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Any Signed Card to Any Spectator’s Wallet Review!
Oct 22nd
Title: Any Signed Card to Any Spectator’s Wallet (Feat. the U.C.C.U)
Creators: Jeff Kaylor and Michael Ammar
Price: $39.95
Where Can I Buy It? Trick Shop Magic!
Effect: A freely selected, signed card vanishes from the spectator-shuffled deck and reappears inside the spectator’s own wallet! This is accomplished with…
- Any Deck
- Any Signed Card
- Any Spectator’s Wallet
- No Special Wallets
- No Pulls
- No Magnets
- No Trick Cards
- No Palming
- No Duplicates
- No Stooges
Ad Accuracy: First things first; you may be wondering about whether the ad description and demo video are totally accurate. When I first looked at it, I thought that Jeff had to be leaving something important out or not telling the whole truth. In fact, everything the ad claims is absolutely true! The cuts in the demo video were only made to protect the method and product. Trust me, this effect actually works in real-life.
DVD Production Quality: The included dvd only runs about 15 minutes, but it is well-produced. The audio is all very easy to hear, with Jeff Kaylor narrating the dvd. The quality of the video is very good as well. Live performances accompany the explanations, with Jeff’s voice discussing his actions in each of them. The dvd has no menu because of its brevity, which is somewhat irritating.
Gimmick Quality: Obviously the main thing that you are paying for is the “Ultimate Card Control Utility” (U.C.C.U.). It is made with a study material and should last you for a long, long time; the utility seems very well-made to me. At the moment Jeff has only made the gimmick in black, but from what I’ve heard he may make a white edition in the future.
Practicality: The U.C.C.U. gimmick can be kept on you all day without ever getting noticed or in the way. It can be transferred from shirt-to-shirt in under a minute, and once the gimmick is in place it can be used at any time. Therefore this is a super practical effect/utility. In addition, the Any Card to Any Spectator’s Wallet effect can be done with anybody’s cards and wallet at a moment’s notice as long as you have the gimmick on you.
Angles: Although misdirection should be used in conjunction with the U.C.C.U., the angles for using this gimmick are really quite good, especially if you use the “Fan Load” taught on the dvd. I would just advise restaurant performers to make sure that they’re “bad side” is covered in case anybody from the other tables is watching.
Set-Up: As I mentioned earlier, the only set-up necessary is to “install” the gimmick into your shirt. This can be done routinely in the morning when you are getting dressed, so that way you are always prepared for an impromptu miracle.
Difficulty: After watching the dvd the first time and playing around with the gimmick for about an hour, I felt reasonably comfortable with the basic moves. The amount of sleight-of-hand is surprisingly minimal for the routine. Mastering the small bit of misdirection necessary is probably the most difficult part of the effect. Overall, I’d say the routine is definitely within the reach of any intermediate performer.
Complaints: Although the dvd does effectively teach the basic functions of the U.C.C.U. as well as the feature effect, I would’ve liked to see a few more applications for it or at least personal presentational tips from Jeff. The instruction on the dvd dealt mostly with the physical handling of the gimmick and seemed rushed to me. Also, I would’ve preferred to actually see Jeff or Michael teaching the effect with their face visible (instead we only see Jeff’s headless torso); this would’ve been much less irritating to me.
Considerations: Because of the nature of the gimmick, there are some clothing restrictions. When using the U.C.C.U., you must be wearing an opaque, button-down shirt. The shirt can be any color, although preferably not white. As long as it is fairly opaque you should be fine. By the way, you can wear a jacket and tie with the button-down shirt and still use the U.C.C.U.
Member’s Only Website: Included free with your purchase of the dvd is the login info for the member’s only section of Jeff Kaylor’s website. Jeff says that over time more and more instructional videos will be added. At the moment there are four videos: Practice Tips, Business Card Handling, Tie & Jacket Handling, and Working with Gimmicked Cards.
