Nothing To Do With the Sink- Tricks Using Sponge Balls

I love my sponge balls. Not only are they easy to handle, they are bright and all ages can enjoy them. These tricks, though, are slightly more difficult and might need a lot of practice to perfect, but are definitely worth the effort. Sponge on, magicians!
*Note: Sponge balls are inexpensive props sold at most magic shops. If you can't get them, pom-pom balls can be used in the sponge ball's place.

Sleights

- Ball Sleeving
- Push, The
- Switch Tube, Instructions for Making
- Two Ball Squeeze, The

Tricks

- "HMW's Bunny Routine"
- "The Magic Chicken"
- "Red and Yellow Make Orange"
- "The Second Ball"

The Two Ball Squeeze


You need:
Two sponge balls
A secret helper to practice on (or you can use your other hand- it doesn't matter)

Take the two balls and hold them as one. Place them in the assistant's hand or your hand. Keep the balls loosely in your hand. As you slide your hand out, use your other fingers or your other hand, depending on how you decided to practice on, to close the hand.  This is an exercise in audience management.  You should time yourself to the audience member - he/she closes her hand before you remove yours.  You should practice this move a lot and be able to do this thoroughly and smoothly.  After the ball is in his/her hand, instruct the spectator to turn her hand palm down.  This will prevent him/her from opening up her hand (the spectator will release that the spongeballs will fall out if he/she opens his/her hand prematurely).

The Push

You need: a sponge ball

Place the sponge ball in your hand and close your hand in to a fist. Open your fist. As you do so, push the sponge ball up against your four fingers with your thumb. In a flourish, push your thumb up. The ball should "pop" to your fingertips.

The "HMW"Multiplying Bunny Routine

Acknowledgements: There are many effects of this sort on the market.  This routine is a patchwork of some of the best.  Dan Harlan should be acknowledged for his work on the rabbit routine "Animal Farm," from which the "hare" joke comes.

Effect: 

You need:
A sponge rabbit "family" (Two adults and many baby rabbits - see The Ultimate Magic Wishlist for information on how to purchase your own set)

You need to know:
The French drop (this move is explained in the Coin Magic chapter of the manual)
The Two Ball Squeeze
The Push
Misdirection (must be self-taught - remember, you only need confidence!)

    Palm a bunny in each hand.  Stroke the hair of a female spectator and perform the push.  [Disclaimer: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't misconstrue this sentence.  Don't continually stroke someone's hair for a long time.  That's just uncomfortable and wrong.  This is for a second or two, just enough to produce the bunny.  This is a great move - it will attract a girl's attention (or guy, if you're so inclined) and is startling to the spectator and the audience.  Make sure you know the person and he/she knows that a magic show is already in session.  Randomly stroking people's hair will not only be inconsiderate, it could be illegal.]  Sorry - just a stray hare.  

Add the palmed bunny to the other bunny as you would if it were the two ball squeeze.  The second bunny is directly behind the first bunny and both are displayed as one between the two hands, pinched between the index finger, ring finger, and thumb.  Crumple the "single" bunny slightly and proceed to "tear" the bunny.

In order to make this seem realistic, pinch a piece of the other bunny (the ear always works for me, but don't rip off the ear) "pieces" (each in a different hand) and allow the bunnies to spring or pop back.  Just splitting hares.  (These jokes are so corny that they might be perceived as funny.  Nonetheless, always approach this kind of joke with caution.)

This bunny is the mommy and this bunny is the daddy.  Which one do you want?  Regardless of the answer, place one bunny on the table, pick up the other, and do a French drop.  Perform the two ball squeeze to the spectator.  After you have shown that your bunny has vanished, drop your hands to your sides as you ask your spectator to open his/her hand.  See?  Mommy and Daddy are together again!  Palm all the little bunnies.

The next part will involve placing the entire bunny family in a spectator's hand.  The act of squeezing them gently together should be practiced so as not to appear obvious.  Notice that the spectator knows what a bunny feels like in her hand.  You were able to make the other bunny appear because he/she didn't know before.  You can use the spectator's other hand or, better yet, use a different spectator.  (Usually after performing the first phase, every member of the audience will want you to repeat the effect with them anyway.  Tell them that you don't want to tire the poor bunnies out, but you can try something even cooler.)  Another thing: you must be very confident with the two ball squeeze.  You are going to be doing the same exact move, but there's a lot more to deal with.  The spectator really needs to close his/her fist before the bunnies can expand.

Now the major pay off.  I'm just warning you now: the spectators might scream.  They might hire you on the spot.  They might form a religious cult with you as their leader.  The first and second parts are true, but even though the third possible, it is very unlikely.  Tell the spectator that you are going to place both Mommy and Daddy in his/her hand.  Do so with the whole load (a magic term for the objects that are to be produced).  Your acting skills will come into play now.  Feign anger.  Get frustrated.  I ALWAYS DO THIS!  HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID?  You know what I just did?  I just put two adult rabbits in a warm, dark, moist, comfortable hand?  Do you know what that means?  Calm down and ask the spectator to open his/her hand.  You put a lot of little bunnies in there (you did, didn't you?) and they will "pop" out as sponges do.  It will look like a rabbit explosion.  If the spectators start chanting and bowing down to you, you might want to run.   

