1. The moebius strip race

A party stunt with not one but three surprise endings.

You need four strips of paper each about two inches wide and about eight feet long. Adding machine tape is perfect.

Number each strip lightly with pencil near one end so that you will be able to tell them apart later. Prepare them as follows:

Strip 1. Paste the ends together, forming a circular loop, (fig. 45A, top).

Strip 2. Give one end a half twist before pasting it to the other end (fig. 45A, middle). This forms a topological structure known as a Moebius strip. You have, believe it or not, constructed a paper strip that has only one side and one edge. You can prove this (but use a short strip of paper) by drawing a pencil line down the center of the paper. Your 

pencil will return to its original starting point without ever having been lifted.

Strip 3. Give one end a full twist before pasting it to the other end (fig. 45A, bottom).

Strip 4. Prepare this in the same way as Strip 2.

Cut an inch-long slit in each strip like the one shown in fig. 45B. In the first three strips the slit should be centered between the side edges. In the fourth strip the slit should be off-center, one-third of the distance from the right edge.

Long strips of paper are used so that the twists won't be noticed and the bands will appear to be alike. Arrange the strips in one, two, three, four order and fasten them with a paper clip (fig. 45B). You also need four pairs of scissors, preferably with blunt ends, so that no one will cut himself in the excitement.

Announce a race, with a prize for the winner. Select four children as contestants. Pick the oldest boy and the smallest girl — provided she isn't too young to use scissors — and two others.

Give Strip 1 to the little girl, Strip 4 to the big boy, and Strips 2 and 3 to the others. Also give them each a pair of Scissors.

"These loops,' you announce, "are race tracks. Your scissors are horses." Take the little girl's strip (No. 1) and demonstrate what they are to do. Insert the blade of the scissors in the slit and begin cutting down the center of the strip (fig. 45C). "At the starting signal, everyone will begin to cut his loop into two halves — like this. Since this little girl is younger than the others, it is only fair that we give her a bit of a head start." Cut for about two feet down the center of her paper so that they all get the idea.

"Everybody cut right down the center of the paper — except you." Turn to the boy who has Strip 4. "You cut where your slit is, about one third of the way from the side, because I want you to make me one wide loop and one narrow one."


As soon as everyone is in starting position, say, "The first person to cut his loop of paper into two separate loops will be awarded a 186-piece breakfast set! On your marks! Get set! Go!"

Be sure to specify two separate loops because that is what almost no one is going to get. It's a fixed race!

This is what will happen. The little girl with Strip 1 should finish first since she had a head start. And she gets what she should — two separate loops.

But the child with Strip 2 gets a surprise. He will find that he has somehow managed to cut his strip, not into two loops,- but into one loop twice as large as the original.

The child with Strip 3 does get two loops, but they are inexplicably linked together.

And the big boy with Strip 4 finishes last, because when he cuts down the side of the paper instead of down the center, he will have to cut around his original loop twice to reach his starting point. And, instead of getting one wide and one narrow loop, he gets two loops the same width, linked together — one of them twice the size of the other!

"I don't understand why three smart-looking children like you are unable to follow such simple instructions. This little girl is the only one who knows how to cut a strip of paper into two separate halves — and so she wins the 186-piece breakfast set!"

Present her with a box of corn flakes. "If you send in the box top and ten dollars in stamps, the company will put your monogram on each piece!"

Another way of running the race, if you can round up enough scissors, is to give strips to all the guests and let them all compete for the prize. They all get twisted loops and unexpected results except the one to whom you have given the untwisted loop. At a birthday party, of course, see that the birthday child wins.

2. door prize

This party trick has audience participation, drama, suspense, excitement, and is a first-rate mystery as well. The performer announces a drawing for a door prize. He shows four envelopes. and states that one contains a five-dollar bill. Three children each choose an envelope and, although they all have a perfectly free choice, each selected envelope is found to contain a stick of chewing gum. The remaining envelope which nobody wanted is the one which contains the prize money.