Overall: So there you have it! The U.C.C.U. is a super simple device that you can have with you at all times when you’re out and still never notice it until you need it. The applications for this utility are nearly endless, with Any Card to Any Spectator’s Wallet being worth the price alone! I’m excited for seeing how I can incorporate the U.C.C.U. into my other routines. It’s simple, deceptive, easy, practical, and versatile. With all those great qualities I give Any Signed Card to Any Spectator’s Wallet 93%
Trick Shop Personal Advice Section!
A Few Other Applications: The ad copy doesn’t mention how many other effects that you can create or enhance with the U.C.C.U. Here are a few…
- Load and ditch gaff cards to/from the deck
- Completely vanish borrowed coins or bills with no sleeves
- Produce business cards from empty hands
- Ditch other gimmicks such as TT’s or the Extreme Burn gimmick
- Signed card to factory-sealed deck
Who Should Buy This? If you do any amount of card work and wear button-down shirts frequently, then I think the U.C.C.U. would be great for you. And like I said earlier, the U.C.C.U. definitely isn’t limited to just Any Card to Any Spectator’s Wallet, although I would’ve been happy with just learning that one effect; there are lots of options for many different magicians.
A Few Tips: Make sure that the audience member has a wallet with them before you ever begin the effect. Also do a quick check that the gimmick is situated correctly before you start the effect. Don’t tell the spectator that their card is inside their wallet before they hand it to you; they would most likely be curious, refuse to hand it to you, and open the wallet themselves (causing some problems). Mechanics wise, I’ve found that a slight rotating-up motion makes stealing something from the gimmick much smoother.
Personal Recommendations: If you liked Any Signed Card to Any Spectator’s Wallet, then I would also recommend Tagged by Richard Sanders and the Self-Tying Shoelace by Jay Noblezada. These are both versatile gimmicks that can be worn all day and allow you to perform the effect at any time.
Questions? Although I tried to cover everything in my review, I may have left something out, so if you have any questions or comments please write them in the comments below, or call one of Trick Shop Magic’s helpful customer service reps toll-free at (866)-MAGIC-04!
Curtain Call Review!
Oct 2nd
Title: Curtain Call
Creator/Author: Barrie Richardson
Price: $50
Where Can I Buy It?: Trick Shop Magic
Full Table of Contents + Excerpt: Available on Hermetic Press’s website.
Quality of Publication: Since Curtain Call is a Hermetic Press publication, the quality is great! The dust jacket has a very nice, silky feel to it, which I have only felt on one other book in the past, (Sankey Unleashed). The pages inside the book also feel like a higher quality than the paper that was used in Barrie’s previous books (Theater of the Mind and Act Two). Also, I should mention that the cover seems to look better in person than it does on a screen.
Writing Style/Clarity of Instruction: One of the aspects that I have always loved about Barrie’s writing is that he provides detailed written performances before the explanation, which give you a strong feeling of actually watching the routines in person. His writing is excellent (with Stephen Minch editing, it has to be good!), and he doesn’t leave anything out. Also the excellent illustrations by Earle Oakes (R.I.P.) leave absolutely nothing else to be desired.
(A Sampling of) My Favorite Effects:
Choices Have Consequences: This is a very nice Bank-Night routine that involves three envelopes, three super fair choices, no gimmicks, and a totally hands-off ending. Also, since Barrie has such a gentle performing persona, he doesn’t leave any of the volunteers feeling like losers. The way he has structured the routine is very economical, and all of the moves are totally motivated. This would be great opener for your mentalism show!
Mesmer’s Pencil: An ungimmicked pencil rises above your hand visibly (becoming light as a feather) and then slowly sinks back down. The spectator is asked to try to pick up the pencil from your open hand, but despite their efforts, the pencil is so heavy that it is impossible to lift! A moment later the pencil returns to its original weight, then becomes heavy yet again, returns back to normal and finally given to the spectator to keep. These are Barrie’s improvements, handling tips, and clearer instructions for his “Pencil Pusher” effect from Theater of the Mind. This routine has a gimmick that you can keep with you at all times, and it will never be noticed; it makes for a fantastic, “impromptu,” intimate mentalism piece.
