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Darwin's Encyclopedia of Thumb Tip Magic (DVD Download)


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"...that's the first thing you do in the morning... make sure you have your Thumb Tip with you... then you're ready to go out and conquer the world." -- Gary Darwin

This incredible new DVD set will give you dozens of original and unexpected effects that you can perform professionally. Plus, it'll give you a handful of effects that will fool even the most seasoned magicians. If you thought the thumb tip was just for vanishing handkerchiefs, get ready to feel like the cockroach Darwin brings back to life at dinner (Volume One). This is the ULTIMATE work on THE ULTIMATE UTILITY GIMMICK.

Filmed in Las Vegas at four venues: The Penguin Studio, The Penguin Close-up Stage, Darwin's legendary Las Vegas Magic Club, and Darwin's Magic Museum. We go wide, close-up, and over-the-shoulder to make sure you catch all the action. You'll feel like you're sitting in Darwin's living room learning from the legend himself. There's never been a DVD set of this scope produced on the Thumb Tip, and there will never be another Gary Darwin. This is an incredible opportunity to share Darwin's passion for the Thumb Tip and bring hundreds of new ideas into your act.



Three jam-packed DVDs for only $ 59.95!

The THUMB TIP is here like never before. These three DVDs will go down in history as proof that this is the most powerful tool in the magician's toolbox.

On Volume One you'll learn:

The History of the Thumb Tip

  • Who invented it?
  • In what year?
  • What effect was first performed with it?
Techniques
  • The Tuck - Gary's Theory on how to Vanish a Silk Hanky.
  • The Push - Matches, Cigarettes, Coins, etc.
  • The Pinch - Lance Burton's ultimate variation on "Darwin's Flick".
  • The Finger Palm - When you're not using the Thumb Tip.
  • The Fitting of the Thumb Tip - All amateurs do it wrong.
  • The Darwin Dump - Gary's sure-fire out when someone challenges you.
Effects
  • Cut and Restored Rope - Darwin's simplified variation on the old classic.
  • Swallowing Cigarette An idea that goes way back, great for parties.
  • Darwin's Multiplying Hankies An accidental invention.
  • Salt Trick The updated version with a special thanks to Lance and Siegfried. This routine is worth the price of the whole DVD. Great Finale for your act!
  • Silk to Tube - Darwin's variation on an old P&L collectable.
  • Dai Vernon's Kicker Vernon's clever one-finger move-less tuck.
  • Spoon Bending Darwin's simple improvement allows you to easily bend spoons and keys.
  • Darwin's Linking Chain Better than the Chinese Linking Rings, this is so good it's been sold as a stand alone effect for years.
  • Chop Cup Darwin's simplification that lets you do your chop routine with a regular cup!
  • Cockroach Resurrection Not the best dinner trick! (But, a great bar trick)
  • Color Changing Hanky Fielding West's method, PLUS an alternate method.
  • Torn and Restored Napkin Darwin does it professionally. Great opener!
  • Cigarette to Ice Cube Another great one for a party!
  • Paper Balls over the Head Darwin's touch on the classic effect.
  • Miser's Dream Solari's clever idea with a TT and a Jumbo Finale.
Bonus:
  • Vanishing Quarter - With a thumb tip it's instant gratification.
  • Thumb Tips on Video
  • Thumb Tip Related "Fakes"
On Volume Two you'll learn:

