and for ten years his widow Bess attended seances on Halloween to hear the code they had agreed on as proof she was hearing from him.  But it never came.

Cobb emphasizes Houdini's showmanship as well as his creativity in being important to the act so readers can better appreciate the career of somebody they will never see perform.  The book includes a useful timeline of key events in Houdini's life and an excellent bibliography for further reading.

Beautifully produced in full color, and very reasonably priced, this book is an excellent biography of an intriguing man.  It is a wonderful gift for anyone who would like to learn more about the legendary Master Mystifier.

Great summer reading!  Pick up a copy for yourself, and another as a gift, at Tin City Magic today.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

SURPRISE SILKS

Surprising Silks


Show a wooden pole with three silk scarves hanging from it, two red silks and one blue silk.  The blue silk is on the end.  Each time the pole is passed behind your back, the blue silk apparently jumps from one end of the pole to the other end.  In fact, the pole is just being turned around behind your back!

The silk "jumping" is repeated until the audience sees through this folly and demands some real magic.   Pass the pole behind your back one more time, and the blue silk has magically jumped to the center and now there is a red silk at each end! 

Everything may be freely handed out for examination.  Nothing added or taken away.  Very clever method and easy to do.  An amazing effect that has been featured by professional magicians.  Complete with durable synthetic silk scarves and solid wooden pole.   Includes illustrated written instructions as well as a link to web video instruction.  Available now at Tin City Magic.

Monday, June 11, 2012

IBM MAGIC SET



This magic set is endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the world's largest organization of professional and amateur magicians.  It contains more than 250 classic tricks and includes magic apparatuses such as a custom deck of cards, magic wand, Chinese sticks, linking rings, an illusion box with a false floor, and more, allowing aspiring prestidigitators to practice their legerdemain by performing a variety of card, handkerchief, coin, bill, rope, escape, and wand tricks.  The set includes a special presentation platform that helps perform the tricks.  A detailed manual explains how to execute every trick, and the set includes a 90-minute all region DVD with rare footage of master magicians such as Houdini, Vernon, and Buckingham performing illusions.  The tricks explained in this set are all used by professional magicians worldwide.  Nicely boxed and available now at Tin City Magic!

AIR GUITAR

Air Guitar 

The Air Guitar is one of the most magical products ever.  You strum air - and play music!  The Air Guitar starts out looking like the end of a guitar neck, but that's where the resemblance ends.  The rest of the guitar is nowhere to be found.  An infrared laser "string" emitted from the base of the Air Guitar detects your strumming hand.  It's amazing and the perfect gift for yourself or the rock god in your family.

The Air Guitar distills decades of design and style into a single handheld device, enabling anyone to create music with the press of a button and a flick of the wrist.  Not yet a musical virtuoso?  BAM!  Presets.  Ten of them, in fact.  So, what are you waiting for?  Honestly.  There’s no genuine reason you should be waiting.  You know you want to be a famous rock star, and putting it off any longer just got substantially more embarrassing.

Magicians can turn this into a more amazing trick by having an audience member merely think of a song from a selection list, and then playing that very song on the Air Guitar!

Product Specifications
  • Plays all major, minor, and 7th chords
  • Always in tune (electronic)
  • 10 preset songs including: Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet), Walk This Way (Aerosmith), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), and Let It Be (The Beatles)
  • Free play mode lets you play any song you want
  • Battery operated (2 AAA) lets you move to the music
  • Earphone jack for private concerts or practice sessions
  • Built-in speaker to rock out loud for smaller venues
  • Connects to an external amplifier or any music player (via headphone jack) for larger venues
  • Easily transportable

The Air Guitar is in stock now at Tin City Magic.  Rock on!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