The props required are four small envelopes (coin envelopes are perfect), six sticks of chewing gum, and a sheet of cardboard (about the size of those which laundries put in men's shirts ) which you will use as a tray.

Number the envelopes serially on the face with a Magic Marker (fig. 46A). Put a stick of gum in each and seal it.

Remove the wrapper from a fifth stick of gum, replace the gum with a five-dollar bill folded to gum size and rewrap it.

Place this on the underside of the cardboard tray near one edge and parallel to it. The position is such that when the tray is held in the left hand the fingers cover and conceal the stick. Make a clip to hold the gum in this position by cutting a piece of cardboard about the size of a stick of gum.

Glue this to the underside of the tray, one end overlapping the five-dollar stick and holding it in position (fig. 46B).

Spread the four numbered envelopes on the upper surface of the tray.

Have three children come up to assist you before saying anything about a prize; otherwise you'll be mobbed. Then get your tray, holding it so that the stick of gum on its underside is hidden by the fingers of your left hand.

Figure 46

Announce the door prize drawing, and hold up two or three of the envelopes so they can be seen. "I have four numbered envelopes, one of which contains a five-dollar bill for the lucky winner." Turn to the first child. "You may take any one of these envelopes. This is a very important decision you have to make, so think it over carefully. Five dollars is a lot of money." After he has made his choice tell him not to open his envelope until the drawing is completed.

Each of the others also selects an envelope. Then, hold up the one that remains. "It's much too expensive to give away fie dollars every time I do this so I always keep one for myself. Now, before we see who won I want to be quite sure that everyone is satisfied with his choice. Each of you may have one chance to trade envelopes with anybody else, including me." Ask each child in turn whether he is satisfied or whether he wants to make a trade.

Because a magician is always suspect, the first child often wants to trade with you. They assume that you know which envelope contains the money, so if you look disappointed when the exchange is made, the others will want to trade with him. If you seem pleased when someone trades with you someone else will want the envelope you have.

Prolong this trading business, which can be very funny, by giving them each a second and absolutely final chance to make a trade. Then continue to build the suspense by haying them open their envelopes, one at a time.

As this begins, place your envelope on the tray, sliding it under your left thumb which is directly above the concealed five-dollar gum. Then pull the tray away with your right hand and put it aside. This automatically leaves the extra stick of gum in your left hand, beneath the envelope. Turn envelope and gum up into a vertical position, and hold them in your left hand. Your thumb, at the back, holds the gum package in position. Hold the envelope fairly close to your body so that no one can see behind it.


After all the other envelopes have been opened, tear off the end of yours. Put your forefinger down into the envelope, your thumb going behind it (fig. 46C). Pull the gum at the back up into view, as though taking it from inside, and say, "That's odd! I got gum, too!"

Get rid of the envelope (and the legitimate stick of gum it still contains) by dropping it into your pocket. Slide off the outside wrapper of the gum you hold, open the inner wrapper, look surprised and } ie and unfold the five-dollar bill.


3. paper puzzle

Child audiences all too often contain at least one little monster who once owned a magic set and who thinks he is an authority on the subject. No matter what you do, he makes a nuisance of himself by claiming he knows how it is done. You handle this by setting and springing a booby trap that will make him less eager to be so vocal.

Have him come up and assist you. Give him a sheet of paper and ask if he thinks he can tear it into four pieces all the same shape and size, This seems simple enough, because all he needs to do is to fold it twice and tear along the creases. When he says he can, tell him, "Tt isn't as easy as it looks. If you can do it so that no piece is more than half an inch larger or smaller than the others I'll give you a quarter."

This incentive is irresistible. Besides, even if he suspects there's a catch somewhere it's too late to back down. But he's usually cautious and the extreme amount of care with which he proceeds to accomplish this simple feat is often very funny.

When he finally gives you the four pieces, examine them carefully, measuring one against another. Then say, "I didn't think you could do it, but I guess I lose. 'll have to pay off."

