...you own.

I don't care if it's old or new -- cutting edge or classic. If you were performing before a sea of children and could do only ONE effect for them -- which would you choose? I am thinking about something you might use to drop little jaws in amazement in every stage show.

My choice would probably be Art-o-matic.

How about you?

David

Yup. My vote is the axtell remote drawing board.

Wacky Weasel by Chance Wolf would be my choice.

My egg bag routine

My Balloon Swallowing routine. I will pit it against anything I have seen anyone do.

Benny the Bunny routine.

Jaws don't drop from amazement, but they do drop as the kids scream with laughter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cciDrzeIWGc

Brian

Bigger/biggest wand gets a big response, but is lower on the magic aspect. For Wow impact my sponge ball routine, it is 7 minutes of delight for me, the volunteer and the audience, with tons of fun lines and magic moments

Darn it....in all honesty I'll bet the Axtel remote board WOULD be the best stage effect for kids, but I'm saving up for the Cesaral sound-master to program a whole act to.

Right now, I'd say my biggest killer is the comedey-chair. Like Brian's rabbit: it's short on effect but loooooooong on laughs!

My original change bag routine - just ask Al Angello or any of the others that were at the IBM show this month.
(after 20 years of performing it I still don't have a name for it) if I ever decide to release it I will have to name it I guess LOL
sam

My version of Needle Thru Balloon. A close second would be my routine for Comedy Glass in Paper Cone. My show is mostly "everyday" props. Great topic, David!!

My coloring book routine is my signature effect. It's the only routine I do in every kids/family show I do! (I have multiple shows.) It's my closer and kids applaud when I pull it out!

(It does not use the standard coloring book. It uses a version I got about 25 years ago and haven't seen since.)

The Sam Sandler change bag routine uses an inexpensive zipper change bag, and two silk scarves. It clearly demonstrates that magic comes from the magician, and not from his props. The only magicians I have ever seen with the ability to make kids roar for their whole show were Tricky Ricky, The Great Zucchini, and Sam Sandler.

My climb inside the giant balloon thing - I only do it once in a while but it is really wild to see for the first time. I did the Axtell board once for a school and they went so wild they couldn't hear the recording (I made a reading theme recording for it). I feel like the CD recorded routine they sell is too long - I want to keep my show moving, and it also has a few corny things on it, so I'm going to make a new routine recording for it or edit the existing one down.

Michael Messing
Everybody does a coloring book routine. Do you have a video of your routine?

For children 5 & under, without a doubt the Practical Magic Wacky Washing Machine.

For older kids, my version of Needle thru Balloon.

You Mein freund, need the Cesaral soundmaster. If you cant do vent, this device will allow you to control what the face says and when, give you a choice of reactions, allow you to return to the original recording where you left off at any point.

For my youngest audiences, I still think stark changes do best, so I would do a silk vanish/appearance in my hands. For family audiences that include all ages (including young), I would pick Dream Bag with silks ending the piece with a change to a blendo production.

Al nails it in that answering this is very difficult if not impossible. It is not the effect at all that makes it killer or amazing. It is YOU and what you do with said effect or prop. Any trick in the right hands can be a dud or can be absolutely a piece of art.

I take price in that everything in my show is a routine I created myself. I refuse to do anything like anyone else. The reason is that I am NOT them. I have to create routines and acts that work for Kyle and Kelly. It may take me a lot longer, but my audiences are worth it.

Kyle

Name it, "SamSational Change!"

Spogeball routine. I get lots of miles out that routine.