Hello,
I once saw a magician in a pub make a piece of rope (in just a few moves) turn into a string doll and walk across the table. Could anyone tell me what it's called or has anyone ever heard of a trick like this before?

I don't recall seeing it in a catalog.

I'm not sure you will find it in a catalouge. It may well be a trick that was made up by the magician who performed it.

I don't remember who it was or where it was performed, only it was in spain. I saw it when I was young and have never forgotten about it.

I have never heard of this effect but it really sounds interesting. Maybe I can do a search to see what I come up with on this effect.

This is a combination of two ideas:

One of them is a toy, sold on the streets of Spain known as the "Dancing Sailor" You can check out Hoffman for the method.

The rope doll is similar to the handkerchief doll taught in Gardner's encyclopedia

Hmmm...

Updating my previous post, this reminds me of Skelletini, another great little entertainment animation...uses IT, and, as I understand it, Chance Wolf has one, and even made a little coffin for it, LOL!

Not only does it "walk", but even smokes a mini cigarette!

Doug

Adam -
I recently checked out a bunch of magic books from the library, one of which had something very similar but on a little bit bigger scale. It was a few weeks ago and I wished that I could remember the book. It was probably Magic & Showmanship by Henning Nelms (anyone - please educate me if I have the wrong author). In the effect you make a little rope-type character who begins to stand and then does a little dance. When you snap your fingers he stops dancing and goes limp. You need some help to pull it off though, so I don't know if it's the same effect.
Hope I helped a little,
Tony Ley

"Fatima was a dancer gay...
For fifty cents she'd dance this way...
But if a dollar you would pay...
She'd do the ta ra boom dee ayyyy...

This is the patter I learned with it. I think it can be found in dozens of books. I believe I learned it from Bert Allerton's close up book.

It is a fun bit of business with a handkerchief and is easy to do as drinking water.

AND... if you travel in Europe, most big cities have street merchants (ILLEGAL I Might add) that "Pitch" a modern version of the "dancing sailor" or skeleton and even Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

I stopped to talk with one of them. He was from Egypt and told me he got his supplies from South America.

The hookup is ingenious. The "necessary" goes across from a packpack (or somekind of pack with an eccentric motor of some kind inside) to a Boom Box. The music plays and the gaff in the backpack rotates moving the invisible stuff and the little dolls are "hung" in place and dance to the music.

Early versions the hookup went from one pants leg to the other, or to something nearby. You tapped your foot and the doll danced to the beat.

:kermit:

On 2004-02-28 15:53, Pete Biro wrote:
"Fatima was a dancer gay...
For fifty cents she'd dance this way...
But if a dollar you would pay...
She'd do the ta ra boom dee ayyyy...

Pete I had kind of forgot about that old item. I remember Michael Skinner doing that at some friends house about 20 years ago.

You can find a fatima in genii magazine vol 59 september 1996 and complete course in magic by mark wilson pag 271 is really easy and nice!!

Thinking a bit more on this, you could do the Fatima gag, then with ITR... well you get the idea!