Greetings from all of us here at Hank Lee's Magic Factory, where Halloween is just a fading memory. I hope you had a wonderful and safe Halloween. We had a ton of kids come to the house. I had installed one of those voice operated Talking Heads, so it was pretty scary if you were a little one. Funny thing was, even the little ones came back two or three times and brought friends each time to see the Talking Head. We gave out every single bit of candy, so there was none left in the house. Easier for me what with my new life plan and all.
The life plan continues. Four pounds this week. Total so far 27 pounds. Even my shadow is getting smaller.
It's a busy few days on the home front. Lucas, the singing elf, is in a concert at the High School with the Madrigal Singers tonight, the on Saturday is in the Acapella Fall Jam with the Pitch Pipes group. They rehearsed at the house last weekend, and sounded great. I am looking forward to both concerts. Even though I wrote that because I know that Lucas reads this letter, I really do mean it.
Catalog 15 is really close to heading for the printer. We are just finishing up the Index, then off it goes. We are still shooting for the end of November. Keep my fingers crossed.
We are busy booking acts for the 2007 Conclave, even as I write. Some great acts, which have not been seen in the US before. Lots of FISM Winners and some big surprises. Click the Conclave Button at www.magicfact.com to see what's new.
We had tons of emails and phone calls from folks who could not participate in the Halloween Savings event because they were so darn busy with shows and whatnot. So, being the good-hearted fella that I am, we offer the follow excitement:
HALLOWEEN II - For the next four days, from the very moment you receive this email until Monday, November 6th at midnight, everything (well, almost everything) is on sale at 20% off the retail price. All you need to do is enter the special code HALLOWEENII in the Discount Coupon Box at the bottom of the first page of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com and we will automatically deduct 20% from your order total. If you are calling your order in to the Toll Free Order Line at 800 874 7400, FAXing your order to us at 781 395 2034 or emailing us your order to magicfact@aol.com make sure to mention the special code so you can save a huge 20%!
There are a few rules that apply, as in all things in life.
(1) The 20% is deducted from the retail price of the item. No intermediate discounts may be applied. In the case of sets, such as DVDs and Videos, the 20% is deducted from the retail price of each item and not from the set price.
(2) Certain items, due to contractual restrictions, are not included in this sale. All Joe Porper items, Paul Harris Prime Time Magic items, Viking/CW items, Kennedy Enterprises items, Colin Rose items, Mike Caveney Books, JB Magic, Jay Sankey, Martin Breese, Mikame Craft items, Greater Magic Teach-In DVDs, One Of A Kind Collectors' Items and a few other items are not included in the sale. If you place an order for an item that is not on this list or not noted in our online catalog, but is excluded from the sale, we will let you know before processing your order.
And that's it. It could not be easier. So, get your order together and save yourself some serious money! But, act quickly. The sale ends Monday at midnight!
Now, let's take a look at this week's Hotlist!
Supernatural DVD - Jay Sankey: This is without a doubt one of the most powerfully stimulating collections of magic and mentalism Jay Sankey has ever released! The sixteen killer routines include knock-out effects with steel bolts, monopoly money, ping pong balls, drinking straws, bottle caps, dollar bills, glass capsules, business cards, fortune cookies, paperclips, notepads, packing bubbles, finger rings and more! And most of them Jay is revealing here the very first time!
Alchemy Seltzer
Burden of Proof
Circumference
Trinity
Best Before
Mis-made Monopoly
How Fortunate
A Delicate Balance
Forced Entry
Around the Bend
Global Warming
Air of Mystery
Double Feature
Paper Trade
Glass Menagerie
X-Ray Vision
"I call this DVD 'Supernatural' because it features some of my strongest magic and mentalism with natural, every day objects. I deliberately didn't include any effects with playing cards or coins because sometimes you have to astonish people with something other than cards or coins to feel like a real magician." - Jay Sankey $30.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8535&cat=0&page=1)
Three In One Coin Set: A fantastic new set of coins from Johnny Wong, it’s the Three In One Coin Set.
Here’s what you get: A Magnetic Shell Half Dollar (Head) with a Quarter Shell insert and a Steel-Shim Shell Half Dollar (Tail) that fits into the head side. So, when the set is opened, you have three coins: two Half Dollars and a Quarter. And, when it is closed, there is just one Half Dollar. It all locks together magnetically, and is really a precision piece.
Here’s what you can do:
• Drop three coins into a glass. Magically, two of the coins vanish leaving just one Half Dollar.
• Have two cards selected from a deck. Show three coins. Two of them vanish and re-appear on top of the selected cards.
• Place the three coins into your closed fist. Open your hand and two of the coins have vanished! Cover the remaining coin with a playing card. When you whisk the card away, the coin is gone!
• Drop three coins in to the a glass. Shake the glass a little then turn it mouth down onto your close-up pad. Remove the glass and there is just one coin. The other two coins are found under the pad!
These are just a few of the possible routines with this excellent set of coins. You will find yourself using them in lots of your existing routines. $65.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8534&cat=0&page=1)
Moving Tan Line - Nathan Kranzo: Can you move your tan line? Do you want to do something that no one has ever seen close-up before? Look no further than Bande Du Soleil.