Pause a moment so he can enjoy his triumph, then hand him one of the torn papers. "You can have this quarter. I'll keep the other three."

You can also have fun with this by letting several people, adults as well as children, attempt the feat at the same time. Of course, if you are outnumbered, you may have to make a quick exit at the finish.

4. bill catch

A feat that looks easy but proves to be next to impossible. Use a fairly new and unwrinkled dollar bill. Hold it at one end as in fig. 47. Place the thumb and forefingers of your other hand on opposite sides of the bill at the center but without touching it. Let the bill drop from your right hand and catch it with your left.

State that this is an extremely difficult feat which you have spent years practicing. No one will believe this; it looks much too easy. But they get a surprise when you let them try it. You hold the bill and your victim tries to catch it. He may hold his fingers at the bill's center as close together as

figure 47


he likes, provided he is not touching it. It is easy to catch the bill when you hold it yourself because you know when it is going to fall. But when you hold it for someone else to catch and then drop it without warning, it slips between his fingers before he can close them on it.

You can pretend to give warning by counting, "One! Two! Three! Go!" Drop the bill a split second before you say "Go!" Or, wait until he has closed his fingers on the bill too soon, and then release it just as he opens them again. The bill escapes before his brain can reverse its order to the hand.

5. follow the leader

An amusing magical way to award a party prize. The performer gives a child five playing cards, takes five himself, and then performs a simple sequence of actions, turning some of the cards face up, others face down. The child follows the leader and duplicates each action exactly. At the end the performer's cards are all face down but the child has somehow managed to make a mistake: one of his is face up.

Several children are then given packets of cards. They all compete at once and all make the same mistake. On a third trial, the birthday child succeeds and wins the prize. If it is not a birthday party, then the youngest child wins, outdoing all the older ones. The losers never know what they did wrong; the winner doesn't know how he succeeded.

You need a simple gimmick. Take two cards from another deck which has the same back design and rubber cement them together face to face. Put this double-backed card on top of your deck, and place six other cards above it.

"We are," you announce, "going to play a game of Follow the Leader. The winner will get a prize." Select a child to be the first contestant, and have him stand beside you facing the others.


"Before we start, you have to pass an arithmetic test. Can you count as high as five?" Deal the first five cards into his hand as he counts them aloud. "That's perfect! But maybe you were just lucky. Think you could do it again?"

Now count five cards for yourself into your right hand. Place each card under the preceding one so that their order remains the same, and so that the double-backed card is second from the top. During this count, keep the deck tipped forward so that the spectators can not see the faces of the cards. Put the remainder of the deck aside.

"Now comes the hard part. But if you can follow the leader as well as you can count, you'll probably win the prize right away. Do exactly as I do. If you don't make any mistakes you will win." Then perform the following action in slow motion, giving these instructions as you do so:

1. Turn the top card face up and put it on the bottom.

2. Put the next card on the bottom, face down.

3. Turn the next card face up and put it on the bottom.

4, Put the next card on the bottom, face down.

"You seem to be doing all right so far. Let's check." Spread your cards, showing that the first, third, and fifth are face down, and the other two face up. The contestant spreads his cards and finds that he has the same arrangement. "You're doing fine. You've got the prize practically won. Now see if you can follow this."

1. Turn the whole packet over.

2. Turn the top face-up card face down.

3. Turn the whole packet over again.

4. Turn the top face-down card face up.

5. Turn the whole packet over once more.

If you run through this sequence with the cards in hand, youll see that it is easy to memorize.

Spread your cards and show that they are all face down. The contestant spreads his and finds one face up. "That's too bad. You were doing so well, too. Well, I warned you that this wasn't easy. Would you like to try again?"

The double-backed card in your packet is now third from the top, but must be second from the top so that you can repeat. Simply transfer the top card to the bottom as you talk. Then pick up the face-down deck, place your cards on top, and turn the deck face up.

Ask if anyone else would like to try for the prize. The response will be unanimous. If the group is a small one give everyone five cards, dealing them from the face of the deck.

