Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. I have to tell you that none of us think it’s funny anymore. Last Sunday we got dumped on once again with a huge snowstorm. Out came the shovels and the snowblower, for the umpteenth time this year. Enough, already. Note to whoever is in charge up there. We know you can make it snow. But, just because you can make it snow doesn’t mean you need to make it snow. OK?
Here at magic central, things are really popping! This week, we have finished the new Spring Extra. You can download it in pdf format, in full color, by copying this URL into your browser
(http://www.hanklee.org/marchextra2009.pdf)
You can also find all the exciting new Extra items by just clicking on the Extra Button at www.magicfact.com. Check ‘er out!
One does not need to be a rocket scientist to know that there’s a recession going on out there. Actually, we have a couple of customers who are real rocket scientists, and they know that we’re in a recession. They also know how to shoot a rocket to the moon. But, I digress. Every week there’s a lot of head scratching here at Hank Lee’s, trying to figure out the best way for all of us to weather the recession. Here’s what we do know. (1) You all love magic and want to buy magic and (2) We also love magic and want to sell it to you. Which means that we are all on the same page. The thing is, we know that you have less disposable income than you did a little while ago, and we genuinely understand. We’re in that same boat with you. I personally want to help keep those magic fires burning, and I don’t want folks giving up magic because of finances. So, until the government, in their infinite wisdom (no letters, please) announces that the recession is over, we are going to do our level best to give you the best possible prices on the magic we sell. We want to keep you as customers, and are willing to cut our prices back as far as possible so that you can remain with us! To see what I mean, you might want to check out this week’s excitement!
Along those lines, we will be starting a new, hopefully long-term promotion in the next week or so. It’s called magicONE. Every week, we will pick a new and exciting item, or maybe an older but still exciting item, and offer it at significant discount for one week. Hence magicONE. One trick for one week. You can buy as many of the item as you want, and you will get the discount on every one you buy. But, it will be just for one week. Stay tuned for more details.
On the home front, Aron comes in today for, what vacation is this? Spring Break? I think it’s Spring Break. I’m sure it’s Spring somewhere, just not here. Not yet. It will be good to see him, and I know he has been working really hard and could use a break. Next Wednesday, Bonnie, Aron and I will be winging off to Oberlin to see Lucas in The Magic Flute. I think he plays the part of the flute. Or maybe the flute case. Aron has never seen the Oberlin campus. He will be shocked. It’s very small. I’ll bet you can get 20 Oberlin campuses (campi?) in the same space taken up by the University of Florida. Maybe more.
Of course, I must mention the Conclave. You knew I would. I just want to say that the talent is all booked and the lineup looks absolutely amazing. This is the last year we will be at the SeaCrest Hotel, as next year we move to a new venue. I hope you will join us for this year’s event, as I can guarantee that you will have a great time. The dates are April 17th – 19th. You can register online by clicking the Conclave Button at www.magicfact.com, or you can call us toll free at 800 874 7400 to register.
Now, let’s check out this week’s excitement!
MARCH MADNESS SALES EVENT: Once you read about this week’s sales event, you will agree that we must be mad! But only in the nicest possible way!
This week’s event is a two parter. The first part starts right now and lasts for just 24hours. So, you must act quickly to take advantage.
(1) MARCHMADNESS – THE BEST PART! For the next day, from the very moment you receive this email until Friday March 6th at midnight, everything (well, almost everything) is on sale at 29% off the retail price. All you need to do is enter the special code MARCHMADNESS in the Discount Coupon Box of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com and we will automatically deduct 29% 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 and mention the special code so you can save a huge 29%!
(2) MARCHONSALE – THE NEXT BEST PART - For the next four days, from Saturday morning at 12:01 AM until Tuesday, March 10th at midnight, everything (well, almost everything) is on sale at 25% off the retail price. All you need to do is enter the special code MARCHONSALE in the Discount Coupon Box of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com and we will automatically deduct 25% 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 25%!
There are a few rules that apply, as with all things in life.
• The minimum order to use this discount is $25.00.
• The discount is deducted from the retail price of the item. No intermediate discounts (such as HankoGram pricing) may be applied. In the case of sets, such as DVDs and Videos, the discount is deducted from the retail price of each item and not from the set price.
• Offers cannot be combined.
• 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, MagicSmith, Martin Breese, Mikame Craft items, Johnson Products 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.
• Coupons and Reward Points will be deducted from the order total before the discount is applied.
• As the discount is automatically generated, you must put the special code in the Discount Coupon Box. You may have to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the box, but it is there. If you are not sure how to do this, please phone your order in to our toll-free order line at 800 874 7400, and we will take care of you. We cannot offer discounts retroactively.
And that's it. It could not be easier. So, get your order together and save yourself some serious money! But, act quickly. All of the sales end Tuesday at midnight!
Now, let’s check out this week’s Hotlist
Souvenir Linking Rubber Bands – Paul Harris: The Linking Rubber Bands perfected! Pre-made examinable sets of linked bands that you can afford to give away as an impossible souvenir!
Explain that wealthy collectors pay thousands of dollars for a unique, impossibly strange object. You then attempt to make one of these rare collectibles with your bare hands.
Hand out two loose single rubber bands to be examined. Display the two single bands at your fingertips, then have a spectator press the two loose strands together. The two bands link while still in her fingers! She rubs the linked bands, and they melt apart, unlinking into two loose bands!
She squeezes the loose bands together one last time. She never lets go, never lets them out of her sight, and they link again, and stay linked! She may keep this rare astonishing collectible. And of course she'll always remember where it came from.
Complete with self-working switch and optional handlings.
• Includes 20 linked sets and 10 singles.
• Inexpensive refills available.
• Heavy-duty bands for extra visibility and strength.
