Hello Café! In addition to a jumbo card routine, I've been experimenting with a normal sized deck routine for my family shows. The obvious choice is the invisible deck. But if there are lots of little ones in the audience, I think it flies over their heads when the adults are making the choices. So recently (like yesterday), I've been doing the Anniversary Waltz using the mother and bday child. I have them both come up and write their names. I use a double backer to be able to show both cards "freely" before placing them in moms hand. Then the bday child puts her hand on top of the cards on moms hand. I remove one (the DB) and ask them to guess which is left. Then, voila. Didn't quite get the responses I was looking for yesterday.

I was wondering what card effects you do for family shows? When there are mixed ages? If there are LOTS of adults, I'll do the ambitious card. But a very short version.

Other card routines? Thank you!

To annoyingly begin answering my own question, maybe Roddy McGhie's "Little Door"? I've been using it for strolling. But maybe it's visible enough for 30ish people?

6 card repeat - YOU can make them Jumbo - regular-etc- also using ABC - Animal- Words-. And, with abc cards can produce Birthday Childs Name-have it set on top of deck - spread bottom half to show all different??- then produce childs name- - etc.

I have a Cards Across version which works very well.

I've been playing around with Tommy James cards across (apples and bananas). I love it. But I'm looking for a "regular" deck of cards trick. I've tried the McCombical Deck. Comedy Split Deck. Maybe I'll try those again?

Card warp with jumbo cards

Homing card
Cards across
Card in balloon

Al-Quadir Marsh (aka Qua-Fiki) recently redid his McDonald's Ace routine for Jumbo Playing Cards, but I played around with a regular size (poker) version and find it is great for close-up, tablehopping and strolling. It's called "McD's JUMBO Aces" found in The Wizards' Journal #33, but can be made in any size cards you want. It's a great card trick for kids because it uses only the four aces, plus a king and queen of each suit which kids have no trouble identifying, and the way the cards appear and disappear makes it very magical for everyone of any age.

Since you specified that you want effects with regular playing cards, you might try "Brainpower" from The Wizards' Journal #12, because it is all about "thought control," where you apparently take over the brains of several spectators or even the entire audience and make them do things in spite of themselves.

"Signed Card to Sealed Deck" is another easy concept for kids to follow, when their chosen signed card disappears from its deck and is found inside a sealed deck of cards of a different color back (The Wizards' Journal #13).

I think for kids, the effect has to be on the spectacular side as well as using playing cards they can easily identify.

I do one card trick for young kids. Card through handkerchief. I have a mouth drawn on Hank, go through the obvious gags, then Hank finds the signed card through sleight of mouth. If a kid can make a mark on the cards, he can enjoy this trick.

The best lucky save I ever had was with this trick. I let go of one corner and the whole deck hit the floor. One card was face up. The selection. Even more impossible effect than the penetration!

Patrick

Oh my. This is amazing. Thank you all so much!

I will definitely check out the Jumbo McDonalds Aces, Jim. Love that idea. I made a jumbo set of Richard Sanders Aces. I use that a lot. I've also made a large Stand Up Monte. I use that even more!!! But these are great. I'm definitely loving he mouth on the hanky idea. Awesome.

And Jim, you're right about the trick needing to be spectacular. That's why I'm using the Anniversary Waltz. The mother is stunned that the cards have fused together. Kid seems less interested. Then again, he's just done the sponge balls and the misers dream! Compared to those, cards are bleh. Perhaps the anniversary waltz should precede those tricks, eh?

Hi Frank -

I use Card to Ceiling everywhere I can for every age. Kids LOVE it. Or if I can't do that I will do card to forehead. Kids Love that too.
I may get some push back on this one, but Jay Sankeys In a Flash is very well received too...Even though it involves fire, it is a GREAT family routine. Have the selections signed and you have instant memories.

Hope this helps some.

David

You might also like my "Crazy Ace Matrix" routine from The Wizards' Journal #32. "The magician places four coins on a close-up mat using the familiar Matrix pattern. Four aces are openly pulled from a deck and one ace is placed face-down on top of each coin. The coins travel from beneath the cards until all four coins have gathered under a single card in the corner. Unexpectedly, the cards are then turned face up and the three cards that concealed vanished coins are shown to be blank face cards. The last card, under which the coins gathered, is turned face-up to show my Crazy Ace pattern. You print or make the Crazy Ace yourself from instructions given."

The same idea using business cards to cover the coins instead of playing cards can have a more cartoon-like approach to the changing pictures on the backs of your business cards as shown with circus elephants in Wiz Kid Qua-Fiki's "Matrix-Mix" in The Wizards' Journal #23.

Oh, one subtle bit with Hank - as soon as the card comes out, hand Hank to that vocal kid in the front who was yelling "there's a hole" and let him figure out that there is no hole. It implies examinability with the magic while not simply saying they can normally touch your props. Michael Ammar does this in ETMCM 2 and I add the phrase "would you please hold Hank for me?"

I believe that with kids a card trick works best when the effect is something other than "here's your card." That can still be part of it, but when a card penetrates a handkerchief or shows up in an unexpected place, the effect is a penetration or a teleportation. And even with older kids, silly is good. All the lame gags you can think of for your buddy Hank get them invested in the personality of a scrap of cloth. In large part, this is like a puppet that has its own personality. So when he spits out the card that tastes like marker, it isn't really a "look how clever I am" moment. It is a moment when the cheesy mouth-cloth does something cool.

Patrick

Baffling Bunnies is basically McDonald's Aces with rabbits and top hats. They come up regularly with used magic dealers. The finish is that there is no rabbit on the last card, only a top hat but the rabbit is found hidden in the top hat.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/b......12520693

Piano trick

Are you including tricks like ABC stung as a card trick? Granted, that is more of a Kids trick but I'm wondering if you are open to non-playing card cards.

-Mary Mowder

I've used a jumbo B'Wave for years. I show the four kings and have the audience decide how to stack them (three face down, one face up). Then pull the jumbo B'Wave out of a folder and show them they got it right.

Ed

Thanks again, everybody! I use cards that aren't decks. I use Comeback Bee and Tommys Hide and Seek House. So I have those covered. Just checking to see if I missed any deck tricks that play big in a mixed ages show

Actually, I've started using this. Made up some monkey and banana cards. Pretty crumby video quality but at least you can see the kids reaction! Thoughts?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JbNocv3202E

Stick with the Monkey/Banana Monte. The kids obviously love it and you obviously love doing it. It's great!

Thanks, Jim! I thought about adding a genuine card routine to entice the adults. But I do 3 Card Joe a lot. I suppose a deck routine isn't necessarily all that important.

Jim, sincerely, thanks for always offering help to me. I really appreciate it!