With a large group, pass cards out to four or five children in the first row. Then reverse the deck, take the same cards you had before for yourself, and put the deck aside.

Repeat as before. All the spectators who have cards follow your actions. At the finish your cards are again all face down; the others all find one card face up. Remember that kids love to cross up a magician, so keep an eye on them at this point to make sure that somebody doesn't try to win the prize by secretly reversing his face-up card.

Now give them one last chance. Ask the child whom you want to win the prize to come forward. If he already has some cards, take them from him for a moment as you show him where you want him to stand. Put his packet on your own, letting it overlap at the inner end. Then, when you return the cards to him, give him your packet instead.

Go through the routine again. At the end, don't bother to show your cards; they will assume you succeeded. This time everyone fails except the child who has the packet containing the double-backed card. As soon as he spreads them out (and before he can turn them over to do any investigating ) take the cards from him and show the others that he has succeeded. Then give him the prize.

6. modern witchcraft

A trick which is made to order for children's entertainment because of its audience participation and comedy.

Two spectators assist the magician. One chooses a card, the other tries to find it with a device which the magician says is a super-hetrodyne double-oscillating magic projector, although it looks suspiciously like an ordinary hand-powered egg beater.

You also need two faked cards which can be prepared in a few minutes beforehand. Use cards which can be easily identified at some distance, such as two Sixes of Hearts.

Apply a coating of rubber cement to the face of one of these, covering an area about a half-inch wide along the lower edge of the card. Take any other card and put rubber cement on its back in the same way. Let the cement dry for a moment, then cover the face of the Six of Hearts with the second card, align them carefully, and press the cemented surfaces together. This forms a double card which is joined at one end only (fig. 48A).

Curl a three-inch length of Scotch tape back on itself to form a ring with the sticky surface outside. Attach this to the back of the other Six of Hearts across one end, and flatten it out (fig. 48B). Place the double card, face down, on a face-down packet of nine or ten indifferent cards, and put the Scotch-taped card on top. The end of the card bearing the tape should be at the opposite end of the packet from the joined ends of the double card.

These cards and an egg beater are on your table covered with a handkerchief so that they are not seen until you are ready to start the trick. Begin by asking two spectators, preferably a boy and a girl, to assist you. Ask the girl to stand on your left, the boy on your right. Then get the egg beater and tell the girl, "You'll never guess what this is."

When she replies that it is an egg beater, act surprised.

"An egg beater? Gosh, I never thought of that! Perhaps you could beat eggs with it. But that's not what it is. This is a super-hetrodyne double-oscillating magic projector. I borrowed it from a friend of mine who is a witch. This thing at the end is called a handle, and you hold it in your left hand. That's your left hand over there. This little wheel on the side of the projector is an oscillating crank which you have to turn by hand. My friend, the witch, also has a new power model but the carburetor isn't working and it's being repaired."

figure 48

Give the egg beater to the girl and explain that the device is held horizontally and aimed like a gun. "When you turn the crank, magic rays come out at the revolving end. But don't turn it until I tell you to because it might backfire and that's dangerous. And whatever you do, don't drop it! I have to return it to the witch in good condition before midnight. If I don't, she'll turn us both into pumpkins. I doubt if your mother would like that."

Get the packet of cards and hold them face down in your right hand, your thumb lying across and hiding the Scotch tape.

Take the boy by the arm and lead him to the right, six feet or so away from the girl. "You stand here, and face the audience." Turn him into this position and, at the same time, put your right hand which holds the cards behind him. Push the top card off the packet with your thumb, press it against his back between the shoulder blades, and leave the card hanging there (fig. 48C).

Then spread the other cards a bit and give the boy and the audience a brief look at their faces — long enough so that the cards are seen to be different. "We'll also use these cards."

Square the packet, turn it face down, and shuffle the cards overhand. Pull the double card off first, then shuffle the others onto it. Shuffle again, letting the double card fall last so that it is returned to the top.

