Now that I got your attention, do you like these ADULT AUDIENCE routines? Scary and dangerous, or at least it appears that way. A friend of mine has given me permission to post this.

Here is an effect that is cheap, powerful, funny and lots of excitement can be worked around it. I will leave the patter up to you.

It involves six styrofoam cups, a magic marker to label the cups with numbers, six wooden blocks with a hole in it, a die, and an egg. The kids roll the die and smash the cup with their hand, hopefully they don't kit the cup with the egg. (You could just label the wooden blocks eliminating the magic marker.)

Before the secret is revealed, imagine the scenario. The kids love game shows, five kids are involved, each kid rolls the die and smashes the cup from the number on the die, tension mounts as the cups diminish one-by-one, to the point when a choice between the cup with the egg and the cup without the egg is left. Add in the bits of business, and comedy lines, pausing just before the smash and lastly you remove the last cup and the egg is real as you crack it open to show the audience. You could say there is an egg under each cup and it magically disappears (with a wave of the wand and the magical word) the moment you smash the cup. (The fifth kid breaks the wand "breakaway wand" so it might not work with him, but he does have a 50/50 chance of making the egg disappear.)

If you let your imagination go, then you should visualize the fun in this routine. Have I performed it... Not yet!

If you wanted to breed more STAGE SHOW excitement, you are required to smash the remaining cup with the egg in it. Obviously this alternate method is not for birthday party living rooms. A Plexiglas shield would protect the sides and front and show the gooey mess, an apron for you and something on the floor. (Just brainstorming this comedy routine)

Secret: The die is switched from a real die to another die that doesn't have the number six on it (two number fives). Under the number six cup, is the egg.

I can imagine several possibilities with this one, Dennis. Thank you for sharing this.

I think, unless one were to purchase this die, it might be easier to doctor your own by changing another number, such as a 2 to a 3, or a 4 to a 5 (or vise versa) rather than trying to make a 6 look like a 5. Trivial point, but yes, this sounds very practical to perform.

Dennis:

This is a great idea!

I have a Scorpion, and this was part of my adult show. I did a show about 6 months ago where they told me the crowd would be all adults, but there were about a half dozen 10 - 12 year olds. I did the Scorpion anyway.

The kids loved it!! Since then I've done it in 3 or 4 shows with older kids. I will probably continue to do this for 9 - 12 year olds.

Jim

Clever, clever, clever and simple. Thanks for sharing the idea with the die. My mind is now in overdrive thinking of possibilities to use this niftie little utility device.

Thanks Dennis.

Thanks for sharing Dennis, I'll try this next week, it's good. I'll Try adding some Halloweenish style to it.
(It is easier to turn a 4 into a 5 on the die hehe)
Thank for sharing.
BobC

I like it Dennis, nice!

The die can be home made with a square piece of wood painted white with black dots. It isn't important in the show, so it's secret remains safe. If necessary, there are black dots. Even black Velcro dots would work.

You could make the center dot on the "5" side removable (several possible methods come to mind right off the bat). That way, you could first show all six sides of the die. Then you slip the removable dot off and you have two "4"s.

Why would you "show all six sides of the die"? Overproving.

Thanks for sharing this great piece with us Dennis. I can see various endings, based on whether the magician wants to guess the cup, or have 6 kids competing for last one standing, or have the birthday child set as the winner. I have a mall show next month that would be a great setting for this, if I can script it right in time.

Since there will be a good amount of re-rolling, that has to be accounted for. I can see one roller, and 6 kids at the cups - or 5 cups and the magician.

Only one thing I can see as a problem - while I agree with Futureal that it might be problematic to show all 6 sides of the die (drawing attention unnecessarily I think) - the only danger is the possibility of having the double number come up while also seen on the side. The way to counter this is to do the gimmicking only using the opposite number. While changing a 4 to a 5 would be easier to do, it would leave 2 5s touching. A die is made of opposite sides that add up to 7. So, 2 and 5 are opposite, 1 and 6, 3 and 4. The best option, IMHO, would be 2 made into a 5. Then one 5 showing would be covering the other 5. The egg goes under two.

Great idea!

Here is another idea that avoids using a die: Aldo Colobini's effect "Real Danger."



http://www.wildcolombini.com/cart/produc......s_id=252

I have the effect and have done it with kids using bags with three magic dollar bills bills and one bag with a small stuffed "magic bunny" (for the birthday kid). Works well because I tell the child their birthday is their lucky day.

No mess and everybody is a winner, but he idea could just as easily use an egg and the magician.

Dave

Love this effect of using a gimmicked die and egg circa childs smash and stab. I do scorpion and the devils nail for adults and this one will bevfun to add for children!

Thanks for sharing!

Mike

Poor choice of words on my part... I didn't mean to suggest that you overtly display all the sides to "prove it's a normal die." However, if the egg is under number five, it would enhance the effect if the audience has, in fact, seen the side of the die with five dots. It would not be something I would draw attention to. It would just be a very subtle convincer that the kids could have rolled a five.

When explaining the instructions to the kids and the audience, you use the number six as an example alone with maybe a number three. This way you plant in the minds there is a number six. It's not focusing on the die. It is focusing on how the game is played. Or Rules dependent on what type of routine you want to do.

This exact gimmick die idea I first saw in Max Maven's "Nothing" DVD (if I'm not mistaken). His routine there is great, too. You might want to check it out.

How about using a rubber mallet to smash each cup? I don't think all kids have the courage to use their hand to smash a cup with an egg.

I like the rubber mallet idea. could be very funny and does indeed get the kid/s feeling safer and trusting you a lot more.

Kyle

The rubber mallet works for me.

Can you say "Sledge-a-Matic"?

Exactly what I was thinking of as well, Den. lol Good mines think alike. =)

Good "mines" have a "blast"!