I never say the word 'sponge' when I do my sponge balls, I feel it takes something out of it. it makes me cringe when I hear people say it. I even had a job offer and they asked that I bring the ball trick, I said oh the sponge balls. needless to say she seemed really dissapointed. what do you guys think? say sponge or not?

Usually I say 'balls' but sometimes I won't call them anything.

I used to call them(sponge balls) "Flurbs".Now I use sponge stars,so I just call them "stars".

Rich

I call them magic balls...thats it, I haven't said sponge since I first learned the trick because I think saying sponge hints them to how the trick was done in the first place.

I call them: This, That, and the other Thing.

Hmmmm, good point. I've always called them sponges, but I never thought about that.

I have the same feeling with the word 'Trick', and avoid it like the plague.

Simon

Nerf balls. People know what Nerf balls are. When I produce the first one and then saw it in half, I look at the spectator and say, "Yeah, I just got out of the hospital - I had a double clown-ectomy" and hold the red ball up to my nose and pull it away.

It gets a laugh and people understand what it is.

Lee Darrow, C.H.

I call mine Fred, Melvin, and Janie... They're from Pluto.

Sammy the Kid what does a lot of kids magic

Why wouldnt you say sponge balls? I have had a few kids say to me on different occasions that I could easily hide them in my hand because they can squeese into a small bunch. But I have them handling them most of the time, so they know that they would be sponge. And most of the time when they say that you can compress them, its because they have some knowledge on them. Like, they might have gotten a magic kit with them or something. Needless to say, even the ones that know they can compress are still amazed. Its the people that think there are holes in them that bug me.
They start tearing at them, and they wont stop bugging you all night long. I let them examine them, and they still aren't satisfied. "They have holes. Look" Then they try cutting them in half with their finger "Look, Im doing it!!! Oh, maybe not..." And sometimes, you get screwed, because you have one in finger palm, and they want to see it in there. They say "Open your fingers, its in there!!!!" Then Im in trouble. Or when Im putting "one" in their hand, they say "Theres more than one" and they think they totally got me. But most of the time they enjoy it, and are very amazed. This only happens on a few rare occasions. But I love the sponge balls. And my audiences know they are sponge, and normally don't think anything of it. So, I say don't worry about saying sponge. Esspecially if they are handling them! But I don't think they will care. But ultamatly, its up to you.

How about 'clown noses'...if you absolutely have to resort to calling them something.

-Jared

I call mine bunny rabbits.

For kids I have called them "clown noses," and for adults I just simply call them red rubber balls. When people want to see that trick, they usually ask for "the trick with the red balls." Not "the trick with the 2" Goshman Sponge balls."
I call them what they think they are or can remember them by.

I'm with Lee, I just call them Nerf balls and have never had anybody question it any farthter.

I call them cat toys. Which gives me a great lead in when I ask them whre the last ball goes. I ask.."Do you where the ball went?" They usually say "NO" I then say.. "It's back home with my cat!"

I pull the first one out of a purse frame and say that it is a cat toy. Which is what it looks like.

Hope it helps.

Shaun

Trick, sponge, bleck, bleh, never!

I start off with one sponge ball, which I address as "Bob." He's a scientist, and recently perfected the process of cloning (I "split" the ball into two balls), and then go into whatever phase next makes sense.

I like the "clown nose" idea, and might modify it for use like this: "Some clown out in the parking lot took a swing at me, so I socked him in the nose...turns out it wasn't fastened on very well..."

Nice bit with the "cat toys" idea, also!

I knew 'magicman 101' would get in on this from a previous thread. here is what I'm trying to say. for the best part if you have a good presentation and are vgood at what you do there is no need to call them sponge. ive had several people dissapointed when you tell them that. the fact is when they open their hands the ball expand so quick it looks impossible. its like saying normal deck or normal coins, stop trying to over prove. also with the kids its all in presentation and the fact you try to argue back just gives the kids more ammo.

Eric Lewis used a line I always got a kick out of... he called 'em "Round Red Rubber Rhomboids."

I call them "Testicles from a Rhesis Monkey".

Frank Garcia, I think, called them little red spheres....

Tune: Home on the Range

Oh give me a clone,
from some genes of my own
with the 'Y' chromosome
changed to 'X'
and when she is grown,
'cause that clone is my own,
she'll be thinking of nothing but...
nevermind.

(attributed to Robert Asprin, science fiction author and friend)

I often use that while doing the 10 count bit.

Lee Darrow, C.H.