I've now seen samples of the D. Robbins worm, which is supposedly the same as the Thurston Magic worm. I've also gotten samples of the PocketToyz (PT) worm. And I've sold both Magic Fuzzles and Squirmles.

Between the PT and Robbins worms, I like the PT worm the best. It is very flexible, has wiggly plastic eyes, and comes pre-tried with a clear nylon gimmick. It is packed in a reusable clear blister pack with good colorful graphics; worm colors are vibrant. Instructions are included but are barely adequate, you should really make your own instruction sheet to prevent walkbacks. This will be the first time I've dealt with PocketToyz, so I can't comment on their service and reliability as yet. But they did answer my emails quickly and sent out a sample equally fast. I'm paying by credit card, so if there's a problem, I'm covered.

The Robbins worm is still OK, and is about 30% cheaper. But the worm is less substantial, probably not as durable, and is not pre-tied. Same gimmick, same good wiggly eyes. The packaging is OK, also a clear blister pack, but is not as eye-catching and uses thinner cardboard that looks a bit flimsy. The instructions are terrible and are printed on the back of the package, which tips the gaff to potential buyers. Once again, use your own instructions. But in a pinch or if you need to economize, these worms would do.

I guess the best way to summarize is to say that the PT worm packaging looks like it's worth $5 or $6. Like the Squirmle, it's meant to sell in toy stores. The Robbins worm looks like a Dollar Store item and might be a tougher sell at $5. And for an impulse purchase, perception is everything. So I went with the PT worms for now; the wholesale price is the same as I had been paying for Magic Fuzzles, and I can come out OK with it. Plus the Fuzzles had paper eyes and were not pre-tied, so the PT worms are a bit of an upgrade at the same price.

BTW, the PT worms are similar to Squirmles in several respects. The Squirmle has the same style of blister packaging, same good wiggly eyes, is also pre-tied, but has a different and darker gimmick. The nylon gimmick reflects light, the darker gimmick doesn't but is probably more visible against the skin. Since you should be working with IT instead for the demo, it shouldn't matter. The Squirmle packaging looks great and is easy to sell. Worm colors are also great.

My main issue with the Squirmles was that they were very stiff and inflexible; it seemed like they never fully unwound from being packed up. So instead of looking like it was alive and crawling, it looked like a dead thing with rigor mortis that was being dragged around by something (which it is, but it's not supposed to be apparent!) My last batch of Squirmles were also a little scrawny, which didn't help matters. I guess things are tough in China, too!

Finally, in comparing Fuzzles with Squirmles, Robbins and PT worms, the main difference I noticed was the thickness of the nose. The Robbins worm had the thinnest nose and the least substantial body. Next was the Fuzzle, then the PT worm, both of which had a decent fuzzy body. The Squirmle had the fattest nose but also had the scrawniest body. Go figure. In fact, that big nose often caught on the edge of my cup or the heel of my hand and messed up a couple of moves. I rarely had this problem with the Fuzzles.

Hope this info is helpful, and I'll be interested to hear from other pitchmen what they are using now and why. SETH

Thanks for sharing what you've found. I sure do like the graphics and overall professional look of what PocketToyz is doing. Are you looking into getting their display stuff too? Your info is very helpful.

I don't think I'll be getting any displays, I doubt that I'll need them. When you pitch, you ARE the display!

Besides, I don't like to have too much stock out on the pitch table. Otherwise, those worms tend to walk away by themselves sometimes! So I keep four or five different color worms on the table, and the rest are under the table in a plastic Stanley toolbox. They stay clean and dry -- and they don't go for walks by themselves! SETH

Guys,

Here is a way to immediately soften up stiff worms for demo purposes. Simply lay a worm on your ironing board and hit it with a few blasts of steam on each side with your iron.

This immediately gets rid of the stiffness and the worm demos like a champ. I have found no negative ramifications as a result of using this method over the last year.

Glenn

I differ with Seth regarding display. I don't believe in just showing a few worms. You need to have about 30 out on display and gradually replace them as they are sold. The "Flash" is very important. The big display of worms draws people over and actually helps to sell. The temptation to buy is very strong when you have a massive display of worms on the table. It emphasises that worms are your business. Trust me on this.

