I am trying to do some shows where I don't need to take all the big effects with me.
Please list your 5 favorite effects that packs small and plays big.

D'lites
Coloring book
TT to make small items vanish or appear
Lasso card trick with alphabet cards
Change bag with silks

Thanks,
Mike

Linking Rings
Egg Bag
Slydini's Paper Balls Over the Head
Miser's Dream
Jumbo Invisible Card

There's a reason why they are classics!

Jim

These are in no particular order and I assume these are limited to kids shows:

- Balloon bag doggy
- Ropes (Professors nightmare, cut & restored, etc.)
- Chick pan
- D'Lites w/Misers Delight
- Cube squared

I'd also include PB&J but that would make 6.

Dan.

Fishbowl Mystery
Grandpa's Top Hat
No Tear Kidz
Splendo (Silk effect)
Rope Effects

Balloon swallow
TT ribbon vanish
Six card repeat - cards across (with pokemon cards)
Sponge bananas
And about half a dozen other effects. Apart from my puppets everything in my act fits into my pocket.

Cutting a kid in half with tapes (Rope&Tapes)
-- I stick Groucho Glasses on the kid being cut in half ("here, put on these safety goggles")

Prof Nitemare

Hold-It Buster (Dan Harlan)

Marvin the Mindreading Skunk (invisible deck)

Rabbit in Hat puppet (Dave Risley routine)

--Jack Turk

Kalver's Shrinking Head
Cut & Restored Rope
Sidewalk Shuffle
Cardiographic
Kovari Pom Pom Pole

How about these:

Handkerchief (Quentin Reynolds' routine)
Rope (and small scissors)
Two silks and a DT
Spongeballs (I like my sponge bears, though)
TT and salt shaker/sugar packet

There are loads of great items that can be fit in the pockets and I think searching for the old discussion on an act that fits in a pencil case would give you some great ideas. Tony, just above, links to an article he wrote about a Commando Magic setup that is similar in size to the pencil case. As always, the key will be the performer, not the props. How long can you keep kids laughing or amazed with a piece of rope? I've hit the 6 minute mark and I think I could have gone longer, but ran out of time. Rope. And scissors. And me.

-Patrick

Paper balls over the head
Mugged
Necklace Quest
Losander floating table
Hopping Half

Vanishing ketchup bottle
coloring book (Silly Billy's routine)
axtell drawing board
TT
signed quarter that ends up in velvet bag inside a matchbox that's inside a box.

There's so many!

I was thinking of my Axtell drawing board but thought perhaps that might not qualify as packs small.

Amazing effect though.

jeff

I don't guarantee that these are my "top" 5, but there up there. Also, I get confused about how small "packs small
POCKET SIZE:
-cards from mouth
-fiber optic
-silly one coin routine
-magic wishing rainbow (TT)
-spongeballs

SMALL SUITCASE/SHOULDER BAG SIZE
-coloring book
-Miser's Dream
-rabbit in the hat puppet (Dave Risley's)
-Linking Rings
-Die Box (does that count as packs small?)
...if you don't count the die box as packing small then: -Jumbo "listen to the Musnt's" (Jeff McBride)

- Personality
- Humor
- Presentation

In no partivular order

snow storm
gypsy thread
change bag
daddy dance (my own routine)
straight jacket

sam

I think the only "packs flat" I've got are the Coloring Book and Giant B'Wave.

"Small" being a releative term - well, actually I like to spread out, even though I can pack the props into a small box.
-- Kung Fu Ball (Burglar Ball times two) packs into a 4-inch plastic cube, but I set up mine on my table and the kid's on a shorter stool
-- My chicken and his cards fits into a shoe box, but he needs my table to walk on
-- The Pasghetti Factory (Prof Nighmare) would pack small, except I've got the hard hat, tool belt, and safety glasses, plus 100 foot of pasghetti in a box to cut up into pieces
-- The Jumbo ID would be pretty small, except I need a box to hold the soft balls I throw at the kids to let them throw at me to choose a card

Sorry - guess I fail. My table folds up three-sided - 18 x 12 x 18 with everything in the center, if that gets me extra points ....

Ed

There aren't many effects that truly pack flat:

McCombiacal deck (hope I spelled that right). I've only done this in a few shows and I'm amazed at the reactions it gets.

Coloring Book

Kalver Growing/Shrinking head (the screw driver is not really flat)

Any version of the 20th century silks

Fishbowl mystery - the vanishing gold fish (a great trick for kids)


Jim

For a small crowd like Birthdays:
-Colour changing Hankies (Dye Tube)
-Sponge Rabbits
-Sugar to cube sugar (TT)
-Odd Ropes
-Cards Accross

Thanks for some great suggestions... like paper balls over the head, rope tricks, and sponge balls to name a few. The effects are for children and need to pack small enough so that I could fit a show in a case around the size of a brief case or close-up case.

Anyone else have some more favorites?

Mike

These sound good...where can I get these?

jeff

Mike,

I recently got a couple of other items which although not routines unto themselves they definitely are fun and wacky packs small plays big.

Colour Changing Sponge Ball
Pocket Shrimp

jeff