Effects
  • Restored Napkin - Also called "The Smoking Jacket", this old classic is very strong when you do it Darwin's way. Most people do it wrong!
  • Large Napkin Vanish - Vanish items that would never fit in your Thumb Tip!
  • Paper Clips - Bob Fenton's clever idea.
  • Alternate Cut & Restored Rope - A hell of an idea. Blows the magicians away.
  • Butchers Cord - The cord restores in the spectator's hands! Very strong!
  • Firecrackers - A neat little idea with an appearing string.
  • Candy - If you work in a restaurant this simple little effect will double your tips.
  • Vanishing Cigarette - This is strong stuff. Darwin's reproduction is a KILLER. One of the top 5 things Darwin's ever invented with the thumb tip.
  • Vanishing King Sized Cigarette - The one that destroyed Johnny Thompson. Party ready.
  • Broken Toothpick - Cute little effect for the dinner table.
  • Flash Paper - Such an improvement on the old method. More flash!
  • Escape from Handcuffs - Escape from any pair of handcuffs using a Thumb Tip!
  • Cellophane to Crystal - Another great one for the table workers.
  • Vanishing Thimble - Put this one in your thimble routine!
  • Straw Production - Great little effect anytime you're sitting at the table
  • Bank Night - It's BEST done with a Thumb Tip.
  • Nuts & Bolts - Egor Polo's brilliant little effect.
  • Spikes through Thumb - Mini Illusion with a thumb tip and a black art secret.
  • Bill Switch - One of the top five Thumb Tip Tricks explained in GREAT tremendous detail by special guest and Las Vegas pro Jeffrey Richards.
  • Dollars to Quarters - A comedic trick with a great finish.
  • Burnt & Restored Match - One of the highlights of the set.
Bonus
  • Cigarette Tonguing
  • Cigarette Moves
  • Trick Tips - Darwin takes you on a quick tour. Everything from picking up a flame your bare hands to a showgirl's thumb tip. Tips of all colors, shapes, and sizes.
  • Match Tricks
  • Thumb Tip Packaging
On Volume Three you'll learn:

Effects
  • Balanced Card - Tremendous effect. Magician fooler.
  • Gold Cord - Darwin sells this one separately. Very commercial.
  • Sponge to Power Pad - This little idea gives you a great way to get your number to a girl.
  • Sponge Balls
  • Color Changing Sponge Balls
  • Sponge Rabbits - Darwin's funny finish to Robert Nelson's classic effect.
  • Candy Mentalism - Read people's mind with a thumb tip!
  • Silk to Pocket - Darwin's modernization of the old principle.
  • Nickles to Dimes - Darwin's startling climax improves on the old classic.
  • Drop Dead - Your pulse stops at your command.
  • Cigarette in Hanky - When you do it Darwin's way you're one step ahead.
  • Center Tear - Mentalism effect and Darwin's finish on the Invisible Deck.
  • Burst & Restored Balloon - Strong Trick. Darwin invented this one over 25 years ago.
  • Vanishing Silk Hanky - A wild concept! Vanish the Hanky in the spectator's hand!
  • Rubber Bands - A little mystery with a rubber band.
  • Purse Frame - The thumb tip improves the old classic!
  • One Handed Silk Production
  • Instant Breakfast - Fielding West loved it, and you will too.
  • Expanded Hanky - Melvin Christopher and Hen Fetch Popper.
  • Burnt & Restored Bill - Good trick, close-up or stage. This one gets more laughs.
  • High Sodium Napkin - A new principle.
Bonus
  • One Handed Coin Vanish
  • More Gimmicks
  • Literature
  • Thumb Through Shirt
These DVDs are dedicated to Siegfried and Roy -- Gary Darwin

About the Magician: Gary Darwin

Born: September 19th, 1935 in Denver Colorado.

First trick: Darwin's grandfather performed a cigarette vanish for a six year old Darwin. A year later a family friend, Professor Lamont, plucked a silver dollar from his ear. From that moment Darwin was hooked on magic. Today Darwin is one of the top performers in Las Vegas. He is also a consummate collector, researcher, inventor, organizer, and writer.

Darwin has created over 500 magic effects. He's also written several magic books including: Darwin's Close Up Miracles, Darwin's Thumb Tip Secrets, Darwin's Thumb Tip Thinking, and Inexpensive Illusion.

Darwin's professional credits include performances at the Stardust, the Lido, Caesar's Palace, the Silver Bird, the Flamingo, the Desert Inn, the Mint, the MGM Grand, and resort hotels in Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Canada.

