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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
You know, when you give an honest answer to kids and state it clearly, as Harris does, kids are usually fine with that. I usually do ot have kids even mentioning it but if I did, I would do it the same way. I would simply say, yes I am a puppet but I am a FUn puppet huh? something like that. Just be honest and go on and kids usually accept that. I engage the kids so much that in most cases they are engaging with the puppet so much, that they forget about me or the fact it is a puppet. They are simply enjoying the experience.
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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MiketheMagicDude Loyal user CT 270 Posts |
I have had WAY bigger problems with kids screaming and freaking out because the think the puppet is real. Nothing like making kids cry at a birthday party HA.
What I have done a few times and suggest trying is having the puppet "speak" (move mouth) but with no sound coming out and act like you can't hear him. Ask the kids to quiet down so you can hear your puppet. |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Mike,
yes some children (and adults) have a fear of puppets. I don't use my very realistic vent figure (often) for that very reason. It is great to see threads like this that show the great spirit of folks on the Magic Café. You are all appreciated by, Harris
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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Red Shadow Inner circle 1788 Posts |
Well, my fake hand gag has served me well a number of times, and now I actually try to encourage the 'Its a puppet' response, so that I can use the gag.
I'm surprised nobody has yet said the David Williamson 'Rocky the Raccoon' gag, where you whack it against the door. If they know its a puppet, you can beat it up, as it then becomes funny. I do a similar routine with a Pokemon puppet, where I poke it with my balloon pump, and say 'It's okay, he's a Poke-e-mon'! Then there is the Bryan Connelly response, where he whacked it continuously with a mallet / baseball bat and kept yelling out 'Its a puppet!' - He used the response as a way to engage the children. So there are legitimate ways to use these heckles to fuel the routine and comedy. Amazing Stephen |
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MiketheMagicDude Loyal user CT 270 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-11-04 15:52, Harris wrote: Realistic?...Who said realistic. I am talking about blood curdling screams on behalf of vern the bird. |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
I am curious about how you, (Mike and others) handle when kid(s) have a reaction to your puppet(s). Through my experience sometimes one persons reaction like that, snow balls to others...or sometimes leads to laughter and ridicule of the one person fear.
Blood curdling sceam to a cartoonish like puppet is one reaction (by the way Axtell has some great products)among many, which is why I love live theatre. (though taping and editing for things like radio programs does have it's advantages.) In a pre screening interview, I ask about the personality of the birthday person and their reaction to other entertainers, tv shows, (along with the usual..pet expressions, hobbies..etc..that way the "puppet" can talk about things they recognize. What's more fun and scawy ...my 6:45 AM prep for an 8 AM puppet workshop for seventh graders...now where is that aluminum foil. Oh what fun it is to play.... Harris 2 old to know everything....
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
That is an interesting idea Harris. To actually ask questions to the parent about the likes of the b-day child and then have the puppet use and mention those likes in the course of a puppet routine. Very nice, very logical and a great way to customize the show experience. Great thoughts.
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Yes, it is the little things that can set you apart and help make it memorable for your audiences. Sometimes after finding this out I choose not to use the birthday person in that special spot in the show. Other times I find the scared child has been warmed up a bit. Sometimes it is a matter of distance...From 10 feet or even 5 feet there is a comfort level..too close can lead to tears, or just shyness...or as mentioned blood curdling screams...
Anyone besides me do a bit where the puppet scares YOU. I use it with my boxing skeleton puppet. (It actually was made with bloody eyes and mouth..I had our art teachers mix me up some paint and re-did the head..to make it a little less scawy..but it still can be...scawy that is) Harris "king of the run on sentences" deutsch
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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MagicalArtist Veteran user Hobart, Indiana 378 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-10-24 05:30, ku7uk3 wrote: No one has mentioned this aspect of it yet, but it sounds like they started a chant. That means it's not so much a matter of "how do I deal with 'its a puppet'" but rather "how do I deal with chants?" That's when one kid starts yelling something out and the rest join in. The chant could be anything from "It's up his sleeve!" to "we all want one!" (when you give a prize to a volunteer). This problem is so common that it was addressed in the book "Kid Show Showmanship" by Bruce Posgate. The way you deal with this is you have to either disprove the chant or you have to distract from it. Your normal method of the fake hand seems to be a classic example of distraction. Pulling up your sleeve would be a way of "disproving." However, since you couldn’t disprove that it was a puppet, agreeing with the kids would be your best choice. "Youre right, it is a puppet," and show the back of it. If you couldn’t bring yourself to do that, you could take your hand out of the puppet and show that it flops over. You could even turn this into a message saying "we all flop over without God's love" or somesuch. Or you could make the puppet look very dejected and say "Aw, you've hurt his feelings!" Not that the kids would care about this, but then when the puppet laughs you show that the joke was on them. Anything to distract them. |
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Neale Bacon Inner circle Burnaby BC Canada 1775 Posts |
I reinforce the idea through out my show. I tell kids I brought some puppet friends, and as each one is introduced I say something like "Would you like to meet another puppet friend?"