Having 5 or 6 worms out on the table won't cut it. Sure you will lose a few through shrinkage but so few that it is neglible and not worth worrying about. And this will be amply compensated by the increase in sales. And it will be a big increase. Again you will have to trust me on this. Try it out one day and you will see.

One other thing. If you are doing nothing but the worm on the table, for example not selling Svengali decks or other magic tricks, then what I have said is doubly important. You have to SMOTHER the joint with worms. Absolutely everywhere.

I agree with Ed, stack it high and watch it fly.

But Will, didn't you tell us previously that you had little success with the worm?

Or perhaps you are find this approach works with whatever products you are selling now?

Many pitchmen work on the idea that the more product displayed the better. But a lot depends on the product itself. Some kitchen gadgets have nice big colourful boxes which make a good display at the back of the joint for example. I don't recommend this idea for the Svengali deck but it is actually essential for the worm. The various colours are a very strong selling point.

It works with most novelty item products. I took some video footage of my last show. I'll try to post it somewhere to share.

It is of course up to you but I am not sure it is wise for you to "share" for two reasons. One is that it won't be particularly appreciated and people will say you are bragging. The second reason is far more important. You are working major venues. Nobody else here is. You need to keep quiet about what you are up to. Your livelihood is at stake and it is perfectly obvious to me that you might be in this business for a long while. You are doing this full time unlike others on this section. By blabbing and showing clips of what you are doing you are potentially harming your own business. The whole thing could collapse like a house of cards. Don't let people know your business.You hsve to protect yourself.

Quietly does it.

You are probably right Ed. Thanks!

I agree you can't have a bare pitch table. In fact, I make sure my table is covered with something -- a box of a dozen Svengali decks, a few different color worms, a couple of Money Paddles, my demo pad, a 3' by 1' sign, my price list . . . so it's obvious that I'm a real business and there's enough stock for everyone.

I could also see having a freestanding vertical pegboard display behind the pitch table (where only the pitchman can reach it) with lots of worms on it. [I think this is what Alex did at the NY State Fair, based on Don's video].

What I'm thinking of trying, based on your suggestion, is a small tabled vertical pegboard display, with two horizontal rows of six worms each. It would only be about 18" high and 24" long, but could hold at least two dozen worms at a time, with two or more worms on each peg. It would be light, small, pack flat, be easy to carry and set up, provide some good extra flash, and probably still be a good deterrent to sticky fingers.

Thanks for the idea -- when I'm at Home Depot this weekend, I'll see what's available! SETH

The saying goes ... "you can't sell from an empty push cart".

-JoeJoe

The vertical pegboards would work. Even better is simply to lay out on your pitch table several rows of worms varying the colours. You really need a 6 foot length table to do this. In any case I don't recommend working with a table less than this length anyway if you are working Svengali decks too. You gather a bigger crowd this way and people are less nervous to come in close to you if you are behind a longer table. Some people work with a four foot table and in a pinch I have done so myself. However, I don't really recommend it.

Anyway lay out as many worms as you can without disrupting the other more limited stuff you have on the table such as Svengali decks and other magic tricks. And also tools you need for demonstration. Incidentally, I am not a fan of price signs. Pitchmen of all kinds rarely use them. Sometimes a magic pitchman can get away with it but I don't recommend it for various reasons I have no space to get into now. Again you will have to take my word for it.

Now let me tell you how I took in $35.000 in 17 days with the worm alone. I do this at the risk of sounding like Will Roya but there may be an educational point to it for some of you.

This is for the big leagues though. It cost a substantial amount of money to operate like this and I am not necessarily recommending it for newbies since it could bankrupt them if they don't do it right.

First you need a venue where the worm has not been done to death. There is a danger that in certain areas of the country the worm has been seen too often.