Imagine this: Take off your watch, and show everyone your embarrassing tan line. Announcing that you would like to make it move, you grab your tan-line with your other hand, and slowly move it up your arm traveling toward your shoulder! No kidding. You really move your tan line up your arm so that it’s hidden by your shirt sleeve. The spectators can feel it, see it and agree. Your tan line is less noticeable beneath your shirt
The tan line can be examined to ensure that it’s not fake. It is a genuine tan line. A tan line that you can magically move at will!?
This effect has caught the attention of magicians all over the world from David Copperfield to Penn and Teller who filmed it for their NBC special Off The Deep End.
Marco Tempest performed this on his series The Virtual Magician which aired in over 40 countries.
Most recently this effect was featured by Chris Korn in Mondo Magic.
Nathan will teach the real work that only comes from years of refinement and thousands of performances. Nathan will also share great ideas and variations from: Homer Liwag, Chris Korn, John Kennedy and Donny Orbit
Available in November: pre-order now and start working on that tan! $29.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8528&cat=0&page=1)
Mental Safari: It all starts with a small ornate box, which you open to reveal a tray containing four different plaques, each depicting the head of a wild animal.
Remove the tray and show that the box is clearly empty. Place a prediction inside the box, and replace the tray containing the plaques.
Now ask a spectator to freely select his or her favorite wild animal, remove it and then write down the “Tracking Number” beneath the plaque.
You lift the tray and clearly show the prediction that was previously placed inside the box. The prediction is removed by the spectator and read out aloud. Amazingly, the prediction matches the animal plaque chosen including, its tracking number
Remember:
The prediction is placed inside the box at the beginning of the effect.
The spectator has a completely free choice of the four animal plaques displayed.
The written prediction is 100% accurate every time including the name of the animal selected and it's tracking number.
The effect comes complete with instructions and the four animal head plaques, which are housed in a beautiful burr walnut style wood box. $90.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8533&cat=0&page=1)
Color Changing Vest: Lee Alex, British illusionist, translator and co-author of the book Quick Changeby Sven Schoppenhauer presents a unique quick change item for all performers, the Color Changing Vest.
You are wearing a normal vest, buttoned at the front and worn showing out from under your open jacket. Turn to your table to take a prop from the table top. Upon turning back to the audience, your vest has changed color.
This is repeated once more later in your act, then a third time. This not only stands as a unique quick-change effect on its own, but also may be performed as a novel running gag which may be repeated ad infinitum throughout a show.
Three color changes: Red, White and Blue.
The final effect of the Color Changing Vest is an amazing transformation displaying either the Stars & Stripes or Red, White & Blue stripes.
You may perform as many or as few color changes as desired.
Throughout the performance nothing is ever added or taken away.
Instant Reset!
No less than ten alternative presentations, handlings and ideas are also given in the instructions. Available in either Stars & Stripes or Red, White & Blue Stripes in Medium, Large & Extra Large. Please specify. $295.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8529&cat=0&page=1)
Tricycle: Tricycle by Daniel Garcia & Luke Dancy is the card box of your dreams! You already keep your cards in a card box, why not use one that not only holds your deck, but also packs a magical wallop!
You will always be prepared to reveal a spectator's card in a visually interesting way!
Perform Tricycle right out of the package, with moves you already know! It's magic meets special effect. The word Bicycle visually turns into "Three of Clubs!"
• Visual magic that's always ready!
• Killer magic wrapped in a bicycle box!
• Instant reset for your next performance!
by Daniel Garcia doesn't stop there! It doesn't stop anywhere! Several other places on the box name the selected card, multiplying the ways you can reveal their card! $18.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8530&cat=0&page=1)
Whispers Four Times Three: John Mendoza has always stated that magic should be simple. That is, the effect must be so simple that the spectators need not make any mental effort to understand what effect took place.
"I feel that if an effect can be just that plus have a totally unexpected kicker climax that also requires no thought or 'figuring out' on the part of the spectators, you have a perfect piece of magical entertainment. This routine is just that."
It begins with a simple "puzzle" type trick that is quite befuddling. Your audience will unsuccessfully try to figure it out. This is followed with an excellent transposition, which seems to be a surprise finish, but then you really stun the audience with a totally unexpected additional climax.
Three cards are chosen and placed face down on the table, sight unseen. Anyone now names any one of the three face cards, Jacks, Queens or Kings and the performer states that the chosen face cards will "whisper" the identities of the three selections. The reason for using face cards is that they are the only cards able to whisper since no other cards have mouths. We'll assume the Queens are chosen.
The four Queens then proceed to reveal each of the three selections. Then three of the Queens change into the selections and for a final killer climax the remaining four cards, thought to be the Queens, unexpectedly become the four Aces!
No gimmicks, and you are able to perform with any deck, any time! Demo DVD also included. $20.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8531&cat=0&page=1)
And, that's it for this week. The best of the best. I hope you find some goodies that you just can't resist!
Before closing this week, I just want to thank two people, Paul Gross from Hocus Pocus Magic and Howard Baltus from The Trickery for helping us to protect Trevor Lewis' intellectual property from those who would copy because they do not have an original thought of their own. It seems that someone is pirating Flashlight Fun and selling it as Funny Flashlight. This is a direct ripoff of Trevor Lewis' effect, to which we own the manufacturing rights. Paul and Howard both agreed to remove the ripoff from their websites and not sell them. I applaud you both.
As always, I hope you will find some time to spend with us either online at www.magicfact.com or in person at our downtown retail showroom at 112 South Street in Boston. Either way, we love your company.
Hank Lee