All Gone (Living or Dead Test): A number of envelopes contain business cards, all of which have the word “GONE” printed across the back; the spectator writes the name of a living person on the remaining blank card. The spectator eliminates all but one of the sealed envelopes by intuition. Amazingly they have found the “living” card! Also, you divine the thought-of person’s name. Barrie has effectively eliminated the morbid feel of other living or dead tests by focusing on the living. I like the two-phase structure of the effect and its super direct method. This can be a nice interlude in your mentalism act.
The Eye of the Target: A spectator thinks of any word, from any page, in an imaginary book. This thought-of word perfectly matches your prediction, which another spectator has been holding the whole time. This spectator then divines the thought-of page number himself! This is nothing short of a mental masterpiece. So many excellent principles combine to make an impenetrable, 10-minute mystery. This is the best bookless book test I have seen. Plus, the set-up literally takes less than 30-seconds, and the “props” fit in your wallet. This could be a feature part of your act, whether it is in a close-up, cabaret, or stage setting.
A Glimpse of Milton: A card is thought-of from a shuffled, borrowed deck that you have never touched. You immediately have the power to divine what their card is at any time. The deck is completely normal, and you do not look through the faces of the cards ever. The gimmick is ingenious and totally invisible. Also, everything is left totally clean at the end. This is extremely deceptive and it would be a great “pure” mind-reading piece to do with a borrowed deck.
Spoo-key: A brass key becomes animated by eerily crawling through your hand, turning around, and then slowly flipping over on your open palm. The key can be immediately handed to a spectator for examination. Barrie recalls a time when he performed this for some villagers in Bhutan and they thought that Barrie was a real wizard! Although you may not get those kind of reactions at your mentalism show, you may get close! This is a real worker that only has a one-time set-up and can be performed almost anywhere, at anytime.
Impromptu Card at Any Number: A card is freely thought-of from a shuffled, borrowed deck. A number from 1-52 is selected and immediately that chosen number of cards is counted off the deck; the card at their number is, of course, the one that they thought-of (and honestly never told you). Although this isn’t the “holy grail” that everybody craves, I think it is still a fantastic effect! I love knowing that I can perform this miracle with anybody’s deck of cards without any bit of preparation. The method is super practical, easy, and full-proof. This is an ACAAN effect that you’ll actually do.
The Happy Peek: A really cool business card peek that allows you to see the entire face of business card, while you are apparently just holding it folded in quarters at your fingertips in full view. The business card is normal, and the set-up only takes about 30 seconds. I love how clear the spectator’s writing is to the mentalist while doing this peek.
Double Deception Billet Routine: A spectator thinks of any item from an imaginary catalog and draws it on a slip of paper. You “warm up” by mentally receiving the spectator’s lucky number (which they have never told you). Then you finish by sketching out the thought-of image through the spectator’s unconscious movements. Based on a billet peek in Barrie’s book Act Two, he has fashioned a beautifully structured routine that can be done in almost any environment. Due to a devious subtlety, the spectator will not remember you handling their drawing hardly at all, if any.
The Osmosis Envelope: This prepared envelope can be handled freely by a spectator, and yet anything placed inside can be immediately peeked or stolen out. The envelope takes about 2 minutes to prepare (plus time for some stuff to “settle into place”). The envelope may be reused several times until it wears out, which is great for repeat performances. Barrie includes three basic routines, although this tool can be applied to many different mentalism pieces.
The Click Switch: A clean switch of a billet being held on the clip of a pen cap. This draws inspiration from Sankey’s “Paperclipped” switch, but it is a totally different handling. I really like using the pen as a place to isolate the billet away from your hands. The switch is reinforced by a convincing visual and audio illusion.
