Would it be a wise decision to perform both Chico The Mindreader and A Rabbit in the hat puppet routine in the same show?

I don't think so...unless it was an hour long. Too much of the same "feeling" stuff.

One of the top children's performers in my area uses both in most every show he does with great success.

but that doesn't mean it would work for every-one especially as they are not vent routines. There are differences Chico is mind-reading/stapler and rabbit in the hat is balloons/unsuccessful magic tricks if you do things by the instructions. I think one important aspect is to make them your own.

Some people like John Kimmo or Cheeky Dog in the UK use multiple puppet routines in their acts very well. They have though got a lot of experience (over 25 years each), International Awards for being very good vents/magicians and an engaging/entertaining perspective. I've seen both perform and thoroughly enjoyed the shows.

Me - I've chosen to only use one puppet routine in a 45-minute birthday show - either the rabbit in the hat or Woof, Woof. If I do two 30-minute acts in the same venue then I'll use one in each.

Do rabbit early and finish w/chico

As someone who does several puppet bits in my show, I think you certainly can do more than one. If you've only done a 5min puppet routine in a 45min show then that's 40mins of magic, don't the kids get bored wwith that?
Of cource the answer is no because each of your magic tricks are so different! (are they?)

If you have a solid puppet routine, either with or without vent you can do more than one in your show. There are many Ventriloquists and puppeteers who can entertain the children for a full 45 mins without doing any magic.

Colin Dymond
http://www.aceofdiamonds.co.uk

None of my shows contains any magic..I start the show with a puppet and finish with a puppet. I do other vent novelties in the middle like baby cry, distant voice, etc. You can use more than one puppet, but you have to know how.

Mark
markwade@kidshowvent.com

Puppet routines make a great change of pace in a magic show. Of course, it all depends on how well you can animate your puppet, and how entertaining your routines are. Whilst "Chico" is Bill Abbott's routine, there are a multitude of "Rabbit in the Hat " routines....
Pretty much all my shows are 1 hour, so I do find that I like to include two puppet or vent routines....one about half way through, and one to finish.
Personally, I never include more than one hand puppet in a show, and more often I'll include two vent puppet routines rather than use the hand puppets. But hand puppets are a great way to introduce yourself to the genre, and I highly recommend any performer to consider the use of puppets.
We should all encourge Mark Wade to share more with us, as he is one of the most experienced vents and puppeteers in the World, and it's great to see his contributions here at the MC.
:banana:

Thank you all for your very helpful posts.