Hocus-Pocus in Fresno put out a prop called Play-Duh. This is a snake can that’s built into a Play-Doh style can. I wrote up the routine I’m doing with it here: https://www.magicshow.tips/magic-show-tips/play-duh/
I’m using the Play-Duh props in my library and summer camp shows. The fair I was performing at last week I did the routine for some kids between shows.
here’s what it looks like:
It’s just a solid, fun routine.
-Louie
Some friends and I were texting horrible variation of existing magic tricks. One of my ideas was the “dimmest” D’lite! Then my buddy Chris used AI to make them into packaged magic tricks.
It came out well! He uses AI for his work, and gave me some tips on how to use AI more effectively to create things. I think that effectively communicating with AI is going to be a skill that will be helpful. It’s a modern version of knowing how to use photoshop (which I don’t know how to use).
-Louie
When I have down time when I’m on the road I pop by junk shops and try to find old magic props or unopened bicycle cards from Cincinnati. Usually I don’t find much, but the other day I found a Deland Deck:
I also found this lid that looks like the top of a dove pan!
The lid was lacking the spring clips inside, so a quick search on Google and I learned it’s the lid from a serving tray. I guess that the dove pan is actually something in real life…well halfway. The metal bowl isn’t something that would have been with it, it would be paired with a flat tray.
I always love finding the real life item that props are trying to mimic!
-Louie
A while ago I wrote a post about me having Trigger Finger, which is a tendon issue in my knuckle. I noticed that it was bad when it was raining, so that means I have an old man super power, my finger can predict the weather!
What can I do with that?
It got me thinking about doing a weather prediction effect. The idea of the trick will be that someone says the name of a city, and I write down what my finger thinks the weather in that city is.
I wanted the prediction to be bigger that something that could be accomplished with a nail writer. After some writing of different ideas, I hit upon using weather icons:
The flow of the effect is:
That’s the flow.
I originally had a step earlier in the process that had me showing all the different possible icons. I decided that’s really dead time, and not needed, because we’re going to go through them later to find the correct one.
The method is really simple, I spent a lot of time writing more complex methods, but this was the most simple and direct method that I came up with.
I tried it for the first time a couple of days ago and it worked! Now to do it more and create a more complete routine.
-Louie
For my library and summer camp shows this year, I added a screen to my table.
There’s not much to it. It connects to an iPhone that’s running IQpro and controlled by a Flic Button. The main reason I’m using it is to get used to running IQpro.
I want to be more comfortable using production elements in my show, and obviously the best way to do that is to use them!
-Louie
I found this picture in my phone of a street performer when I was in New Orleans last month. I just caught the end of the strait jacket escape, which also was the end of the show, so I don’t know if it was a one trick show, or more.
What I saw was fine for what it was, a get the money show. I’m not it’s target audience, so all the standard hack jokes didn’t really do anything for me, but the people watching seemed to like them and that’s all that matters…or is it?
It comes down to what is your art?
What are you giving the audience a piece of you, or a piece of a dozens of other people’s shows that are used without permission?
Is your art a line that you saw another magician get a laugh with, so you started doing it? If it is, that’s fine, that’s your art.
Is your art giving the audience some sort of experience that no one has ever seen before? This is what the kind of art that I like to watch.
Is there anything wrong with this show? No, it’s fine, just not for me. His show would probably also run circles around mine at that pitch in NOLA. There are a tons of places where a guy drumming on a bucket will absolutely do better than the guy with the a million dollar violin.
Sometimes the right show for the right venue matters.
-Louie
Many years ago I heard an interview with Jerry Seinfeld that had an interesting piece of advice. He said your job isn’t having fun onstage, you should be working! I agree, your first job is to work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun at the same time.
Here’s how sweaty I am after a show:
I know it’s gross, but I busted my ass onstage! It was fun, but I worked
-Louie
When I was in Nashville recently I saw a ton of bands whose names I can’t remember. One of the bands playing at a bar that I stopped in was this one:
Their name was one the screens behind them. This is something that’s easy for you to do with your show. Put your logo on to a flash drive and keep with with your show gear. Now anytime there’s a TV in your performing area, plug in the flash drive and pull up your logo.
Personally I think having your logo on a screen is more modern than having a sign on our table. It also adds a touch of “production” to your show. This is a super easy way to get them to remember your name!
-Louie
I did a test show of my 2025 summer library show. My show is themed around colors, with an emphasis on the colors of the rainbow. Here’s my view of the show when set up:
The Milson Worth Silk Cabby is something that I put in the show for the color blue. The effect that happens is that “my grandma’s scarf” stretches from about 9 inches to 20 feet long while in my grandma’s scarf box. This prop is an outlier in the show as I don’t use magic prop looking things in the show.
After doing it in the show, it really doesn’t feel right as a prop in the show. I think I may just use a double walled bag. The bonus of that is that it will reduce bulk and weight that I need to move around. The downside is that I don’t get to use a fun, vintage magic prop in my show.
For me a test show about a month before the summer library season is really helpful to identify things that don’t work, or I don’t like in the show. Once the season starts, I don’t have a lot of time to build or find a new prop to replace something that isn’t playing how I hoped it would.
-Louie
Recently I hit the road for a short three day run of out of town shows that were done by car. Then I flew out out of an airport a few hours from home to another gig on the other side of the country. That meant that I had to leave my car parked at the airport with a lot of my show gear in the car.
When I do this I lock all of my gear to the car. This isn’t going to stop someone that REALLY wants to steal it, but it will make it harder! If someone’s going to a quick “smash and grab”, then they’re not getting anything. I want to make them work to steal my stuff.
Once everything is locked to my car, I then cover everything with a black sheet.
The black sheet combined with the tint on the windows makes it hard to see anything in the trunk of my car. While this doesn’t make it 100% invisible, it does a really good job of hiding my gear and definitely gives me some peace of mind that I at least tried to deter people from breaking into my car.
-Louie