The Stranger’s Trick: The spectator deals cards until they decide to stop. They look at either card they stopped at, and shove it into the center of the deck, wherever they want. The deck is placed in the case and you immediately have the power to divine that card. This requires a gimmicked deck (it is not marked or stacked), but it can be handled by the spectator and most other tricks can be performed with it.
The Trick Shop Personal Advice Section!
Overall: I just named a selection of my favorites (yes there are more!) from Curtain Call and I really hesitated to not mention the other routines, but I know most people wouldn’t take the time to read my many praises for all 33 effects! This may be Barrie’s smallest book as far as the number of pages, but I believe the material is almost all top-notch. I feel as though I could pick any effect out of the book and have an effective piece of mentalism to perform. It is evident that Barrie has worked all of these routines in the real-world, and, as a result, the routines are all extremely practical.
Because I truly believe that you will, without a doubt, find multiple effects that you will use in Curtain Call, I highly recommend Barrie’s latest work. 95%
Money Saving Opportunity: I was really amazed at Barrie’s generosity with how many previously marketed effects he included in this collection. For example, Spoo-key, Impromptu Card at Any Number, Quartet (a memorized deck effect), and A Glimpse of Milton have all been sold for $20 or more! With Curtain Call you get all of those (over $80 value) plus 29 more effects for only $50.
Who Should Buy Curtain Call? Although the book focuses on mentalism, I think almost anything in it could be performed by a magician and still look cohesive in his/her show. There are a few things that are more magic related, such as his “Slippery Jack Side-Steal,” but the large majority are either pure mentalism or “mental magic.”
My Personal Recommendations: As I mentioned earlier, Barrie has published two other major works before Curtain Call: Theatre of the Mind and Act Two. I would recommend purchasing those before this one, since some of the items Curtain Call are improvements on those previous effects. In addition to Barrie’s books, Max Maven’s PRISM is a book full of great mentalism. T.A. Water’s tome Mind, Myth, and Magick also contains over 200 mental effects. For dvds with material similar to the effects in Curtain Call, Richard Osterlind’s 7-volume Mind Mysteries series is fantastic!
Questions? As always if you have any questions or comments please write them in the comments below, or call one of Trick Shop Magic’s helpful customer service reps toll-free at (866)-MAGIC-04.
Rattled Review!
Aug 27th
Title: Rattled
Creator: Dan Hauss
Price: $35.00
Where Can I Buy It? Trick Shop Magic
Demo:
What’s in the Package? In the slightly-thicker-than-normal dvd case, you will find a 55 minute dvd, two cap gimmicks, a replacement part, a tool that may help with reset, and two special coins. This is quite a good value for $35, considering all the things you get with it, plus the great dvd quality.
Gimmick Quality: The caps are made of a thick plastic, very much like you would typically see on an Aquafina-style bottle. They are a little bit bigger than most caps, however, I don’t think that difference will be noticed. There are many different shapes and sizes of bottles and caps being produced currently, so I doubt if a spectator would call you out on it. The gimmick is simple, built to last, and very easy to clean.
Teaching Quality: The teaching is all very clear, but I thought it was laid out a little strangely: the beginning of the dvd starts with a quick overview of the effect as a whole before Dan had taught anything. Of course, after this Dan went into full explanations of Rattled’s workings. Perhaps they meant this to be an easy to access section that would be able to refer to later as a refresher. If so, then it is a good idea, but it confused me by having it placed right at the beginning of the dvd. Other than that, the teaching is great, with multi-camera shots.
Difficulty: Rattled is very simple to do, since the gimmick does most of the work. Of course some of the routines will require more skill than others (Rattled Coin in Bottle), but overall they are all within the reach of a beginner.
