I was wondering if anyone had a truly unique way of performing the classic Hopping Half trick. I recently bought a Johnson set and was wondering if I can spice up this trick either by making it more visual or exciting. I think the old plot and presentation is overused. I'm currently trying to re-vamp this trick. Does anyone have different handling/presentation ideas?

Here are some ideas (click the link below):

Hopping Half Patter

I do the coins in love found by the link above. I get a great reaction from it

Remember, what's old for us magicians may be brand new for our audiences.

Most people you perform for will never have seen "Hopping Half."

And, even so, if you're not doing someone else's routine word-for-word, it'll probably sound new to them. Be true to your performing persona and it should be an enjoyable experience for you AND your audience.

Good point Geoff. I guess what I really wanted to do was make the routine more visual. But I don't think it is possible to put a more visual element into this trick. The handling is already extremly fair, so I shouldn't fix what isn't broken. I do love the Hopping Half set though, because you get tools that you can use in so many other routines.

My presentation is very close to Mark Jenest's in his "Short Hop" routine: I cannot remember how the trick starts and I keep starting over (totally oblivious to the magic that's happening).

Kids AND adults seem to enjoy that version.

More visual? I don't know. It's the "impossible rewind" that creates a pretty wild picture in folks' minds. Maybe it's the lack of visual that makes it so entertaining.

Is that on the miracle while you wait video?

Yes. And a great video it is.

My repeating catch phrase throughout the routine is "May I start over again?" After awhile, it gets laughs.

BTW, I use repetition, a major comedic tool, in many of my routines.

Take a look in the "We double dare you" section. There are several good ideas, including my patter that I came up with that always gets a great reaction.

Yeah, Geoff, you've already said that several times!

;)

I often use a routine similar in concept to what Geoff spoke of, but I had not heard/seen the routine he spoke about. And I was feeling a bit guilty about mine, since it really was the result of me being totally unprepared back about 10 years ago when I got the hopping half, and I just started using this little dodge to keep from having a routine. But it always played so well, that except for my Christian Evangelism presentaitons, I do this one almost exclusively at the office, and in the general public.

I talk about showing a really neat magic trick and explain that it's really great and that it takes two coins, a silver one and copper one. I hold the coins up, show front and back, and place them in my open hand while I contintually remind them this trick takes a silver coin and copper coin. Then I say, as preparation for the trick, I am just going to take away this one - and I take the copper one away.

Then I say, holding my coin hand closed - Ok, I am ready now to do the trick that I talked about, so what do you think is in my hand?

Naturally they say one coin. But I tell them they must not have been listening because I clearly told them this trick takes two coins; a Silver and copper Coin - and I show a silver and a copper. Then I say, OK. Because you weren't paying attention, I will have to get prepared for the trick again.

But I say, I can understand why you were confused, you don't see a lot of those Copper colored coins, so to avoid confusing you, this time as I prepare for the trick that takes a silver and a copper coin, I will just get rid of this silver coin. And so I clearly remove "the silver one"

And I just go through that cycle until the climax, and then when I ask what is in my hand and they finally are ready to say silver and copper, I show my hand empty and say; "no, there is nothing there, because after doing all the preparation, I finally remembered that I don't even know that trick that takes a silver and copper coin.

BroDavid

I use the story line of Romeo and Juliet.
I had this published in the Linking Ring last year. March 2001 page 86

It fits so well because you have a male (half dollar) and female (English Penny) coin.

Unfortunately Jon Racherbaumer decided to re-write Shakespeare's work a little

I can't blame Jon because my script passed through two other people's hands before it got to him.

The last line should read:

"For never was a story of more woe  
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo"

Scott G.,

How about repetition as an element of comedy?

BTW, in the case of my act, it's a prime element of boredom, too.

I'm sorry, what was that? I must've dozed off...I got the oddest feeling you were just going over the same old stuff again and again. It was almost funny, if it hadn't been so dull.

Anyhoo, I used to have a patter line about a secret affair between JFK and Queen Liz. Kinda sick, actually, but it went over well.