What if I told you about a prop that could cause miracles?
What if this prop could do the following:
- make objects disappear
- make objects appear
- change one object into another
- read peoples' minds
- float objects in the air
- produce flashes of light from your bare hands
- and much more
What if this prop only weighed a few ounces?
What if this prop was "invisible" to most people...even if they were staring right at it?
What if this prop only cost a few dollars?
What if this prop was easy to use?
What if this miracle prop actually existed?
Well, it does. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm taking about the THUMB TIP.
I had a conversation a couple of years ago with Peter Loughran of Master of Illusions in Canada and we both agreed that you could make a strong argument that the thumb tip was the greatest prop ever invented in the history of magic.
Think about all that is possible with a thumb tip...and then realize what a dismissive attitude most magicians have toward it! There are many times when a professional routine is put out, costing hundreds of dollars, and one of the components is the thumb tip. On more than one occasion, while watching the training DVD accompanying a prop, the pro on the DVD will apologetically introduce the thumb tip, as if he is ashamed or perhaps more accurately, he realizes many magicians, upon hearing that one of the secrets to the routine is the thumb tip, will cry out, "Oh, is THAT all?"
And mind you, the pros putting out this material put out GREAT material. I'm not going to mention their names because it's not my place to reveal their products' secrets, but the props and routines I'm tip-toeing around are GREAT routines and worth much more than what I paid.
Why do magicians sneer at thumb tips? Probably because we're so used to it, we take it for granted. Plus, many magicians out there are buying stuff looking for the "miracle" that they'll never find. No genie in a bottle exists.
It's time we look at our classic tools as they are - tools. A carpenter does not cast aside his hammer looking for something "cooler" to do the job. He uses what works.
And don't use the "Thumb tips are in all those kiddie magic sets" as an excuse either. I remember a few years ago at a school show, a student, fifth grade, after seeing my show remarked that he too was a magician. When I asked him what kind of effects he did, he looked down at his feet and mumbled using "that plastic thumb." I immediately remarked, "Oh, you can do so much with those! That's a great prop!"
He looked at me in disbelief. I then added, "I used THREE thumb tips in the show you just saw." His jaw hung open in disbelief. And it was true - in front of 300 fifth graders, in a 45 minute show, I had used three thumb tops, all in very different ways, but in theory they could have 'seen' the tips. the fact that he was so surprised at this revelation was all the proof I needed to know I had gotten through to him and made my point crystal clear.
So, how do YOU feel about possibly the greatest prop ever created in magic?
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