There's a one day trip to Lapland and I have been asked to perform on the flight out and the flight back. Not a show but just a few little close-up kid tricks and maybe a few balloons. What tricks could I do in this environment?

Any help appreciated,
Mike

The same stuff that would work table to table in a function room. Bill Abbott has a great video on close up for kids. That video combined with what you already know should give you plenty of ideas and inspiration. It sound like a really fun gig!

Best,

Dan-

I worked at Britt Alcroft's Thomas the Tank Engine days under similar performing conditions as it meant working on a moving train. They wanted a themed act so I performed dressed as an engineer and carried my props, balloons and puppets in a tool box. Most close up effects will work fine. Can you obtain white sponge balls and refer to them as snowballs? I'd be inclined to cut them roughly out of a normal white sponge anyway so that they resembled the real article more. Anything that can be worked in the hands without a table would be good. Rope routines, silk dying, practical magic sells a nice silk set with a christmas theme using a change bag. I have also had success with the ambitious card with kids. I use a blank deck and let one of the children draw a picture of themself on one card. The plot is simple for kids to follow and its fun when the chosen child keeps returning to the top!!

Best of luck and be sure to tell us how it went!

Be careful with the balloons on the plane. Last month I flew back east to NY and I asked the flight attendant if I could make a balloon animal for this child that was sitting across from me looking very unhappy. She said they didn't allow it due to the pressure in the cabin and the possibility of it popping and scaring the passengers. I ended up doing a few little kid friendly tricks for him instead. Just FYI.

Put some money tricks in the act.

Thanks guys!! If I start preparing now I should have plenty of time to come up with something. Any other suggestions welcome.......

Mike

These all come from my kids night table hopping gigs

Sponge balls, hotrod, TT vanish/productions with silk, mini colouring book, Rocky, and my number one requested trick by regulars "the disapeering card" ...back palming.

I just did 3 hours of strolling at an elementary school fall festival, and I have a couple of recommendations for you. I did Dr. Daley's last trick, but I printed pictures of Sponge Bob, Patrick, Squidword and Plankton on blank cards. I showed sponge bob and patrick, which them changed to squidword and plankton. The kids loved it, and could easily follow it because they were all familiar with sponge bob. I also did Geoff Williams 'Bear Hands' card trick, which is on his Magic for Mortals dvd (this is akin to 'the web' or 'butterfly love', but not scary or expensive). Crazy Man's Handcuffs was a big hit (this one is great for adults as well), and I combined the TT vanish with the breakaway wand to great success. So as mentioned earlier, any table-hopping effects you normally do will work.

Update:
The gig was on Friday. It went great. I usually wear a suit when doing magic but I just wore casual cloths and a Santa hat for this one. When I got onto the plane I introduced myself as the magician to the air hostesses. Its a 5 hour flight and it wasn't going to take me that long to get to everyone on the plane so I took a seat and waited till the air hostesses came around and did everything they had to do. Then I went up to the air hostess and ask him to introduce me on the PA as the magician and tell everyone I will be doing some magic.

My plan was to start at the back of the plane and work my way up to the top. So I went to the back of the plane and started showing a few tricks. Then I made a few balloon animals for the kids, next thing I knew I had all the kids lined up the whole way down the plane looking for balloons. So one by one I started making balloons, I kept going until the seat belt light came on and then everyone had to **** down. Thanks god, I went through 73 balloons and there was still at least 20 if not more kids looking for balloons. So when they were seated I still had a few minutes to run up the top and show a few more tricks, that kept the kids that didn't get balloons happy. Finally we got to Lapland and I myself had great fun! It was a fun gig and a great experience!

Thanks to everyone that gave advice,
Mike

In the words of Samuel L Jackson. "I have had it with this mother ****** kids magic on this mother ******* plane!

Well said!!! LOL

Congratulation Mike. Sounds like a great time for all. I'm sure the parents were especially grateful that their children were entertained in flight.

Mark.

Mike, for the parents and kids, that must have been a fantastic trip! How was it though, for you? In my imagination, performing on a plane sounds like REALLY hard work, avoiding the stewardesses and so on....

Well I made friends so to speak with the stewardesses, so we worked together. I let them do everything they had to do and then they helped me. I had them introduce me and tell the kids I would be performing. The parents were very greatful, I kept the kids from getting bored. On the way back the company I was doing it for gave me a big sack of lucky bags to give out to the childern, that kept them busy on the way back and most of them fell asleep. It was a really fun gig!!! As for been hard work it wasn't to bad.

....and did you meet Santa? Or was he in the garden doing the hoe-hoe-hoeing?

Yup, I met Santa, his Reindeers and his helpers!!!

Funny how crazy everyone is for balloons. I do a restaurant and I barely have time for magic everyone is so crazed for balloons. I have been working this restaurant for 9 years. I make a lot of cool stuff but I would rather do the magic, some of the older boys request magic instead but there is just something about balloons.

If I am doing an event and want to do magic I never let them see the balloons... If balloons are also offered I save them for after the magical fun.

Cool, working an airplane, I have worked dinner cruses and a double Decker bus. You just never know where this crazy career will take you.
Jewls