My first magic show and how I became a magician!
April 5th, 2010 by admin
Most magicians (whether from Chicago or elsewhere) became magicians because they saw a magic show as a child and were so amazed they decided to learn themselves. I’m no exception. For many children, their first experience with magic is a birthday party show, but mine was actually at the opening of a brand new Burger King. I was about 4 years old and my grandmother took me. I remember one close up magic trick he did, but the thing the blew me away was a trick called the Hippity Hop Rabbits.
In this magic trick the magician shows 2 wooden cut out rabbits, one white and one black. He covers the white rabbit with a white box and the black rabbit with a black one. Using his magic powers he claims he will make them change places. He says the magic word, but he doesn’t lift the covers. He just says they’ve changed places. He then says the magic word again, causing the two rabbits to “switch back,” at which point he finally lifts the covers, showing them to have “returned” to their original spots.
Needless to say, neither I nor the other kids in the audience were impressed.
Then the magician claims he will do it again. This time he moves the rabbits apart, “increasing” the difficultyof the trick by doing it “long distance,” but when he separates the covered rabbits he turns the boxes around. When he lifts the covers the rabbits appear to have changed places. He then covers the rabbits again, turning the boxes around once more, and lifts the covers showing the rabbits have “returned” to their original positions.
Of course, the kids don’t buy this. They scream out, “Turn it around!” thinking the white rabbit is black on the back and the black rabbit is white on its back.
This moment in the routine is actually the part of the magic show I remember the most. As the kids around me yelled and screamed for the magician to turn the rabbits around, I remember thinking, “I’ve got this guy’s number, but don’t feel the need to yell and scream like these other fools. I’ll just relax, confident in the knowledge I know how he does his tricks.”
OK, maybe I didn’t think using those words, but that really was the gist of what I was thinking.
What was amazing was that eventually the magician did turn them around. And much to my surprise (and everyone else’s), the white rabbit was red on the back and the black rabbit was yellow.
It blew my 4 year old mind. And I swore right then and there I’d learn how to do it.
And I did.
In fact, I end all of my kids party shows with the Hippity Hop Rabbits and I always tell this story. Hopefully by doing so I’m doing my own part to inspire the next generation of magicians.
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