Angles and Reset: Most of the routines on the dvd are taught with you and the spectator sitting on opposite sides of a table, however, with a little adjustment in handling, the routines can be done surrounded, standing, etc. The reset takes about 10 seconds, and can be done out in the open.
Routines
Basic Routine: A coin vanishes form under a cap without you going near it. By itself this is a nice mystery, but the other effects are more developed routines. As a seemingly impromptu effect, this could be quite strong because of it’s simplicity.
Rattled Shell Game: (Effect in the demo) Using two caps as the shells and a coin as the pea, a game of the two-shell monte is played. After two simple rounds, the empty cap is placed on one spectator’s hand, and the cap with the coin is placed under another spectator’s hand. Instantly the coin teleports to the other cap, which the person has been holding! I really like this effect because the premise justifies why you have two bottle caps, and plus the effect happens in not only in one spectator’s hands but two!
2 Cap Quickie: The shortened version of the above routine. I think this handling isn’t as justified and the first part of it may look a bit fishy. I’d take the little bit of extra time to do the Rattled Shell Game.
Rattled Through Table: Coin penetrates a table audibly. This is pretty simple and nice, but no one can be behind you, and you have to be sitting (unless you improve the handling yourself). Basically, if you like the description, you’ll like the effect. It makes for a very clean coin through table sequence.
321: Three different coins are held by a spectator, while the empty cap is held by another spectator. She mentally selects one coin, which then disappears from her hand and reappears under the empty cap. This is an interesting use of Rattled, but I don’t think it really justifies the cap well. Also the first move in the routine is quite fishy. I wouldn’t use this.
Rattled Coin in Bottle (Frances Menotti): This is a four-phase routine where:
- A coin penetrates a bottle through the cap.
- It goes through the table and into the bottle.
- The bottle itself vanishes.
- Then the coin penetrates into the bottle once more.
This is a more formal approach to Rattled that has a nice structured feel to it, but unfortunately you do need to be sitting at a table opposite your spectators; therefore this would be a good “after-dinner” routine. I like the routine a lot, but probably most of the time I will stick to using the shorter, simpler effects, just for convenience.
Ringer: A borrowed ring, recently placed under the cap, appears visually back on your finger. The effect sounds nice, but the move Dan teaches you to “fake-take” the ring is fairly awkward. There are better ring moves that have been published which accomplish the same thing in a cleaner way. I wouldn’t use this as originally taught.
Overall Opinion
This is one of those products where you immediately start playing around with new ideas to use the gimmick. It should be a starting place for you to come up with your own ways to incorporate Rattled into your routines; don’t limit yourself to the effects taught on the dvd. Its versatility is one of the reasons why I love Rattled so much.
Also, it is always preached that magic is so much stronger when it happens in the hands of a spectator; Rattled takes that principle to the extreme by having the spectator do everything! You can be absolutely nowhere near the cap and still make that coin, which they have seen, heard, and felt, disappear! This is strong magic, folks. The caps look totally normal, and you appear to do nothing, yet magic just happens. This WILL find its way into your working repertoire, because it’s just so gosh-darn practical and powerful! 94%
The Trick Shop Personal Advice Section!
Opener, Closer, Middler? Because Rattled is more of a utility device than a specific routine, it could be used as any of these! Sometimes the basic coin vanish may play strongest just on it’s own in an impromptu environment, whereas at other times it would work the best if it was worked into a longer routine.
Evan’s Tips (after you’ve bought Rattled):
- Make sure to keep the cap on the table when you rattle it, unlike how Dan sometimes slightly lifts it up on the dvd.
- Never narrate your actions with repetitive words like, “Now I’ll put the coin under the cap, okay, so it goes under there, and you can hear it under the cap, okay?” You may feel guilty or scared when you first put the coin under the cap, but just believe the lie that you are telling you’re audience; don’t place too much importance on that action.
- In order to make sure the coin completely vanishes, press down with your fingers fairly firmly as you gently pinch the skin on the back of their hand upward (pretending to remove the coin through their flesh).
