Well,Im going to be doing a lot of kid shows over the summer and this is what I plan on getting:
Double Zipper Change Bag
Colored Deluxe Rope-white
Spring Animal Instruction DVD
Comedy Egg Can
Peanut Butter and Jelly Trick
Robbie Raccoon
9 Inch Silk-blue
Strat-O-Sphere
DVD Version:Torn and Restored Newspaper

I already have for kids shows:
Sucker Die Box
Sponge Balls
Magic Coloring Book
Airtight

So what do think?
Is this enough material?

At least you didn't put the prices down, I hate when people add the prices to their list, and then put the total at the end, as if anyone cares how much you are spending.

Now on to the list


Throw in a water funnel and you are golden. I hope you plan on practicing a great routine for all these effects you are getting, thats an awful lot of material to learn before summer.

with the zipper change bag i have one question, Why the zipper?

I have said this many times and i still beleive in it. You CAN overprove effects. If a trick is TOO foolproof then people will not care. They need to have some type of possible belief in how the trick is done or they will lose interest. To them they will think think that you are basically making fun of them because they can't figure out a trick.

So, I personally do not use a zipper repeat change bag. By turning the bag inside out you are doing enough proof. In a layperson's mind, to show a bag empty you open it and turn it upside down or inside out. People don't empty their grocery bags by unzipping them.

Think about it.

Ben Winter

it all depends what your doing with your bag. Until recently i was doing a silk switch with mine. The zipper would be open and allow the first silk to fall through. It was actually pretty funny. In my opinion you are better off getting the zippered version. Even if you don’t use the zipper there is always the possibility of using it in the future.

You have listed a total of 11 tricks. If you are doing kid's shows there is no way you need that many.

My kid's show has:
Crystal tube
Change bag
Rope for mongolian pop knot then Cellini's version of professor's nijghtmare.
Linking rings 3 of them.

That's it and I will go between 30 to 45 minutes depending on the attention span of the audience. Sometimes I will finish with a dove pan but then I drop out 2 of the other effects.

Yeah, it's a pretty decent list. You have lots of eye candy for the kids.

I would recommend you perform 6-8 of these effects and save the rest for another show if any of these places bring you back. This way, the kids get alot of tricks, but not too many where they will forget many of them.

However, if you can fit them all into your show (how long is it, btw), then that is fine. Many magicians do, in fact, perform countless tricks in their act and although only some will usually be remembered, people will still remember being 'blown away' (and really entertained) by your show so whatever fits your show, go for it. I really believe you can't have too many tricks if they fit in your act.

Let us know on this act as you to put it together. And good luck.

Paddy, you're an experienced entertainer so of course you can fill a 45 minute show with a few routines. For those starting out I'd say bring a few more effects. Better to have too many than too few. As his show gets better he'll get more entertainment out of certain props and can drop some routines out of the show.

Cardini, aim to get the maximum entertainment out of each prop and you'll get more time out of them naturally. If you aim to get more time out of them then you could end up with dull filler.

As far as lists go, yeah nice list. There's no way to tell if the show will be any good though.

A list of tricks is not always the best starting point to writing your show. Think about what you want to do in the show and what you want to achieve. Think of what kind of routines and themes you want in the show then pick the tricks to suit your ideas and aims.

Good luck,

George

P.S. Paddy, I will be performing in the town of your ancestors over the summer as I have several big gigs booked in Omagh.

It's a good list, but I have to agree with Paddy. It's too much. You have enough material there for a couple of routines. But the effects themselves are good choices.

I'm not sure that he said whether he was going to do all of these effects in one show. I have four shelves full of stuff but I don't use all of them. Sometimes I will change things up especially if I'm going to have kids from another show. I'll get a show off of one that I've done so I expect that some of the same kids will be there so I'll change things around a bit.
You can never have enough. You just don't have to use each and every one with each show.

I couldn't agree with you more! I honestly think the zipper change back is an excuse for magic companies to charge more money for the effect. Very well put Ben

I couln't fine a regular change bag at the time when I was surfin the web so that is just what I found.

Also,no I dont plan on doin all these in one show.But I figure I would want the change the shows up every now and then.
Thanks for all the feedback.

FANTASTIC George!!!! Break a leg in Omagh!!

Now for the first sentence. What we do is not just tricks, it is the whole presentation. Anyone can do the tricks, but to entertain is what sets a magician apart from the tricks. Even in the old days of Cardini, who had a silent act, his movements were like a ballet. His expressions communicated with his audience and when he did his billiard ball routine you were so caught up in the performance that it was after he was finished thjat you suddenly realized that not only was the whole thing beautiful, but he wore GLOVES while performing!! That is what the kids have to learn, it's not the trick it is the performance.

I couldn't agree more Paddy. It is the performance they have to learn but it's not something that happens magically overnight. Of course, a lot can be learned from studying books etc but even if you read everything out there you still need to perform to learn how to perform. Therefore in the interests of not running before they can walk I would say don't try and do 4 routines in an hour when you're starting out.

Why the zipper?

I don't use it as a convincer but as a gag. Either leave the zipper open and don't notice when things drop though unto the floor/table or claim to make something appear and reach right through the hole in the bottom and pick something off the table or out of your pocket. After you've had your fun with that zip up and carry on as planned.

George

Well,Once I order all the props I will put together a couple different shows and once I perform them I will tell everyone how it goes.I will keep everyone updated and will share when I get the stuff and then you guys can help me put together the show.Thanks for the advice once again.