Feb 22 2009
Nuts and Bolts - Magic with Tree Products
Just a rumination here…
Trees and magic have gone together for centuries.
- The first magic wand was probably a piece of a branch.
- The same can be said of a wizard staff
- The “ring on stick” trick continues to be one of the classics of magic, and can be done close up and on stage
- In the 1700s and 1800s, as paper became less expensive, paper was used to wrap dry goods - grocers would make a “cone” of paper, twisting the ends to serve as an enclosed container. This is why there are so many old tricks that used paper cones.
- The invention of the paper bag in 1852 marked the beginning of the end of “paper cone” tricks in popular magic. Of course it also marked the beginning of “paper bag magic”
- Pound for pound, newspapers and paper napkins are the least expensive materials to use for magic. Mostly because the magician can often “acquire” the materials for free by walking past a bar, restaraunt or recycling center.
- There are over two hundred variations on the “torn and restored newspaper” trick
- Likewise for the “torn and restored napkin” trick
- Harry Houdni published a book of Paper Magic - I won’t say “wrote” as many of the tricks existed before he published them
- Making a rose out of a paper napkin continues to be one of the simplest ways I’ve found to make a lady or young girl’s day at Faire.
- And I couldn’t make a list like this without mentioning Slydini’s Paper Balls Over The Head - Others have done it after, but Slydini was the master
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