Personal Recommendations: If you like Rattled then you may want to also check out Abyss: The Revolutionary Coin Through Bottle and Flow by Dan Hauss. Both of them may easily be routined together with Rattled.
Questions? As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to write them in the comments (above this post)!
Once again, if you would like to buy Rattled, check it out here!
Ultra Gum Review!
Jul 7th
Title: Ultra Gum
Creators: Richard Sanders, Spidey, and Deven Ye
Price: $29,95
Where Can I Buy It? Trick Shop Magic
Intro: Usually I would go over the aspects of an effect (practicality, angles, difficulty, etc.) when reviewing a product, but because there is SO MUCH information on the 2.5 hour dvd that I want you to get a glimpse of everything this product has to offer. I will try to cover those aspects while going over the contents of the disc. Without further ado, here is Ultra Gum.
Overview of DVD Contents:
Ultra Gum Introduction (3 min)
Richard shows the prepared gum package and admires the perfection of it.
What Gum To Use (3 min)
Any bubble/blister pack of gum can be used whether it is a 6-pack, 12-pack, 16-pack or whatever. Trident, Dentyne Ice, Juicy Fruit, etc.
Preparing the Gum Pack (16 min)
Deven Ye leads us through the two step preparation process. You will need to go to the store and get a couple gum packs to make your gimmick. The gimmick is all made with normal objects that you will certainly have around your house (no weird glue or anything like that). The first part of the gimmick can be used for multiple performances until you have to replace it, whereas the other part will have to made again every performance (although a way to repeat the effect is given later on). The first time, a full preparation may take you about 20-25 minutes. Personally I prefer the alternate way of preparing the gimmick that is given later in the dvd.
Cash Flow Performance (2 min)
A corner, ripped off a borrowed dollar, vanishes and then reappears within a bubble of the gum pack (check out the demo for clarification), which the spectator has been holding.
Cash Flow Explanation (19 min)
Richard goes into EVERY aspect of this effect in great detail. This is probably the most practical, easy, and direct effect on the dvd and as a result, it may be the one that you do the most.
Full On Live Performance (2 min)
Performing in a food court, Richard gives a corner of a borrowed bill to the spectator as a receipt and causes the rest of the bill to change into a piece of gum. The gum pack is opened and, of course, the bill is tightly packed inside the sealed gum package (w/o the gum).
Full On Explanation (4 min)
This one will take a little more work than Cash Flow, but I think this effect is probably even more powerful than Cash Flow. Unfortunately Richard forgot to explain how he changed the bill into piece of gum, explaining only how to vanish the bill. To a experienced magician, this accidental omission will not present a problem, though.
The Organic Transpo Performance (1 min)
A corner is torn off, and it is placed in your mouth. You start chewing it up and it changes to gum in your mouth. The corner, of course, appears in the gum pack.
The Organic Transpo Explanation (5 min)
This one is sweetly satisfying; with a little bit of acting, the moment of a corner changing into gum seems almost visual and tangible to the spectators. I think this handling just leads so nicely into the effect and makes total sense.
Inside (Multi-Phase Card in Gum) Live Performance (3 min)
A selected card, previously vanished, travels to inside the gum sleeve (not inside the bubble…yet). A piece of gum is then visibly “pulled through” the packaging. Finally a corner of the selected card is vanished and reappears in a sealed, now empty, bubble of the gum pack. Richard performs this for a table at a Friday’s-esque restaurant.
Inside (Multi-Phase Card in Gum) Explanation (16 min)
When you see the routine, I think you’ll be pleased by how well the whole thing seems to go together. The audience really reacts well to each phase of the effect and is genuinely stunned by the end of the effect. Every phase of the effect was strong and led logically to the next. I think this would become the card trick that they talk about after you’re gone.