PARALIES by JOSHUA QUINN



An incredible collection of mind reading, psychological mentalism, and absurdly creative tricks of the mind.  Not recommended for beginners, but invaluable for performers with a solid understanding of mentalism effects and handlings.
Imagine being able to...
  1. Divine freely thought-of words which have never been written down, whispered, pointed at, picked from a list or book or stack of cards, or otherwise physically manifested in any way; words which exist solely inside someone's mind.
  2. Visibly bend a signed coin which has genuinely never left the audience's sight since being shown, in its entirety, to be unmistakably, perfectly straight.
  3. Make someone unable to see a picture drawn on a card at the same time the rest of the audience sees it clearly—and then show her a video of herself looking at the picture but not seeing it.
  4. Subliminally influence someone's mental choice of a playing card with a hidden-in-plain-sight prediction that's on display all along, but that no one notices until you point it out.
  5. Surreptitiously learn the favorite colors of up to three audience members with absolutely no writing or speaking on their part, and then use the info in your favorite chair routine, one-ahead, Q&A, etc.
  6. Let your audience experience a powerful and incontrovertibly real manifestation of their own mental abilities by successfully duplicating a picture drawn by one of their own.
These are only a few of the highlights from ParaLies, the highly-anticipated book by Joshua Quinn.  At 257 pages, the book contains three sections:  Pareidolia, Paronomasia, and Paraphraseology, plus two Pasteboard Interludes.  It's brimming with solid, workable material and fresh, bold ideas representing the best of Joshua's creative output in mentalism—from stage and parlor pieces, to close-up effects, to impromptu demonstrations, to over-the-phone routines, to utility devices.  Some of these secrets have been quietly creating a buzz for some time among the few who knew them, while prompting eager inquiries from those who had heard about them.  Now you can learn these great routines and principles!
SECTION ONE: PAREIDOLIA
Effects that rely on making people see things, patterns, and causal connections that aren't really there—or occasionally vice-versa.
Bendito
A coin which has genuinely never left the audience's sight since being shown to be clearly, unmistakably, entirely straight, visually bends in your hands.  It's then immediately handed out with no switching.  Oh, and did we mention it can be signed?
Xijatsey
A hidden-in-plain-sight prediction of a mentally chosen playing card, which can serve as a revelation, a means of subconscious influence, or both.  Can be performed in virtually any situation, large or small, in person, over the phone, on the air, or online.
C.S.I.C.O.P.
A demonstration of invisibility through suggestion.  A card with two images drawn on it is shown to a volunteer and to the rest of the audience simultaneously.  Everyone can see both images, yet a moment later, the volunteer insists that there was only one image there.  She's then very surprised when she sees the second image, more surprised when the rest of the audience backs up your story that it was there the whole time, and even more surprised still when you show her a video of herself looking right at the image but not seeing it.  Very "Derren Brown" and folks will be talking about this!
Fate Rules
A pair (or more) of ungimmicked cards from a popular party game, which can force a positive or negative outcome as many times as you wish. A true utility item, these can be used in a liar/truth-teller routine, as a forcing tool, in readings, living-and-dead tests, etc.
My Zeneration
An ESP card-matching routine that meets the following conditions: you and a spectator each have five (and only five) cards; you always choose your card first, and she then lays down the card that she thinks will match it; the cards are laid out into rows, not stacked on top of one another; once they're laid down, they're never touched again until the spectator turns them over to reveal the matching pairs; and everything can be examined. Alternately, you can also reveal matching pairs as you go, or involve multiple spectators, having them each match one pair of symbols.
PASTEBOARD INTERLUDE
A pair of refreshing color changes to cleanse the palette.