The following instructions explain how to make a prop. This should be made under the supervision of a parent or guardian.

How to Make a Switch Tube

You need:
A pair of scissors
A sheet of cardboard
Flesh colored (peach) paint (optional)
A ruler
Masking tape
Glue (tacky glue is the best)
A pencil

Using the ruler, measure out a rectangle on the cardboard with the dimensions of two and three-fourths inches by two and a half inches. Cut the rectangle out. Roll the cardboard in to a tube, making sure that the length of the tube is two and three-fourths inches, not two and a half inches. Tape the tube so that there is an opening on both ends. Use the scissors if necessary. Trace the opening of the tube on to the scrap cardboard and cut it out. Cut hole in the middle of the circle, leaving about a forth of an inch size border. With the glue, make some circles inside the tube. Push the ring in to the tube so that the end of the tube is even with the circle. Let the whole assembly dry. You can then paint the tube peach if you'd like. This will help keep the tube inconspicuous when you use it.

Red and Yellow Make Orange
Effect: You tie two handkerchiefs together and show that there is nothing in your hand. After passing the handkerchiefs several time through your hand, they turn into an orange ball.

You need:
A red handkerchief
A yellow handkerchief
An orange sponge ball
The switch tube

You need to know:
Palming

Before the trick begins, push the sponge ball gently in to the tube through the larger end and push the ball in till the end of the ball protrudes a little through the smaller end. Start by palming the tube in one of your hands. We all should know that red and yellow make orange. I'll show you. Take the red handkerchief, display it, proving they are ungimmicked, and take the yellow handkerchief, doing the same, and tie them together. Push the handkerchiefs in to the other hand that doesn't have the tube. Pull the handkerchiefs out through the bottom of your fist Repeat this a few times. When you display the handkerchiefs again, quickly switch the tube to the other hand and curl your fingers around it. All right. Red and yellow- push the handkerchiefs in to the tube. Pull the orange ball out instead of the handkerchiefs- make orange! When you put the ball in your pocket, place the tube there, too.

Ball Sleeving
(Editor's Note: This sleight was formerly in the manual as "Ball Curling". However, in the opinion of the author, this move is a form of sleeving and should be indicated as such.)

You need:
A sponge ball
A jacket (like a blazer or suit jacket. Girls can use the small jackets that come with business suits)

Place the ball up your sleeve where you bend your arm, or the crotch of the arm. Bend both of your arms up and turn your hands up like you were showing someone that nothing was in your hands. Make sure your hands are parallel with your chest. Quickly, turn your arms over as you straighten your arms. The ball should begin to roll down your sleeve. If you time it just right, the ball can land in your fist and, if you close your hand, have the ball secretly in your hand.

The Magic Chicken

You need:
A sponge ball
A jacket

You need to know:
The ball curl

Before the trick, put the jacket on and place a sponge ball in the crotch of your arm. Hi everyone! Would you like to see my chicken? He's right here- point to your shoulder- only you can't see him because he's invisible. I'll prove it. There's nothing in my hand now- start doing the ball curl as you say this- but if my chicken comes, he can help me. You should now have the sponge ball in your hand. Make a fist around it. This is ______'s (name your chicken) nest. Point to the closed hand. Pretend you are lowering the chicken from your shoulder to your fist. Watch! He's laying an egg- right before your eyes! Pretend you're taking your chicken off of his nest and putting him back on your shoulder. See- open your fist- he's laid an egg!

The Second Ball
You need:
Two sponge balls
A pair of pants or shorts with a pocket

You need to know:
The French Drop (this sleight is explained in detail in the Coin Magic section of this manual)
The palm
The push

Start the trick with both balls in your pocket. Take one of the balls out of your pockets and exaggerate the fact that the only thing in your hands is one ball. Tell the audience that you will push a ball through the material of your pants. Perform the French Drop and palm the ball. Place the hand without the ball in to your pocket. Watch closely! Straighten your hand out against the pocket, as if you were really pushing something through. Place the hand with the ball up against the hand in the pocket. With the hand inside the pocket, pinch the ball. Slowly lift the other hand away from the ball. Release the ball and catch it. Secretly, with the hand in the pocket, palm the other ball. Let's play a little game. Look very closely at my hands. In plain view, close your fist around the ball the audience is aware of. The hundred dollar question- which hand is it in? Everyone will point to the hand they just saw you put the ball in. Sorry, you're wrong! Perform the push with the other hand to prove them wrong. I guess I'll have to admit it- do the push with the other hand- I had a second ball.

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