• Perfect as a finale for Crazy Man's Handcuffs or just about any rubber band effect.
• Practical for just about all performing situations.
• Features performances and explanations on DVD by Joe Russell.
$32.95 (10.1504)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=6751&cat=0&page=1)
Mental Detector – Tony Curtis: Mental Detector is a fantastic new electronic device for mentalists at a remarkable price!
Hand a spectator a casino-style one dollar chip to hide in one of their hands.
Using your mental powers, you are able to reveal which hand contains the chip.
Now, ask the spectator to hide a folded banknote in one hand and the casino chip in the other.
Again you are able to reveal the correct hand for each item!
The discrete custom-made electronic unit supplied instantly gives the information needed. Mental Detector can also be used with many existing magnetic effects.
And, the price is remarkably low! $95.00. (40.671)
Thanks to Tony Curtis for giving us the exclusive on the Mental Detector, which means you will find it here and nowhere else!
Mental Detector is a non-discountable item and cannot be included as part of any sales event.
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=7304&cat=0&page=1)
Miraculous Card Box: Another beautifully made wood item from our friends at Magic Wagon.
An ornate wooden box and two decks of cards (one red and the other blue) are displayed.
A spectator is invited to select a deck of cards (Let’s assume the spectator selects the red deck). He is now asked to select a card from the deck and place it in the wooden box (Say the Jack of Diamonds).
After a magical gesture over the wooden box, you explain that the selected card will jump from the wooden box to the other deck and turn face up.
Ask the spectator to look inside the blue card box. He finds that it is completely empty!
When the lid of the wooden box is removed, a blue deck of cards has miraculously appeared inside! Where’s the red-backed Jack of Diamonds?
The spectator spreads through the blue deck to find that all the cards run in perfect number & suit order except there is one card and one card only reversed in the deck. It is the red-backed Jack of Diamonds!
Miraculous Card Box is not only beautifully made with an inlay of contrasting woods, but works entirely differently than the usual gimmicked (flaps/magnets) card box. Vanishes, changes and appearances all become effortless with this mechanical wonder.
Beautifully crafted in teak & sycamore with a hand-rubbed oil finish that brings out the natural character of the wood.
Collectible Series - Each box is individually numbered. $125.00 (30.1412)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8359&cat=0&page=1)
Secrets Of How To Entertain Children – Mark Worgan: This new book by professional children’s entertainer Mark Worgan covers just about everything a performer needs to know to become a successful children's entertainer. It includes: Running the business side; Advertising; Telephone handling; Confirmation letters as well as how to structure shows from small to large, private to corporate, nurseries to schools. There are great routines, games and much more. 203 pages. Perfect bound. $35.00 (BK01639)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9851&cat=0&page=1)
Newz – Nefesch: A brand new, totally impromptu Newspaper Test from the brilliant mind that is Nefesch.
In the tried and true Newspaper Test, an area on a page, is circled by a spectator and later, the performer is able to know the circled word.
In the old methods, the performer had to access the paper ahead of time, and there were gimmicks used.
But, not with Newz! Use a borrowed paper or magazine, borrowed pencil or marker. A spectator is asked to select any page of a newspaper or tabloid sized magazine. They take a pencil and are instructed to circle somewhere on the paper, then to look in the center of the area they circled, and select one word that stands out or is meaningful. Yes, it is that straight forward. Everything is borrowed. Nothing is pre-prepared.
Yet, the performer is able to divine their word. This is a no-tech approach. Nothing to break, lose or forget! No gaffs, no gimmicks. Everything is borrowed. Any paper or magazine, any page, the concept could be applied to many different effects.
A printed monograph that includes additional handlings and thoughts by Tony Eye, author and The Write Stuff. $25.00 (BK01640)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9852&cat=0&page=3)
Super Simple Q&A – Starke: Some say that Q and A is the most powerful psychic routine. But, what is the simplest way to do Q and A? The answer is in this little monograph.
A small 12 page booklet, this gem offers one of the simplest versions of Q and A that allows you to know the name of the person who wrote a question and their exact question. You have this information before you step onto the stage, and have time to read through all of the questions and formulate the best possible answers before you stand before your audience.
No Stooges. No Impression Devices. This also addresses the issue of dead time while people write and collect questions. There is no dead time! No collecting questions in envelopes. Here is what it looks like to the audience:
The performer steps forward and asks the chairman or host of the evening to stand. She is to correct the performer if anything he says is incorrect.
The performer explains that he holds in his hand a stack of cards with names. The names were given to the performer by the Chairperson or host. The names are of people attending that evening who have agreed to participate in a demonstration of mind reading. Each of these people is thinking of a personal question, something they would like an answer to regarding their lives or futures. The performer has not been allowed to talk to any of the people, and their questions have not been shared with anyone. The Chairperson confirms that all that is correct and places a sealed envelope onto the stage.
Within the envelope are the written questions of the spectators in the audience. The Chairperson confirms that they have not been out of her possession and no one has read any of those questions since they were sealed within the envelope. The host has not shared or communicated the contents of any of the questions in any way with the performer or anyone else. He has only provided a list of names of those people.
That aside, the performer runs through the stack of names, asking one of the people to stand. Then, with pinpoint accuracy, the performer is able to read their minds and tell them the exact nature of their question. Following that, he offers his psychic impressions of their question.
This little manuscript teaches the Super Simple method, explores the challenges and weaknesses of Q and A, and more.
A must for those in search of the perfect Q and A routine for them! $20.00 (BK01641)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9853&cat=0&page=3)
And, that’s this week’s Hotlist. Great new magic and great recession-busting prices. Because we want your customership, and we want it now.
As always, we appreciate your taking time out from your busy schedule to visit with us either online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford. Either way we love the company.
Hank