Tell the boy, "I want you to remember one of these cards. It doesn't matter which one. This will do." As you say this, lift up the outer (uncemented) edge of the top card and let him see the Six of Hearts. You may want to mark this end of tthe card with a small pencil dot in the white margin of the back so that you can always tell which is the uncemented edge.


Give the cards another quick shuffle, and lose the double card among the others. Hold the packet of cards out on a line- with the egg beater and halfway between the boy and the girl. Tell the girl, "Please aim the projector at the cards and turn the crank when I give the signal. The magic rays will make the card he's thinking of fly out and sail across the room. Turn to the boy. "And you see if you can catch it."

Look at the girl, then step over and change the aim of the projector slightly. "Don't point that at me! It's dangerous! Point it at him."

Start the countdown. "Ready! Get set! . . ." Stop, look at the boy and ask, "Are you nervous?" No matter what he replies, tell him, "You should be. This is the first time I've used this machine. Anything could happen!"

Repeat the count, "Ready! Get set! Go!" When the girl begins cranking, vibrate the hand holding the cards as though it were receiving an electric shock. Stop the girl, then look at the boy. "You didn't catch the card? I'm sure I felt it go." Go to him, ask, "Is it still there?" Count the cards one at a time into your left hand so that he can see them all. He has to admit that the card is not there.

"Maybe it flew into one of your pockets." He looks but doesn't find it. "Turn around once; it must be here somewhere." When he turns around, the spectators see it on his back. Then you see it. "Gosh! It went right through him!"

Remove the card and show it to him. "I'm very sorry. I hope it didn't hurt much." Ask him to take a bow. Congratulate the girl on her aim and have her take a bow, too.

7. Arithmetic race

Try this on the child who is learning to add. It makes a game out of his homework. Ask him to write down any number between one and ten. You add to this any number which is ten or less. Then he does the same, and you each continue to add numbers alternately until the total reaches one hundred. The player who hits that number wins the game.

You can always win, simply by hitting one of the following key numbers: 12, 23, 34, 45, 56, 67, 78, 89. These are easily remembered because in each instance, the second digit is one more than the first. Having brought the total to any one of the key numbers you can hit all the others merely by noting the number your opponent adds and adding enough more to make eleven. Once you reach eighty-nine your opponent has lost because no matter what number he adds you can bring it to one hundred.

After you have won a few games, explain the system to the child so he can try it on his friends. This gives all of them some adding practice.

8. coin quiz

Place three coins in a row an inch or two apart. Adjust them carefully as though it were very important to get the space between them just right. Offer a prize to the first child who can tell, without measuring, which two coins are farthest apart. Tell them to raise their hands as soon as they have the answer. Some hands never go up, and this gets a laugh because the answer is so absurdly easy. It's the two coins at the ends of the row, of course.

9. coin problem

Place two coins, A and B, side by side and touching. The problem is to move a third coin in between the first two, but coin A must not be touched in any way and coin B must not be moved. Most people give up on this one.

Solution: Put a finger on B so that it cannot move, then hit it sharply on the edge directly opposite coin A by sliding the third coin against it. A, which hasn't been touched will be knocked away from B which hasn't been moved, leaving space to insert the third coin.

10. knot puzzler

Have someone hold.a length of string, rope, or a scarf by opposite ends. Ask him to tie a knot in it without letting go of either end. When he objects that this is impossible, reach out quickly, grasp the ends as shown in fig. 49, and pull them in opposite directions. A knot forms instantly. "Nothing hard about that," you say. "It's easy."

The spectator, having seen everything, usually says that he can also do it if you hold the ends. He seldom suceeds because he finds that he can't remember just how you crossed your arms. "I'll do it again," you say. "Keep one eye on my right hand, one eye on my left hand, and one eye on the rope."

You can sometimes repeat the tie several times before anyone duplicates it. Give the first person to succeed a prize,

figure 49

then fifteen minutes later ask him to do it again. The chances are that he has already forgotten how.

11. bottle lift

Offer a prize to the first person who can lift a pop bottle with a soda straw. You seldom have to pay off on this one.