Darwin owns one of the largest magic libraries in the world. There are over 10,000 books in the library in addition to autographs, posters, and other magic related memorabilia. Darwin's home is a museum of all things magic.

Darwin is also the founder of the Darwin Magic Club. The Club has met every Wednesday Night for over 39 years. The club has over 500 members, and its roster includes many of the biggest names in magic.

Trivia:
  • Darwin was the first magician featured in an afternoon show in Las Vegas history. A show called "Speaking of Girls".
  • Darwin was the first person to escape from a straitjacket underwater.
  • Darwin has the unique ability to hold his breath for an amazing 3 minutes and 20 seconds!
  • Darwin won the Las Vegas Most Outstanding Swimmer award five years in a row.
  • Darwin won the City Handball Championship eight times and the State title twice.
Quote:

"I think the Thumb Tip is the greatest thing ever invented for the magician because it gives you the appearance of great sleight of hand instantly. The Thumb Tip is almost like Rock and Roll... You can do it the same day! It's the greatest gimmick ever invented, no doubt about it." -- Gary Darwin

"[Darwin is] the only man I've ever seen do the Downs' coin star with both hands..." -- J. B. Bobo

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Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on June 6th, 2016
Their was a wide range of reviews for this product so I was not sure what to expect. What I got was a lot of information about one of magic's oldest and most reliable tools. Darwin is a real student of the craft of magic who takes pleasure is showing how to handle this device and what to do when things go wrong. Part of the video is filmed live in his Las Vegas act where he shows the tricks done for a real, the decidedly inebriated audience. He tells us later, "You should never do more than one or two of these tricks in a set and we did about ten on stage last night." A testimony to how smoothly he does these tricks. I'm a hack who works with kids a bit, but I can easily see how carrying a TT in my pocket for an instant trick anywhere anytime makes a lot of sense. It was well worth the money to learn from this grand master of the art.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
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Not what I was hoping for Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on June 4th, 2011
Let me start my review by saying that I am a big fan of Penguin Magic - The customer service is exceptional, shipping is fast, and normally the products they sell and put out are great. With that said, I was a bit disappointed in this particular DVD series. The description and other reviews made this series sound like the end-all-be-all of thumb tip magic, and with Darwin teaching it, I thought this would be a gold mine of info, but I found it lacking. Considering all of the effects that are listed and expanded throughout three different DVDs, the majority of them all follow the same basic TT move, with a few exceptions. Truth be told, all the material on these DVDs could have been consolidated to just one DVD, and I really didn't think there was much on here that couldn't be found and learned just as well from Darwin's TT booklets, at a fraction of the cost. Granted there were a few good ideas throughout, including the teaching of the bill switch, what you get from it does not feel like it's worth the $60 price tag.
1 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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Wish hw did in high definition Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on March 12th, 2022
A library of excellent tricks.

Video and audio quality is so poor that it makes it painful to watch.
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Eh Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 9th, 2013
Volume two has the bill switch with a thumb tip. If you know how to make a silk vanish, you can do the rest of the effects in the series. You don't learn any amazing routines, patter, or handling that you wouldn't develop on your own in front of a mirror for a half an hour.

Volume one seems like it should be a giveaway when you buy a thumb tip, volume two is worth a bit more for the bill switch.

I'd stick to volume two, if anything.
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Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 6th, 2010
Everything you need to know about TT's are on these DVDS.

I think pretty much every trick you can do with a TT is on these DVDs, so if you like to use TT's then get these DVDs.
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Thumb Tip Bible Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 2nd, 2010
This DVD set is the Bible for thumb tip workers. All the material and information is quality material that works in the real world and will stand the test of time. Also, the section on all the types of Tips is very educational and will help you to find the right tip for you!

Add to card NOW!
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Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 2nd, 2010
Everything you need to know about thumb tips! There are not really a lot off different tricks, but there are a lot of different ways of doing them. The best part is the bill change witch is amazing! there is a trick with matches witch is really cool to. It's great!
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