My last line didn't make sense, I'm tired. I meant, "I love mingling with adults, but only after the show, during the show, I want the kids to hear me, so I need you to talk in another room'.

Good one Jake - that is how to entertain.

GZ Jake just answered your question - as I said I have a conversation with the audience. And the helpers. It is all about what they say and what I say afterwards. That and the situation comedy.

As someone who was bullied relentlessly as a kid and possibly still too sensitive to the issue, I'd like to ask those who do the name games, steal the cake/presents, and play keep away with wands & such to reconsider.

I got picked on terribly about my name and the fast that I didn't want to fight back. In middle school a popular thing was to come you behind someone and knock his books out of his grip, or knock his hat off if outside. Some of my dumbass relatives still think he hat thing is funny, and because my dad tried to "toughen me up" that stills results in me turning quickly around and knocking down the person who knocked my hat off.

I won't go so far as tell anyone what he must do or not do in his show. I would just suggest making an assessment as to whether it would be funny or perhaps make the kid feel bad. Our shows are supposed to be fun, right?

Just me 2 pence worth of thought,
- B.H.

Wow Zuke.....that troll just follows you EVERYwhere dosen't he?

Wow... More name calling...

All great points Billy, and I do hear ya and what you're saying, however I use it more as an empowering thing for them, for instance they absolutely know I'm not going to actually get their cake, maybe it's the tone I use, but it gives them the chance, to yell, "no, you can't have it'. As far as the names, I don't mess with them to much because it's very easy for kids to come up with a nickname for them.

I might say now and then when she says, "My name is Mary', Can I call you Frankie', it gives them the oppurtunity to say 'no',. I think intuition comes lots of times with the volunteer, etc.

Btw, I'm 2-7 years old, not 2-5, just thought I'd mention it, since I saw you mention it in another thread.

Yea, that DID happen once but the mom just gave them a new piece, no tears.

Billy, its called having fun. Its not bullying.

Bill Hilly, there is definitely an art to the "name game", and to fooling with the kids, stealing presents, etc.

It's REALLY important, if I use a new gag with a kid's name, that I haven't used before, that I very quickly mentally assess to see if it is a bad choice of gag. So, I pause a moment - seems to the kid I'm trying to work out what they said.

For instance, if a kid says his name is Billy, I'll call him "Buccaneer Bill"...or maybe "Hilly?" or say "You're chilly? But it's so warm today...." etc. I would NOT say "Silly?", or "Willy?", etc.

When stealing presents, I usually get them off the kids as they arrive at the party. Trust me, the Birthday Kid - as well as all his/her pals - quickly gang up on me to steal the presents back. There are always a lot of balloon swords at my party, and often I will find myself engaged in a huge balloon fight, me against all the kids, trying to stop them grabbing back the Birthday presents.

There is no element or suggestion of "bullying". It's really harmless, and great fun for everyone.

Thanks for your reply about handling parents, GZ. Yes, I do pre-empt parents' talking. I nearly always get all the adults watching as well as the kids. But, on very rare occasions, noisy parents can still be a problem. For some reason, with certain groups, they just ignore every reasoned attempt to keep them quiet, move to another room, etc, and carry on. I've even had one party, a few years back, where the parents came up to me after I asked the adults to be quiet, and told me they WANTED the parents to drink alcohol, and have a good time at the party too. They told me if the kids couldn't hear my show, I needed to speak louder, or do stuff that they could just watch, and didn't need to hear. So I cranked up my PA, which made the parents talk even louder. Before long, the room sounded like a night-club, and lots of the kids had their hands over their ears.....some were so distressed by the noise, they went to play outside - unattended by any adults!

The mother was a young Thai woman, with an elderly English husband. After my show, they had a disco that was so loud, nearly ALL the kids went outside to play, while the adults carried on getting drunk. This was a 5-year-olds' party, in a hired venue. The kids weren't playing alone in the back garden, they were playing on the public seafront, where anything might have happened.

Needless to say, I was horrified, and admittedly this was a one-off. But I think there are cultural differences in what is "acceptable behaviour".

My show has a beginning and an end but no middle. Am I unique in this?

As for fun bits of business.

Don't do this...

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

Thanks, guys, for responding to the name game and keep away things. I did not mean to say y'all shouldn't be doing it. I just wanted to throw the thought out there to be careful. I'm sure all of the guys weighing in are good at sizing up their audience and volunteers to know when and how to do such things.

And GZ, sorry about the 2+ to 5. I KNEW it was 7 since I have your lecture notes open right in front me.

Kimmo, I too structure my shows with a beginning, middle, and end. They're plays, even scripted. My music shows are structured that way too. Many are based on a theme or common thread and have story intros for some songs. Not long ones but as tie-ins.

Posted: Jul 29, 2012 1:25pm
One more correction:

GZ's targeted age group is 2+ to 7 (not to 5). Sorry GZ.

This cartoon has been posted here before, but is essential viewing for all magicians:

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail198.html

:)

Potty....LOVED the vid!!! "for all the cash they spend they might as well just PAY THE AUDIENCE to be amazed!"