SECTION TWO: PARONOMASIA
Effects accomplished through well-chosen words, shrewdly fashioned phrases, and convenient idiosyncrasies of the English language.
Deckquivoque
A well-honed system for using equivoque to force one card out of fifty-two, plus thoughts and strategies for using equivoque with large numbers of objects in general.
Verbal Forking
Some useful bits of equivocal phraseology for those who perform spontaneous, cutlery-based metallurgical transformations in the wilds of the real world.  This is a great item to know for situations where you suddenly want to "show something" at a dinner, party, or restaurant!
Memorandom
An experiment in "memory misdirection."  To begin, a spectator freely names a two-digit number.  You write the number on a card, and have it verified and signed by three other "witness" spectators.  Finally, after much buildup, the first spectator opens a sealed prediction, on display from the beginning, which reveals... nothing but a bad joke. However, in the aftermath, the real purpose of the procedure comes to light: each of the three witnesses remembers seeing a different number on the card, and they're all wrong.  The scene is then replayed to demonstrate how you subtly manipulated their memories while making them think something else entirely was going on.  As a kicker, you reveal that you did correctly predict the number after all.
Invisible Brushes
A way to turn a potential hazard in an Invisible Touches-type routine into a strong asset.  (Requires knowledge of the original Invisible Touches effect.)
The Billion Monkeys Book Test
An impromptu, any-book routine that elevates the standard book test plot into something more logical and more impossible: rather than revealing a word chosen from a book, you reveal a word that exists solely in someone's mind. The word selected from the book serves merely as a random starting point for a series of free mental associations, all of which could go in any number of different directions, and which are never written down, verbalized, or communicated in any way. The result is a 100% mentally-selected, wholly arbitrary word which, even if you had learned the original word, you now couldn't possibly know – which makes it all the more incredible when you reveal it.
Thought Chunnel
Like the Billion Monkeys Book Test, but without the book. Someone merely thinks of any random word (yes, really), changes her mind a few times, and you tell her the word she's thinking of. Useful as a show piece, an impromptu demonstration, an over-the-phone deal closer, or the perfect response to the "Okay, then tell me what I'm thinking" challenge.
PASTEBOARD INTERLUDE 2
Further remnants of the author's former life as a card junkie: a low-maintenance, high-impact moving hole effect, and a quirky, unexpected twist for a grizzled old warhorse.

PART THREE: PARAPHRASEOLOGY
New methods for classic plots, novel applications of known principles, and improved designs for utility devices.
Cinefauxbulation
A perfect closer for after-proms, weddings, or any couple-themed event, this triple prediction sends the VIP couple on a spontaneous movie date. You bring the couple onstage and hand them a large folded card to hold (no box or envelope, just the card). Members of the audience then call out a random day, time, and current movie title. With no assistance from you, the couple then opens the card to reveal exact predictions of the movie, time and day printed in large letters inside, plus a special surprise kicker that will turn the prediction into a memorable, real-life event.
The Word To Your Mother Book Test
A DIY gimmicked book that allows for the cleanest, most "inside their head" single-word revelation around. While your back is turned, the spectator opens to any page, thinks of any word, then concentrates on any letter in that word. You first reveal the letter she's thinking of, then go on to reveal the rest of the word letter-by-letter (or in any other way that will bring joy into your heart).
The Uncertainty Principle Book Test
Another DIY gimmicked book which allows you to reveal three different thoughts. The spectator mentally chooses three items from anywhere on her chosen page: first a word, then a single letter, then a second word. You write down your impressions of each of them, and then before the spectator says a word, you show your impressions of all three of her choices to the audience. She then reveals her thoughts, confirming that you got them all right.
Thwarpie
A practical, reliable Sharpie thumb tip writer that you can make in about five minutes, using items you probably already have around the house (provided you have a spare thumb tip lying around).
Code-A-Chroma
While talking about colors and their meanings, you secretly learn the favorite color of at least one, and possibly up to three audience members. You can then use this information in your favorite chair routine, one-ahead, Q&A, pendulum effect, or anything else that will help further your dastardly agenda.
Actual Proof
A way to let your audience experience a powerful and incontrovertibly real manifestation of their own mental abilities by successfully duplicating a picture drawn by one of their own. This unforgettable routine is specifically designed to send everyone home with a documented, tangible reminder of the incredible things their mind can do.
ParaLies is available now at Tin City Magic.  Get your copy today!