Has any one built the Paul Osborne "Ask Clara" Illusion? If so I would love to see some pictures of it, I am about to build one and I would like to see how others may have finished this prop. Any tips or advise is welcome as-well. You can email the pics to me if you like, or just respond here.

Thanks,
Fitz

I too love that illusion and all of the possiblities that could result from this illusion.

Hi! What's this effect?
Thanks!

Is it "Ask Clara" from Halloween illusions ?

Yes. It is a puppet that is a fortune teller.

I am a puppet maker and did have some plans to build it but have shelved it for the time being.Would like to know how it plays.

"Ask Clara" is a tall cabinet that has a small table inside with a puppet sitting on top talking to the audience with no sign of a puppeteer. Its from Paul Osborne's book Haunted Illusions. We are going to build one for a charity event for kids that will run for 3 weeks during the holidays in Phoenix, AZ. The puppet we are going to use for the event will be an owl, its what the organizers want. I am looking for colors to use for the prop and any new ideas that someone who may have built this prop may have. I plan on using for other events that may come up so I want a universal color scheme.

I was also wondering if any one has built a similar illusion and instead of stripes for the back and sides you have used a solid color? Maybe a fabric... I built a floating body illusion a very long time ago and had a hard time with the stripes, we did eventually get it right. It seems like I have seen the same floating body illusion in front of the Ripley's haunted house in Texas with a solid background but I don't know for sure.

Thanks again,
Fitz

Yes, you can use a solid color or a fabric for this !

Yes, you COULD use a solid color, but stripes are there to cover any optical "tells" in the illusion. If you are worried about lining up the stripes, as it were, use a fabric with an offset repeating pattern (polka dots or a floral pattern would be two examples). That way, you get the necessary camoflage, and it isn't as critical to have all the pieces lined up just so. Once you have it built, determine the best distance for the audience and use a rail or a rope to keep them standing in the right spot. You must also take care not to bump or jostle the cabinet while operating the puppet. Movement of the cabinet is likely to reveal the method and ruin the illusion.

Thanks for the tips, keep them coming and hopefully some pictures too.

Fitz

Paul Adams of Ohio had a his for sale a few years ago. It looked fantastic.

Love your picture John! Hope all went well Haunting!

Hi John Thanks for your post, do you know if Paul has any pictures of this illusion? Or maybe you can describe the color scheme he used to paint the prop.

Fitz

Have you see what Axtell has produced?
http://www.axtell.com/remote.html

the last item allows for a character to be controlled remotely. Fits well in a re-designed "Ask Clara"

The concept sounds similar to an illusion I built many years ago for use at the boardwalk. I wrote it up for The Wizards' Journal #5 under the name "Madame Zelda" (on my site). Mine was built in a glass/plexiglass cabinet, but the idea of building it in carnival striped fabric is intriguing. It made a better indoor illusion as we developed a lot of "bits" for Zelda that were lost on a moving crowd of passers-by. After performing with Zelda on stage, we often left the illusion in the lobby where it could interact with customers between shows. Zelda is really earthy and sassy, and they love it. A puppet can get away with almost anything!