I took a very large space at a busy indoor venue and the event lasted 17 days. Instead of taking the usual 10 x 10 booth I doubled the size and went for a 20x10 foot instead. I put the tables on the front of the joint. The two end tables were stacked high with worms. Literally smothered with them. There were also vertical peg board arrangements at the side of both tables and a ton of worms stuck to the back and side of the joint. There were also two video displays behind each table running at a low volume level. Just doing that with no live demonstration would have taken in plenty of money.

But of course I developed things further. I worked behind the middle table (which was a small one-the other tables were 6 foot in length) and demonstrated non stop all day as pitchmen do. I didn't handle money, bag the goods or make change. I simply demonstrated-nothing else. If anyone wanted to purchase they went to either table on each side of me and purchased the item from either of the two girls I had stationed behind each table.

As I already stated this is for the big leagues and the cost of the video displays, stand rental, staff and rental of extra tables cost a fortune but then we took in substantial revenue.

The point I am making is to show how important the Flash of hundreds of worms all over the place was. Without the flash and big display of worms, videos etc I believe the sales would have been halved.

So to sum up, when working the worm, the flash is even more important than the demonstration in selling this product. Now I can't prove any of this. Again you will have to take my word for it.

Ed you are 110% right on.I'm putting up the vid of Alex again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoNpBPGTD0 and this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srha7gctmCc&feature=related so you all can study the set up and FLASH I made.

We put whats called "grid wall " in the back and put a squirmle in each square with a plastic tie.These were only for flash as you would have to cut the plastic tie to take one off.Look at the side table.We lined squirmles in rows of colors and who ever wasn't pitching keep the tables full.We had one 4 foot table on each side we sold off of.

Than because Carls box's are so colorful we stacked them up behind the grid wall.It looked like we had way more stock than we really had because we stacked empty boxes as well as full box's.

And like Ed said,who ever wasn't pitching did the bagging and sales when it was busy.

Carl has taken in $35,000.00 at state fairs lots of times.But remember this was before he made the squirmle so big.I learned the set up from him and it works.Pitching just the squirmle is much different than pitching just the Svengali deck.Pitching both the svengalt deck and the squirmle you need to stay with the Svengali stand(joint)I have plans for on my DVD.

Last year at the NY state fair Alex and I heard lots of time "we got one last year" It turned out someone was there for the last two years.We also heard lots of time "the guy last year told us it worked by a magnet and a few people even told us the guy last year told us it was voice activated" Now we heard this many times for the 12 days we were there so it had to be true.Its sad that some pitchman feel like they have to rip the plubic off like that.It really makes it bad for all the other pitchman no matter what they are pitching.We grossed $13,500 and would have grossed well over $20,000.00 had it not been for the fact that the fair had been worked for the two years before and people had been lied to.

Later,Don

Don, I have had people tell me the worm works by static electricity, remote control, gravity, body heat, gyroscopes(!), batteries, and voice activation. I just say "That's a great guess" and keep on going.

Even if they say string or thread, I still say the same thing. That's because most of the time they have no idea and figure if they keep guessing, they will eventually get it. So I just let 'em guess! Sometimes even after they buy the worm and learn the secret, they have no clue how to do the moves. SETH

Seth,
What "they" (the marks) guess is one thing.Being told by the pitchman working the joint that the worm works off a magnet or voice activated is another thing.He should be strung up by his ba**s.Oh I know who it was but better not say.

Later,Don

I sometimes wonder if it would be better to tell them there is a thread and be done with it.I haven't had the nerve to do this yet but I am thinking about it.

Sounds like some other people are braggin now. I love it. Keep goin!

But please talk in yards and miles.

When I was selling the fuzzles (not tied and bad instructions), I always had kids coming back asking for help. It was when I was tying the string on and showing them how it works that I sold the most of them.

I now no longer use the IT, just the standard gimmick. I wear a dark grey tee shirt (dark ash grey) and it hides the line very well. I also mention it is like walking a dog on a leash.

Will, there is a difference between bragging for the sake of bragging and bragging to make an educational point. And what Don and I have been doing is not actually "bragging". It is stating facts. There is a difference you know.

Incidentally I have been in the business a long while and have never heard the expression "yards" or "miles". I am not saying it doesn't exist. I am merely saying it is a new one on me.