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PUPPET MAGIC
by Chris Somerville
I have always had a dual love, puppets and magic. Although I have achieved the greatest
expertise and a little fame through puppetry, and specifically with marionette puppetry, it is magic
and Punch & Judy which have dominated the second half of my life as more and more I have
specialised in the entertainment of young children.
For a basic children's entertainment for all manner of bookings you cannot beat the combination of
magic tricks and a Punch & Judy show. This is my standard presentation and has earned me a lot
of money, gained me a wonderful and loyal following of children and parents, and proved ideal for
birthday parties, school shows, and gala and fun day events of all kinds.
There are times when Punch & Judy is not appropriate yet when puppets can still enhance a
programme of magic. This need not be a formal puppet show with a fit-up or booth. In its simplest
form it can be a glove puppet rabbit on the right hand performing over the left arm as a makeshift
playboard. American dealer-magician Gene Gordon used to open his magic act with a little dog
puppet using this technique. British comedian Norman Evans got a great deal from his panda
puppet, again very simply presented using a trumpet to disguise the hand entering the sleeve of
the puppet, and several magicians have employed the idea of a hat, box or basket out of which
the puppet appears. Early pioneers of using a glove puppet to perform a magic trick were Stanley
Thomas, George Blake and Eric C. Lewis.
Slightly more elaborate is the idea of the puppet appearing from behind a table or screen, the
performer sitting or standing alongside. The greatest exponent of this technique was the late Harry
Corbett with his teddy bear creation, Sooty.
I have explored many of these techniques and I would like to share some of my discoveries, ideas
and conclusions.
I suppose the principal advantage of using a puppet in a magic show is that it adds variety and
makes a longer show a possibility.
This use of a puppet in magic has a wide appeal, but is of especial value when dealing with
shows for children under four years of age.
The leader of a pre-school playgroup which I have visited twice a year for six or seven years now
wrote last year:
"We have had a lot of entertainers. We always find you best because you can hold the children's
attention for over an hour. With others, after about half an hour we have to stop them because
they have lost the children's interest." LIZ (Playgroup Organiser).
I doubt very much whether I could sustain such young children's interest for so long with magic
alone, I introduce a couple of puppets to introduce a change of appeal, and I also present a couple
of standard magic tricks in a puppetty way. For example I use a Card Duck - but the duck is not
used as a mechanical toy to produce a card, but is given a life of its own using it as a puppet. I
also use Burtinis Wandering Willie (Hoffman Bonus Genus) as a puppet.
In most of our discussion I will assume we are working to very young children. That is because the
puppet is a superb tool to use with this age. Also under - fours entertainment is a growing,
relatively untapped and quite lucrative area. But you will discover that it isn't only young children
who respond. You can safely include a puppet sequence in shows for up to eight year olds - and
even older children if within a mixed age group.
PUPPET TYPES
Glove puppets - bottom entry
(Hand positions inside)
Glove puppets with moving mouth (Chico)
Glove puppets with back entry (Sam Dalal's Rabbit; Ron Gilberts Rabbit, Living Puppets Rabbit
and Cat)
Mouth puppets (Folkmanis Dog, AS Dog, Living Puppets Dog, Albion/Ron Gilbert round neck dog
- and of course the whole range of Axtel latex vent figures, but they are primarily vent which is not
part of my taste or expertise)
Spring Puppets - raccoon - if you must have one, use it imaginatively - don't do the dealer dem
as an act - maybe vanish in one box and reappear in another (use one of many dove vanish
boxes, or small versions of rabbit vanishes - paper panels, Gung Ho, Dizzy Limit. Or what about
shot from a Canon, and reappear in box hanging from ceiling?
Such mini illusions can be done with any puppet.
Marionettes.
Visibility - formal use impractical. Dance round kids on floor.
Very short strings on table - limited - could do card trick. Magnetic foot or mouth or beak - without
shimmed card (ie use a keeper under card) What about magnet in bottom. Little clown puppet fails
to find card. Sits down to think. Stands up with card sticking to bottom?
Grand Turk - with row of kids.
Cardboard jumping jack - Charlie or Skeleton - mention 3 fold screen idea.
Sock puppets
Could use in a snake basket type routine
Could magically change a sock or number of baby socks into a sock puppet - perhaps in a
changing box a la Chinese Cabby, or what about custom made changing bag where mouth of bag
(one compartment) is stitched to sleeve of puppet. Plunge hand in, upturn, and puppet emerges
from the unstitched bottom of that section of the bag.
Glove Puppets uses A) As a personality (Shy, Is this a party?, Can I kiss all the girls)
B) As a comedian (Mop, Hammer, Ice Cream, Water pistol, cream cake/custard pie.)
C) As a magician. We will discuss suitable tricks later
D) As a participant/ assistant in your magic. Spring puppets, and back-entry puppets good as
assistants in mini illusions. (Vanish and produce the puppet. Shoot from cannon. Dizzy
Limit)(Mention Eddie Burke idea for Blendo. Borrow little handkerchiefs from little stuffed animals
and use to perform Blendo. Eddie just mentioned they belonged to his Teddies, but why not have
the actual animals and talk to them?)(Mention Eddie Burke's routine for "Seated Talking Bear")
E) As a playmate (Sooty's chipshop, Washing day, car mechanic, playing with woodworker tools,
look in toyshop for ideas, playing shop, Early Learning packets and foodstuffs. Mention Lili Lon
format)
F) As actors for the children to use (3 Little Pigs)
CHOOSING A PUPPET
Things which might influence the choice of a puppet:
UNIQUENESS
Problems with buying popular (fashionable) puppets
1 If everyone else has same model of puppet, especially if used in publicity pics, then you can lose
bookings by mistake.
