I am the creator of Bogus Bubble Gum, Professor Cheer's Professional Comedy Rope, and The Dirty Hand Towel. While filling another order, I decided Professor Cheer's could use DVD instructions. It can get confusing. Here's my question(s)... What percentage of magic that you fellow magicians buy do you really use? How much of it ends up in a junk drawer? Why? Not practical? lousy instructions? poor quality? What tricks are the sitting in the drawer? Could those tricks in the drawer have been salvaged with better instructions? Better quality? And lastly, are any of them mine??... (just kidding)Just picking your brain in order to help with the junk drawer stuff that I may be responsible for in future releases. And save everyone some money...

The Rubbermaid container in my basement contains cheap plastic props and things that don't appear to serve any purpose except as a magician's prop. I'm also not fond of things that require refills (milk, flash paper...).

So I guess I use the well made things that look like real or generic items.

I occasionally dig through my magic junk drawer in order to inspire myself to:
A) come up with good uses for otherwise expensive useless junk
B) remind myself why I don't buy much "new" magic anymore

David I'm not familiar with your gum and although I don't used Professor Cheers or the Dirty Hand Towel, I'm familiar with those and consider them fine products that have been around for years. How young a man are you?

To answer your question, I prefer tricks that don't require specific clothes or body loads, using normal-looking items, that take little or no set-up, and are angle proof.

A lot of tricks come with TERRIBLE directions that don't even make sense. Sometimes with photocopied instructions, whole pages are missing. Sometimes it's just because they were written by someone who doesn't speak the language or someone who simply is an awful writer. Tricks like that can end up going unused.

But for me, it is largely a practicality issue. I buy something because it looks cool in a demo or the ad copy, but then I get it and discover that some key components regarding the working had been carefully glossed over. I discover that I simply cannot use them in my venues, or that they just aren't practical except for very limited, controlled situations. Those end up in my "junk drawer".

But the lion's share of the stuff in that drawer in my house is stuff that is just poorly made--stuff that doesn't work properly from the get-go or that breaks very quickly.

To: msmaster
I am 45 yrs old. My professor cheer's is the one with the body harness that allows you to wear it for hours before use. The hand towel is being made because Mak magic doesn't make it anymore and my distributor wanted them... so now I make them.
The Bubble gum has recently gone crazy with orders. I know it's not for everyone (playing with gum) but it is a rather funny piece of magic. I've had a great run with it. Thanx for all of your responses so far. Poor instructions may be a key point to useless magic...

In my experience, poor instructions probably helps to get a trick sent into the junk drawer, but not as often as poor quality materials and poor workmanship.

Some things just aren't practical for my venues, or turn out to be beyond my skill and ability. Then there are just some classic tricks that I thought would be great for me, but turned out to be total duds as far as I was concerned: Chop Cup, Color-Changing Knives, Ninja Rings, Lippicott Box, etc. Although I've gotten better at predicting what would or would not work for me, I still don't have a great track record. SETH

Can a large section of my library be considered as a magic junk drawer? If that is the case I have a very large one. Otherwise I buy very few tricks.

Clutter invades your space and takes over your life. Clutter makes you disorganised, stressed, out of control. Clutter muddies your thinking, takes over your home or workplace and distracts you from your priorities. Clutter can stop you achieving your goals. Clutter affects your self-confidence and the image you present to others. Least that is what I tell my wife, who is junk collector of ornaments and stuff and all of that. My hypocrisy knows no bounds. My junk has a purpose I tell her.

http://www.clutter.co.uk/

I believe the problem is more in the consumer's mind. They (I/we/you) read a trick description and get a visual in our head of what it's suppose to look like, but when the product comes, we see how it's given and it looks nothing like how we imagined it to be. Sad face* and junk drawer growth

I have buttload of silks/sponges/cards/golf balls

I think I can use the golf balls.

If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk the sign of? - Will Rogers

To Tommy: I just had a conversation with my 14 year old son about your post. "my hypocrisy knows no bounds". "My junk has a purpose". That is awesome... Some things do not belong in the same sentence.... point taken. Thanx...