Solution: Bend the straw back on itself three or four inches from one end. Push the double end down into the bottle and lift (fig. 50).

12. the imprisoned coin

Invert a drinking glass over a coin. Put another upside checker stack 173 down glass near it and wedge a kitchen match between the glasses (fig. 51). Note that the head of the match is placed against the empty glass. The problem is to remove the coin without letting the match fall and without touching the match.

figure 50

figure 51

Solution: Light the head of the match with a second match and blow out the flame as soon as the head burns. The match will now adhere to the empty glass, allowing the other glass to be lifted and the coin removed. Warning: Don't use plastic glasses.

13. checker stack

Make a stack of half a dozen checkers and offer a prize to the first person who can remove the bottom checker, using only a table knife. None of the other checkers may be touched or dislodged.


Solution: A quick blow on the side of the bottom checker with the knife blade will knock it out. Be sure to follow — through so that the knife also passes beneath the stacked — checkers.

14. match lift

Anyone who figures this out for himself deserves whatever prize you offer. It is a neat problem in engineering. How do you lift seven matches with only one match?

Solution: See fig. 52.

15. the one-move mystery

Place six glasses or paper cups in a row and fill the three on the left with whatever drink you are serving. The problem is to rearrange things so that the glasses are alternately full and empty, but only one glass may be touched or moved.

Solution: Lift the second glass from the left and pour its contents into the second glass from the right.

15. marksmanship

Announce a marksmanship contest and give the first contestant half a dozen playing cards. Place a hat, brim up, at his feet and ask him to drop the cards, one at a time, from ~ shoulder height into the hat. Offer a party prize for high score and a more valuable prize, perhaps a money prize, for a perfect score.

Everyone will be eager to try; it looks easy. But no one, unless they've seen it before, is likely to have much success. The usual score is: none. When the cards are held and dropped edge down, which seems to be the obvious way to

figure 52

do it, they fall straight for about a foot, then begin turning somersaults and go to one side.

Pay off for high score if anyone accidentally gets one or two into the hat. Then show that it is not only possible but easy to get a perfect score — when you know how. When the cards are held horizontally and dropped flat, they float down into the hat like homing pigeons.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Great Merlini is a man of mystery in more ways than one. A fictional character in a series of mystery novels and short stories, he is a magician-detective who uses his knowledge of conjuring to solve impossible crimes. In real life he is Clayton Rawson, a writer, an editor of mystery fiction, a founder of Mystery Writers of America, and a member of the Society of American Magicians. He uses The Great Merlini as his pen name when he writes about magic and as his stage name when he performs. He has given hundreds of shows for young people and is the father of four children whom he saws in two, floats in mid-air, vanishes into thin air and reproduces from nowhere. One of them, Clayton, Jr., now operates a rabbit and top hat of his own.

THE GREAT MERLINI (Sce Page 176)

This is the first bock of easy, practical magic written especially for people who have children or who work with children.

It is also an excellent introduction to magic as a hobby for the young beginner.

The Great Merlini not only explains in detail exactly what to do, but alse tells you how to do it in the most effective and entertaining

¥ ing' Mat —*.

Even if your fingers are all thumbs, you will be able to do some of the tricks as soon as you read the explanations.

None need any digital dexterity or any special apparatus — the magic is all done with common everyday articles to be found in the home. Here you will find:

L? MATCH MAGIC

CONJURING WITH COINS

ROPE AND KNOT MAGIC

SORCERY WITH STRINGS

TRICKS WITH EVERYTHING

SELF-WORKING CARD TRICKS

EASY SLEIGHT OF HAND WITH CARDS

HOW TO READ MINDS

MAGICAL PARTY STUNTS WN&-ZM Anyone who can do even one or two tricks for kids instantly

co-1es Superman, Merlin and a fairy godmother all in one. Have =a

N

COVER DESIGN BY T. McKEE/CHARLES & CU PEATE 0 ll

a

—_—