For a final effect in my kid shows/school shows. I want to show a top hat empty then proceed to try and produce a rabbit (Stuffed toy). I will first pull out tons of smaller animals (beanie baby size). I have thought about a load or loads much like the ones used in stage magicians. Only problem is that I want to produce about 15 animals (And one Barney). I have considered using a hole in the back of the hat, which I would reach through, to a bag hung on the back of my table with the animals in it. HELP! What works best? If I do the loads on the back of the table I would need to load three (Because of the size of the hat).
WR

While I can't think of a suitable method off hand, I think you may want to reconsider the amount of things you are producing.

15 Beanie Baby sized animals is A LOT and it will be very repetitive and get old after the first few come out. Also, once you produce an amount of material obviously larger than the hat could even hold, people will start being suspicious and looking for where it's really coming from.

I would suggest five Beanies maximum, then a final production.

Just my opinion,
Ty Argo

In one of the shows I do, the entire theme is pulling a rabbit from a hat. PM me if you would like more information. It's too long to go into here.

Anyway, at the end of the show a live rabbit is actually produced from a hat that was shown empty. There are a couple good ways to achieve this.

You might try the "Allakazam Hat" from the Mark Wilson Course...a kind of square circle that could hold a large load. If you need to use a more realistic hat, I'd suggest multiple methods and multiple loads and use one production to cover the next load.

You might look into books such as, "Hat Loading Methods" by Stewart James and U.F. Grant or "The Bunny Book for Magician" by Frances Marshall.

I should have explained better. My character is a bumbling wizard named Prof. Trickenus P. Bumbledum the new defense against the dark arts. It is around the Harry Potter theme. I tie it all into reading and books for my school shows. I produce a rabbit early on (it turns out to be a stuffed pig with rabbit ears). Later I produce another one (A raccoon puppet in a wizards hat with rabbit ears). And even later I produce a third one (Skunk with rabbit ears). Finally, at the end, I WILL produce a real bunny. I show the hat or what ever empty then start, rapidly, pulling out different animals till finally I produce a rabbit. (All animals are stuffed.)
WR

Also, do kids even know who Barney is anymore?

Whose Barney?

WR,
Like the running gag of pulling the "faux" bunnies out of your hat until the final real bunny. Think that will play very well.

Jim

I may get kicked off this board forever for this but check out this site. WARNING!!!!!!!!! scary things awit you there.
http://www.hitentertainment.com/barney/index2.asp
WR

Aghhh aghhh Barney aghh make it stop.. Make it stop!!!
hehehe

Kyle

That'll make put a shot gun in your mouth.
WR

THings that make you go ewwwwwwwwwww!