I'm a big fan of the card trick with the snake can. Does any one know the origin of this effect? I've heard it was in tarbell.

I generally introduce the can via vanishing bottle, ala Martin Lewis' snacks alive. I have a lunch/lunch bag theme for the first bit of my show, so this flows nicely, imo.

I use the predictable can with real peanuts...is funny because many people expect that there comes a snake and the can is only filled with peanuts next I do the David Ginn's Snake Go!

Well, one of my favorite magicians Tommy Cooper uses a thumb tip and says the handkerchief will now appear inside this box, he opnes the can and 2 huge snakes pop out which gets a good laugh.
Cheers!!
Nick.
:)

Pringle cans and tennis ball cans are too big to palm, but the small "Mixed Nut" and "Jelly Bean" cans currently on the market are no bigger than most dye tube gimmicks. They can be palmed and switched with relative ease. Even Wiz Kid Qua-Fiki can palm and switch, as he now is doing in his Puppy-Fiki routine (Wizards' Journal #18). He first offers the can to an adult, claiming that he is having trouble opening it. He watches the faces of the adults when he first brings out the can, to see if anyone shows signs of recognizing it, and that's the one he asks to open it for him. The adult suspects it is a snake can, but it is filled with mixed nuts, which Qua-Fiki offers to the helper, eats some himself, and uses as "doggy treats" for his Puppy-Fiki. He puts the top back on the can and switches it as he slams the can down on a table. Later he asks a child helper to get a doggy treat to give to Puppy-Fiki and the snakes fly out. He screws the top back on the can and switches it for the real nut can. Now, when he needs a doggy treat. he opens it and there are no snakes, only mixed nuts. Once more the can is switched for a third can loaded with lots of snakes. The next time, the snake surprise is on Qua-Fiki as he opens it himself, and then he looks accusingly at the helper, as if the child somehow caused the snakes to reappear.