Ah...but the disco box arouses suspicion precisely because the audience doesn't know what additional properties this fancy box might hold. They see all the decoration and stuff and wonder what other things may have been added.

With the Okito Box, it's simple enough to just hand it to a person for examination (though don't tell them to examine it!). "Here, you hold on to this for a moment...make sure I didn't leave anything inside." Don't let give them control of the examination -- you lead them in checking it out. It can easily be built into the presentation and can help add to the conviction of the routine, if done properly.

-Jim

Here is the perfect opportunity to feed a spectators' fantasy and lead them down the garden path.

Spectators' love the idea that you have a trick box, and they love the challenge of finding the trap door, or the spring hinges, or the magnets, or whatever. You have a prop that doesn't DO anything on its' own. It will stand endless examination, and afterwards, you can do miracles with it. So, why not INSIST that it is a magic prop? Giving the box special properties diverts attention from the real answer - your skillful manipulation of it.

If you start out serious, and then describe things to the point of caricuture, the very ludicriousness of it all will create amusement all out of proportion to the effort you expend.

I'm offering this as a general philosophy you might want to consider, rather than a specific routine, (though I could easily give you an example with the coin box), because I think it's better to try to grasp the philosophy than to copy a specific example.

Understanding a principle allows you to develop multiple applications of it, whereas memorizing one trick leaves you with one trick. Not to mention, if you forget any part of what you've memorized, you're done, but if you understand the philosophy you can re-construct almost anything it applies to. Always go for understanding rather than memorizing, it pays off three-fold...

Best, PSC

Jim, I agree with you that it's all the fancy stuff which would cause suspicion because the audience doesn't know what additional properties the fancy box might hold. But being able to hand out an Okito box and have it examined (indirectly) doesn't resolve the issue for me. What if I could likewise hand out the disco box and have it examined indirectly? I still wouldn't use the disco box (or the Okito box) because I think it's suspect and might be viewed somewhat as a puzzle. It's the same reason I wouldn't buy Dean Dill's box if it cost only $1 (unless my goal was to sell it to someone else for more).



Paul, I follow that EXACT approach with one of the few unusual looking props that I actually do perform for laymen. Instead of trying to justify that it's a normal object, I point out how abnormal it looks and I've designed a humorous presentation that's built around that.

This is not a right or wrong issue in my mind, just a personal preference and a general approach that I follow. Others may take different approaches that work for them.

Good discussion guys.

Larry D.

The Boston box is a form of Okito Box you can have a lot of fun with. Try getting a matching Okito box a half dozen coins or more and J.B Bobo's wonderful work on modern coin magic. You have found the right place to be guided in learning this wonderful performance art. You will get a wide range of information and opinions on every area of Magic that you have interest in.

Never be afraid to ask for help but do keep in mind the reason for keeping certain amount of the knowledge secret is so those of us who depend on Magic to make a living will not be able to draw people to their shows if every potential audience member already knows how the effects are done. So preserving the mystery preserves their livelyhood.

I have a Big Softbound Book On the Boston Box! ( without a coin stick in the bottom! ) P.M. Me for info!

Wasn't the original idea derived from a pill box? why not dump out a couple Tylenol and say "let's see what else this is good for". I carry a couple pill boxes with my many meds in them and they (although plastic) are very similar to an okito.

Yes it was!!!

Some times I will carry some cotton in there! And say I taken all the pills!

The box you may be talking about is a Jimmy Zee boston box with slot and insert made for Bob Bengal known as the Bengal box.
They were made in the early 90's.

Romancing the Coin Box was the name of the routine that came with the box.