It seems to work. Just don't try to tell kids it is real when they know it is a puppet. Just go along with it, acknowledge that they figured out it is a puppet (duh) and then move on.
Neale Bacon and his Crazy Critters
Burnaby BC Canada's Favourite Family Ventriloquist www.baconandfriends.com |
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zimsalabim Special user Orlando Floirda USA 520 Posts |
I actuall had this happen the other day doing my version of Chico the mind reader.
A kid stood up and said its a puppet! Well aren't you clever yes it is! The ohter children laughed at what I said I heard a few "DUHS" sent in his direction. He then sat down completely disarmed. that's what I will say in the future if it happens. Of course it probably won't now that I am "armed". Z
Joe Zimmer
"The Second Greatest Magician in the World" Who is the Greatest? Everybody else! Borrowed with respect from the late Great Eddie Fechter Owner of the Forks Hotel Zimsalabim Orlando Florida |
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Neale Bacon Inner circle Burnaby BC Canada 1775 Posts |
You just have to be careful not to make a kid feel stupid for mentioning it. You have to acknowledge it without making the kid feel bad.
Neale Bacon and his Crazy Critters
Burnaby BC Canada's Favourite Family Ventriloquist www.baconandfriends.com |
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magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-11-08 12:21, MagicalArtist wrote: I occasionally am on the recieving end of a chant. They can be about anything even something positive (They once charted chanting "cheeky monkey" at my puppet) but chants make you feel like you are not in control because the whole audience is almost working as a team against you. Obviously the children don't think of it like this, to them it's just a game. Anyhow, my solution: They can't chant and laugh at the same time so I do a silly dance in time with the chant and when it disssolves into laughter I carry on. George |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
You are so right George. Laughter is a wonderful tool not only to keep control of a situation but it is also very wonderful misdirection. When people are laughing, you could walk an elephant on sage and they wouldn't know. lol
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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danielluskmagic New user 97 Posts |
I used my puppet rabbit on almost every age group. By the end of the show he is a much bigger star than I will ever be (even with the teens). I had to come up with something for the teens I could acknowledge their maturity. I pull him out and make him cover his ears, "now I know he is just a puppet.....but I have not broke the news to him yet and I think he would be quite disappointed." That works for older kids.....younger kids will just shout..."Your a puppet!!"
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tboehnlein Inner circle ohio 1787 Posts |
"of course he is, because if he wasn't I couldn't do this" then beat his head repeatedly on the table, the puppet's head not the child's.
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puppeterry Regular user Sanger, CA 114 Posts |
Over 35 years ago, when I started out with puppets (long before storytelling and magic entered my shows), the first part of my act involved a character discovering that she was working with a puppet ("Where there's an arm--there's a hand! You're a puppet!"), then being forced to confront her own puppet-nature ("What will my friends say?").
As my shows moved away from the booth, kids would say, "Your lips are moving!" I'd say, "That's a ventriloquist. My sister's one of those. I'm a puppeteer." Besides, after three minutes, the crowd is more interested in the puppets than me (they're definitely better-looking), and they forget about me, even when I'm between two bickering characters. As to the chanting, distraction seems to be the best course, providing something more interesting to do or watch. Back in the old days, I borrowed a Dr. Pepper commercial and sang, "I'm a puppet, You're a puppet, He's a puppet, She's a puppet, Wouldn't you like to be a puppet, too?" Terrance V. (T.V.) Mc Arthur Fresno (CA) County Public Library Storyteller, puppeteer, Librician, balloony
TV Mc Arthur
The Librician Fresno (CA) County Public Library "They don't get better.....just faster." |
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thescienceworks New user 69 Posts |
Well, It really is amazing that there can be so many childrens performers, from all over the WORLD, who run into the same problems ("THAT'S A PUPPET!", "HE'S NOT REAL!", "I SEE YOUR HAND!", "I KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT TRICK!", CHANT, CHANT, CHANT). Even more amazing is how so many people can come up with so many similar ideas, but with vastly different styles. I have a monkey puppet as well (he squeaks, I translate for him), who I have used for over 25 years (first problem....I say WHO, not THAT). My monkey, when he first comes out, hides from the audience, and won't look at them. When he finally does, he is afraid of them and hides again. This works wonderfully to disarm any wiseguys, and alleviates any tension from those that are afraid of puppets. It also gets them all on the monkey's side, as he admits he in not afraid and was fooling me. This theme continues throughout my puppet routine (10 minutes), and instead of "us versus them", it is "them and my puppet versus me", as he plays different jokes and gags on me.