2 Many nursery schools purchase Folkmanis and Puppet Company puppets (eg Dulux Dog in
small and large versions)
3 If you were lucky enough to get any exposure on TV you wouldnt want to use a generally
available puppet.
4 By the way DONT copy existing characters, Sooty, Noddy, Rupert etc. Its theft.
Dont forget dressing up. A lot of fun might be had with a puppet, a mirror, and hats and
moustaches and glasses etc.
Dont forget fun that can be had from a blindfold.
Putting on a jumper. Adding a scarf (Demo with mouse or bear puppet)
Mention Build-a-bear football strips, cool clothing, accessories.
Dont be afraid of NOT always doing magic tricks. Part of the puppets value is to add other
elements to your show.
TRICKS
Puppets can do more than find a chosen card.
Birthday Card Silk using one hand change bag and a puppet.
Small Square Circle to produce silks - but also carrots for a rabbit, cheese for a mouse, sausages
or a bone for a dog.
Card Catapult.
Card Fountain
Chick Pan - alphabet soup - Kan-u-go cards - spell happy birthday on ribbon.
Chick Pan as a toy machine - produce football. (Perhaps selected from cards)
Chick Pan to produce sponge birthday cake.
Chick Panto produce 36 inch silk for finale display (Curtain rings, you hold one and puppet the
other - your arms outstretched.)
Silks and Flags from two tubes. Magnet in playboard could hold load chamber firmly in place.
Sand Castle in Bucket. Puppet wears sunglasses. Shovels in invisible sand. Magician says
he cant see any sand.Puppet produces a giant pair of specs for the magician.
Coin Vanishing Stand - coins in glass. Mention Pat Page trick with bag.
Large size ball vase.
Small size Coffee vase.
Slate with flap.
Silk vanish via small Gung Ho box, or Silk Cabby etc. with reproduction in a Clatter Box held by
magician. (Pin can be pulled by puppet, or maybe by anchored thread?)
Card Castle made with miniature cards.
Supreme Silk Factory, Roy Van Dykes trick ideal for puppet.
Thumb tip vanish - the late David DeVal had nice idea with teddy bear and a fur covered thumb
tip.
Various versions of Blendo and 20th Century Silks are possible with a puppet.
A NURSERY ROUTINE
This is a Nursery Puppet Act where one of your tricks leads first into the production of a puppet
and then leads into a puppet routine which you perform from behind a low screen. You remain in
full view with the puppets.
Perform the ABC blocks trick
( Use a folding cardboard box. Show flat first, then unfold to hide blocks in. Box is made like fold
flat puppet box with hole in the back to load puppet rabbit at end. Alternatively use hat and
contrive to load in puppet at the end.)
As you are putting blocks away, and the hat spot white rabbit in the hat.
"What are you doing there?"
Chat.
Rabbit says there are more puppet friends waiting at the back.
Retire behind screen to find them.
Rabbit goes off to look.
Mouse appears - magician fails to see him but kids do.
Monty cleans playboard -and you!
He is cleaning up for a birthday party. Who's birthday? It's a secret.
Monty off - fox on.
Hello Mr Fox
Not "Mr", its Professor Ferdinand Fox
What are you Professor of? Music.
So you play an instrument? Bagpipes? No. Accordion? No. Drums? No.
He plays keyboard.
Help fox ready keyboard (Maybe attach fake amp and speakers)
Plays Jingle Bells (manually)
then play twice (auto)
Puppet bows etc.
Must practice - to play happy birthday - it's for a party.
Who's birthday party? It's a secret.
Fox off.
Oh dear, he's left his equipment.
Bobby Bear comes on. Agrees to put keyboard in a safe place.
Then he tells me he's brought me a surprise. Hammer gag.
Then he says he's baking a cake.
Chick pan - flower, sugar, milk.
Puts lid on.
Gets big box of matches.
You remonstrate - no matches - only grown ups - might cause a fire.
Bobby argues, then produces fire extinguisher. Squirts audience. Squirts you.
No fire, we'll use magic.
Do you want my magic wand? No, Bobby has a magic gun.
Don't point it at me.
Gun fires to show "Happy Birthday" banner. You read it.
Bobby says "It's a birthday cake."
Who's birthday?
Bobby says it's his.
We all say happy birthday Bobby.
Reveal the cake.
We must put it away safely until the party.
You say that you are showing some more magic to the kids - so you'll see Bobby later.
Carry on with the rest of your show.
Some of these books are still in print but many are not. Adrian Harris of
Perth has a very big stock of second hand magic books and quite a few
puppet books. To get any of the above he would be my first place to try.
Failing that most books can be found via Amazon or Al Libris, or just
type second hand books in Google. It is quite amazing how you can
locate even the most obscure books using the internet.
Adrian has a website, but his stock of books is far greater than those
listed on his site. It is worth contacting him.
Website: www.secondhandmagic.com
Email: adrian@secondhandmagic.com
Phone: 01738 628985
Write: 3, West Main Avenue, Perth, Scotland PH1 1QZ