Spidey’s Time Travel Card Routine Live Performance + 2 others: (8 min)
A spectator’s selects a piece of gum to hold on to. They select a card and when they look at the gum, it has a drawing of the card on it. A corner is then ripped off the card, and it appears in the gum pack. All with a time travel presentation.
Spidey’s Time Travel Card Routine Explanation (7 min)
The spectator reaction to this is good, but for some reason I just don’t really like this approach as much as inside. Marking on the gum just seems kind’ve weird to me, but it did get a strong reaction, so what do I know? Also you have to use up two pieces of gum for this effect. Inside just seemed like a better structured card routine to me.
Visual Appearance Performance (2 min)
This is the effect you see on the demo, when he rubs over the gum package and the dollar bill visibly appears.
Visual Appearance Preparation (19 min)
You will need to make another special gimmick to create this effect, however the effect really does look incredible. This is a one time preparation that might take another 20 minutes or so. Unfortunately this means the spectator cannot pull out the “drawer” of gum before the appearance, but she can examine it after. I think it’s very cool, but practically speaking, I probably would exclude this from my performances most of the time. BTW the gimmicks included with the dvd are for this.
Visual Appearance 5 Handlings (8 min)
Here you get 5 different ways of visually causing something to appear in the gum pack.
Visual Appearance With No Gimmicks (3 min)
This is not exactly what you think, but this method of Richard’s does effectively create a strong illusion of the bill being visibly pushed through the package with no extra gimmicks. More of a penetration than appearance, but still a cool, workable idea.
Spidey’s Visual Appearance Handling Performance (2 min)
A corner is pushed through a previously empty (besides gum) bubble.
Spidey’s Visual appearance Handling Explanation (3 min)
Spidey’s gimmick for the visual appearance is quicker to make than Richard’s, but it will not stand up to nearly as much scrutiny. Also you will not need the use of PK to create the appearance. This is a good on-the-fly option, but again, this seems more like a penetration than an appearance (not a bad thing, just a clarification).
Troubleshooting (4 min)
Richard gives a few more tips to help solve any concerns you might have with Ultra Gum.
Alternative Gum Pack Preparation (8 min)
Gino Culpepper comes in and provides his alternative way of making the Ultra Gum gimmick. He says that it is faster than the original method, but it seems nearly the same to me. Really it won’t make a big difference, so it’s just a matter of preference. I personally like Gino’s method better.
Interview-feat. The Messy Pack Principle and the Repeat Concept (16 min)
Richard, Deven, and Spidey talk about a few things including a couple of ways of using the same gum pack several times. I especially liked Deven’s Repeat Concept.
Overall Thoughts: As you can see there’s an abundance of information on this dvd which explores a lot of the various things you can do with this Ultra Gum concept. Although the set-up will take you a few minutes of your time, I think this is a very memorable effect, and one that I am definitely going to use. It seems so casual and the gum package really does look totally unprepared. As long as you understand the set-up time, I really don’t think you will be disappointed if you buy Ultra Gum; the only concern of mine is how I’m going to decide on which routine to use! 92%
The Trick Shop Personal Advice Section!
Opener, Closer, Middler? Personally I would use Ultra Gum as a closer in my routine, because it is just so powerful and hardly anything could top it; however most of the time I would just perform Ultra Gum as a stand-alone piece.
Is Ultra Gum Hard? Although there is some sleight-of-hand used in the routines, Richard breaks everything down to such an understandable level that even a beginner should be able to perform Ultra Gum…after carefully practicing it in front of a mirror or video camera, of course!
Evan’s Personal Tip: Try to make this effect seem as casual and spontaneous as you can. Don’t overact, but just try to make it seem as though you can do magic with anything you pick up, which in this case, is the gum pack. Also make sure to emphasize the impossibility of the effect. Really play up the fact that the container really is completely sealed and that there is no way for theirdollar bill to be inside there. And ALWAYS let the spectator open the gum container him/herself.