When hecklers do arise, I start with the"SHHH, don't say that, he THINKS he's real!" line. This usually works, but occasionally there is one child who persists, so I'll try, "Don't say that (while I cover the monkey's ears), you'll hurt his feelings!". If this STILL doesn't work, I move in on that one child. I agree with earlier posts not to make them look bad in front of their friends (especially if it is the birthday child, which makes it VERY awkward). My standard line is to focus right in on "Tom" (usually in this kind of occurrence you'll find out THAT child's name right away), and I will say, "Please don't say that, ummm, What's your name again, Tom?". By the time they have figured out what you have asked and how you have asked it, the situations has been diffused and I have moved on to another part of the audience. I then tend to focus my energy and attention towards the opposite side of the room from where the heckler(s) are. As a last resort? (Before calling a parent over, that is) I'll give the old ultimatum, "Sometimes I look for audience members to help with magic tricks, but I only pick children who are waiting patiently and QUIETLY!" Chanting? For instance, "Bring out the monkey! Bring out the monkey!", I get them to stop, and say, "Ohhh, I never do things if people chant!". If it is something that I am not planning on doing, that's that. If I was going to do it anyway, I'll follow up right away with "Only if they say PLEASE!" Which, of course they do. Occasionally, nothing can be done. If they are that out of hand, the puppet won't get them back. In that case shorten the puppet part, move right into something that will catch there attention and draw it away from the mood they were in a minute ago. Choose your battles, just remember the faces and names of those who were tormenting you. Hopefully not being picked to help with a magic trick will deter them from heckling someone else sometime down the road. I just watched the Kimmo video clip, and then Nina Conti. Not exactly a children's show, but she does have a lot of lines that could be adapted, and she is also VERY funny. -Steve |
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Powermagic Inner circle 1437 Posts |
Well I think most of you missed the reason they yell it out. First kids want to be heard and if you ignore them they will just keep at you until you acknowledge them.
This can be hard if you do a timed music routine with sound effects. I use an Axtell bird and arm and have had that chant. But I KNOW WHY! Do you want to know the real reason they may chant it is a puppet? If you are doing a MAGIC SHOW, and have been tricking them, this is the one thing they figure out and they NEED to tell you this. If you do a PUPPET SHOW they know from the start it is a puppet. But in a magic show, if that is the only puppet, they think they CAUGHT YOU and kids being kids will burst out to tell you. |
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veegates Loyal user 208 Posts |
I read this thread with great interest. I loved some of the ideas of dealing with the situation. Great advice. I am not a performer but I have ran into similar situations. I build props. It is funny that the majority of the pieces that I have built are meant primarily for children. I built a Snake in the basket and intentionally made him cartoonish for this reason. Kids today are sharp. There are a couple of pieces that I made such as Antonio Diavolo (mechanical acrobat) and a Dancing Harlequin (puppet in a box). When I presented them to adults all of the adults said "You won't fool any of the children.Everyone is going to know it is a puppet". I gave this some thought and asked "what else could they be?" "A 10 inch tall clown that jumps around in a box and a 3 foot tall little boy performing on a trapeze." I wanted to put a racheting sounding device in the back of the acrobat and pretend as if I was winding him for his performance. I was told that would take the magic away. ????? It is odd, but as far as the acrobat people thought he was robotic and electronic. But if you tell them he is "clockwork" he becomes magical again. Springs and gears seem to be much more mysterious the electronics. I wish I could have performed them for children to see how they would have reacted to them. I sometimes feel that adults today are better equipped to have suspension of disbelief than children. I agree with many of the contributors who said they let them know up front it is a puppet and made them feel they were being let in on a little secret. I think they are wonderful those who perform for children.
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