That cartoon was great!

I'd like to say thanks to all of you for posting all these tips. I have my first children's show coming up soon and you guys really help me to evaluate where I'm at, what might need work, etc.

I may not have much to give as of yet in the way of advice, but I can share some things I plan on doing for fun that aren't magic per se.

I have a "costume" that is merely a nice satin lapel jacket purchased from a thrift store that I'll be wearing with a t-shirt, scrub pants, suspenders and a ridiculous hat. After I do a few tricks to music- about 3-4 minutes- I'll introduce myself and actually set some of the ground rules I've learned from you guys. Thank you While I'm doing this I'll carefully take off my jacket, put it on a hanger and pretend to hang it on something and let it fall to the floor.

At one point in the show I talk about how hot I am and grab a paper napkin for tnr napkin that I use to blot my face. I say I haven't been this hot since my last trip to Mexico then I take off my big hat and underneath I'm wearing a miniature sombrero. All the adults I've tried this on laugh- I even did it at the register in the store where I bought my hats.

I'll also use a breakaway wand at some point but I'll be careful to do this in a way that doesn't make the child feel bad or that they did something wrong. "Oh don't worry, it does that sometimes!" Big smile- do it once or twice more.

I'll be doing snowstorm for my big finish- this last trick also to music- and was practicing tonight and ad libbed fanning myself with the fan, fanning my underarm while making a stinky face and then fanning my backside area like I was airing out a you know what-again stinky face- before "remembering" I was doing a trick and fanning the storm. I looked funny. What do you guys think about that kind of humor?

I'm a silly, goofy person and like to be this way with kids. I'm excited to perform my first show!

And again, I'd really like to say thank you for all your years of experience that you share with us new guys.

You certainly do. Too much, some might say. Not much of it fun though.

With regards to the name thing, I do try to think beyond the show and certainly don't want to give bullies any ammo. I don't really think it happens that often though. Children don't need much help making up nicknames or jokes about names and they'l probably be a lot meaner than calling a child "Hannah Banana" or mistaking Olivia's name for a declaration of her domestic circumstances.

I was thinking recently though that there might be some business in asking a child to spell their name. Then you can make a joke out of each letter.(b;where?, C;see what?,Y;because I asked etc)

I tell them in detail about two colonoscopies I had last winter, and show photos of the polyps I had removed.

T.

2nd ban in 10 years coming up . . .

I really like some of your plans... especially the hat routine. The fan routine is sure to get the younsters squealing with joy. Good job!

What I do with the breakaway wand is hand it to the kid. When it collapses, I look really perplexed and say, "That's all right. I have more." I put the wand back in my case and bring it out again, as though I picked up a different one. When it collapses, I say, "It's OK... It's OK... I have more." Then do the same thing again. The third time, after it collapses, I say to the whole audience, "It's not his fault. You know what they call this in magic?" (holding the middle of the sagging wand). I do a silent three-count then say, "Broken!" It gets a laugh and the helper never feels like he's at fault. It also sets me up for another prop that I use later, with the same question, "You know what they call this in magic?" But the second time, they all holler, "Broken."

Michael, better to making of the breaking wand a funnhy against. So, I make of the breaking mnay times, wand is floppy when kid holds. Anton can make hard the wand, but kid can olny make to softer. When seeing the end of making funnhy, kid making hard the wand, Anton making soft the wand.
Much better this, the funnhy, and kid is Superman, make wand hard, Anton let go soft.

Michael, multiple wands is a great idea. Another way to take the pressure right off kid is to treat the wand like it has a personality. I look at wand and go, 'bad wand', then I give it to the kid. When it breaks again, I go, "one more time wand and I'm putting you on timeout'. Works great.

Another fun tidbit with a little kid is when they come up to help, ask them to stand next to you. When they do, give them a funny double take look and say, "I'm sorry, I meant over here', and point to the other side of where your standing. They go over there, and repeat, after a couple of times speed it up-"I meant over here, no over there, no over there, as your pointing to both sides as where your standing.

It's a guaranteed laugh from child and parents love it because it's adorable to see kid running back and forth, like their sprinting to both sides of where your standing. Tons of fun.

How do you make the wand hard when the kid is holding it, but soft when you are holding it?

Could be doable with the extra bit.

Having said that I rarely have a problem with it. As long as you don't actually tell the child off for breaking it there isn't much of a problem here. What I say is:
"Sorry, about that Benny this is one of those joke wands, you have to have these if you're a children's entertainer. It's practically a law....I can fix them so they never break again.. Do you know why? because I'm the best wand fixer there is..." I then wander off boasting about how good I am at fixing wands as the wand has broken the second time.

I then of course, finish off with "Maybe if we hold it in the middle"

The only times I've had a problem with it is when the child has looked distressed before I hand it to them this has happened 2 or 3 times and I can only assume a previous performer has made a d*ck out of them with it.

Once a child cried after a granny shouted out "What have you done, you've broken the magicians wand". Cheers granny...