Personal Recommendations: If you like Ultra Gum you may want to also check out Rattled by Dan Hauss, Gum by Jeff Prace, or Extreme Burn 2.0 by Richard Sanders! They all feature everyday objects as the subject of the magic, and all of them are casual, close-up miracles!
Questions? If you have any questions or comments leave them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them!
Once again, if you would like to buy Ultra Gum, check it out here!
Top 10 tricks so far in 2011!
Apr 27th
We’ve rounded out the first quarter of the year, and even April is about to come to a close. I was taking a look at our internal sales reports and wanted to share with you what the top 10 best selling tricks have been so far in 2011. If you notice anything on the list that you’ve not picked up this year, you may want to take a look at these:
Top selling magic tricks so far in 2011
Electric Touch – Give your spectators a mild electric shock
Tarantula – The amazing levitation device that fits in the palm of your hand
Kymera Magic Wand – Wanna be the next Harry Potter?
Extreme Burn 2.0 – Change Five $1 bills to Five $100′s.
Legacy – a card trick with a story and spectacular props
Original Tarbell Lessons – the classic mail order lessons, still AWESOME today!
Linking Cigarette – Looks like an illusion but it’s not! Warning this will take practice!
Gecko – The top selling trick from 2008, 2009, and 2010 still going strong!
Loops – The trick Criss Angel won’t leave home without!
Rizer – Last but not least, a rising card effect like you’ve never seen before!
Magic + Sunkist Gold Nugget Mandarins?
Apr 26th
Crazy combination isn’t it? Take some magic and add some delicious Sunkist Gold Nugget Mandarins and you’ve got FUN! Big up to Farrell Dillon who is the magician that’s rockin’ this video!
Besides being a good friend of The Trick Shop, Farrell is an all around AWESOME magician. You might not be as familiar with Farrell Dillon as you might be with Copperfield, but Farrell is one of the hardest working guys out there. One minute’s he’s performing at a hotel in Atlantic City, next minute you might find him hanging out at the world famous Magic Castle. Occasionally, we’ve seen Farrell show up performing magic in our little home city of Temecula, CA. The guy is everywhere and his routines combine magic with juggling and even escapes. You might have noticed there was a little contact juggling flair in that video! Congrats, Farrell, on this incredible video! I love to see great things happen for the hard working magicians that put the hours and hours of perseverance, practice, and patience into our art!
Gecko Extreme has landed!
Apr 26th
In 2008 and 2009, the Gecko was at the top of the sales charts! Even in 2010 The Gecko remained as one of the top 5 magic tricks we sold for the entire year! Now, get ready to take your Gecko to the next level. Presenting, Gecko Extreme!
The Gecko Extreme is an add-on to your original Gecko. The benefit of the Gecko Extreme add-on is that instead of simply vanishing an object you know have the power to change an object on the spot! Make sure you check out the demo video over on the Gecko Extreme product page to see what I mean.
The Gecko Extreme includes the gimmick (The Gecko Tail), a new holster (The Gecko Quick) so that you can keep your hands more free up until the moment that you need to “hook up” to perform The Gecko, and a full featured instructional training DVD that will give you tons of ideas and expert instruction on using your Gecko Extreme!
Have you checked out Concept 7?
Apr 22nd
Concept 7 by Jim Rosenbaum, aka Rosengadgets, and Daniel Lachman… It’s one of the coolest levitations to come around in quite a while! Can you imagine having a spectator set a dollar bill on the table and you walk 10 feet away and cause it to levitate? That’s Concept 7! Concept 7 is a “web” style levitation. No, that does not mean that you need an internet connection to make it work. What it does mean is that, like a spider’s web, yourConcept 7 hookup will need to be setup ahead of time, but because of this clever concept your body will have a free range of motion which allows you to be some distance away when you perform this miracle! Check out Concept 7 now!
See our FAQ’s and Video Demo on Concept 7 also!
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