Go to OfficeMax or Staples and find the Zebra Tele-Scopic Pen:

http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/p......36907923

You get 2 ball point pens in the pack for $4.49. Here's the magical part - If you push on the ends of the pen it instantly contracts from just over 5" to 3 3/4" in length!

So... grab some super glue and glue one of the pens into the "shrunken" position.
Start by showing the full length pen (don't let 'em handle it because they'll figure it out right away!). Using your best acting crush the pen into the shrunken position... switch it out for the super-glued shrunken pen which you hand out for examination. They won't be able to make it grow back to its original length since you super-glued it!

One more thing. The pen barrel is silver and black. The word "Zebra" appears on one side of the black barrel. Before you do the shrinking routine you can do a few paddle moves to make the word Zebra appear and disappear.

Very cool effect for less than 5 bucks! Enjoy!

Other ideas?

I get some of my best raw materials from Staples: coin envelopes, spiral memo pads, unruled file cards (in various colors), wooden pencils, rubber bands, etc. (Remember to get some bigger bands for holding together card decks, slates, and such.) They have some great-looking shiny gold paper clips that present very well, especially the large size. They've also got key tags, tie-on tags, and other hard-to-find-today props you sometimes find you need for tricks in older magic books.

Grab some rubber cement and a razor knife for card splitting, and Post-It removable glue sticks for making lots of cool effects (just think about it). And they have chalk and chalkboards, or the more modern equivalent dry erase boards and markers, for mentalism routines. They've also got various sizes of plastic boxes and canvas bags for storing and transporting your magic gear.

Get some card stock for your inkjet printer to make your own cards and signs, and some pre-scored business card stock for printing your own business cards (and faked ones for effects). Another favorite of mine is inkjet-quality parchment paper, which is great for producing old-looking or official-looking props for mentalism. And don't overlook the glossy photo paper for your injet printer, which you can use to print out those PhotoShopped fake photos that show somebody in an old photograph holding the spectator's chosen card!

Your link didn't work, due to cookies, so here is the info:


Telescopic Pen Ret Blk 2Pk
Item # 20653455 , Style # 24002

Zebra Tele-Scopic Retractable Ballpoint Pens

Conveniently shortens and lengthens for easy storage. Sleek design in today's best selling colors. Great for: PDAs, Planners, Checkbooks, Pockets and more!

* 1.00mm medium point.
* Retractable tip ballpoint pen.
* Adjustable feature allows you to shorten or lengthen the barrel.
* 2 free refills included.

Thanks Marvello. Sorry about the bum link.


sd