Friday, July 23, 2010

Blind Justice Event!

Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory, where the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day. Actually, I have no idea what the weather outside is like, but here at Hank Lee’s it is bright and sunny! Read on.

For the past year, we have been embroiled in a very serious law suit. I can’t go into the details, but I can tell you that it was big and messy and most importantly not a result of anything we did wrong. The suit hung over our heads like a big black cloud. It had the potential to be ruinous. But, as of last week, all parties got together and it was over. Hurrah! Hurrah! As you can tell, we are very happy now that it is over.

This week I will only write about pleasant things. Like the nearly famous Multiplying Frog trick. We have a cute little pond outside our house. Aron and Lucas and I dug it several years ago. By hand. In the summer, we keep water lilies and other aquatic plants in the pond. In the winter the squirrels ice skate on it. In past years, we have always had a frog in the pond. The frog would magically appear in the spring and stay for the summer. This summer, the pond has turned into Frogland! At last count, there were five frogs in the pond! We are thinking about putting a sign at the end of the road. “See Frogland - $5.00.” It’s Bonnie’s idea.

It’s not too often that a trick fools me. I’m not bragging, but in more than 50 years in magic, I’ve seen a lot, and am rarely fooled. However, the new Get Sharky trick from our friends at Phoenix Magic has me flummoxed. Of course, a trick that good we had to have for you all. So, you will find it at the top of this week’s Hotlist. Check it out!

And, that’s all the news for this week. I think you are going to really like this week’s excitement!

Blind Justice 24 Hour Sales Event: The mood around here at Hank Lee’s is really happy, and we want to share it with you! So, for the next 24 hours, from the very moment you receive this email until Saturday morning at 7:00 EDT, everything (well, almost everything) is on sale at 30% off the retail price. All you need to do is enter the special code BLINDJUSTICE in the Discount Coupon Box of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com and we will automatically deduct 30% 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 30%!

Now, here are the rules:
• The minimum order to use the 30% off discount is $30.00.
• The 30% 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 30% is deducted from the retail price of each item and not from the set price.
• We cannot combine offers.
• Certain items, due to contractual restrictions, are not included in this sale. All Viking/CW items, Kennedy Enterprises items, Joe Porper items, Colin Rose items, Mike Caveney Books, Johnson Products items, MagicSmith 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.
• Promotional Gift Certificates, Coupons and Reward Points may not be used as part of this sales event.
• As the discount is automatically generated, you must put the special code BLINDJUSTICE in the Discount Coupon Box and nowhere else. 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. The sale positively ends Saturday morning at 7:00 AM, Eastern Time

Now, let’s take a look at this week’s Hotlist!

(1) Get Sharky: The biggest selling effect at the recent SAM Convention in Atlanta and IBM Convention in San Diego.
Explain that you are going to show a trick that was performed by a famous one-armed magician.
To demonstrate, place your right hand in your pocket. With your left hand, you hold up a deck of cards and instruct the spectator to peek at any card he likes.
Without any suspicious moves, you hand the deck to the spectator and nonchalantly snap your fingers.
The spectator is now asked to go through the deck and find his chosen card. The spectator looks through the deck but the card has vanished!
You slowly remove your right hand from your pocket and show the selected card!
A miracle.
Christoph Borer, the inventor of this trick, released this effect years ago but only in the German speaking countries where it gathered a great reputation. Now it is available in an even more convincing version using Phoenix cards.
It fooled all the great names in magic in Atlanta, San Diego and at the Magic Castle, Hollywood. The method is so brilliant you'll love to perform it.
A great effect and can be performed on stage, parlor and closeup. Remember everything happens in the spectator’s hands.
The deck can be examined and the effect can be immediately repeated with a different outcome! $79.95 (30.1507)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10196&cat=0&page=1)

"I must have one for myself."
George Schindler

"I have not been this fooled ever."
Jon Armstrong

"I love it when the method is as clever and cunning as the effect."
Gregory Wilson

(2) Window – David Stone: From David’s Stone’s brilliant mind, it’s Window.
Two cards are selected, then shuffled into the deck.
The first card appears behind the window!
The second card visually changes while on the other side of the glass. Finally, you can change a card that is behind glass!
Window is not like anything else.
Card through glass effects cost upward of $300 and usually require complicated setups or strange gimmicks. Until now it's been difficult to gain visual appeal and still keep your wallet full.
The trick plays out in real life exactly as in the trailer. Watch yourself do it in the mirror and your eyes will pop.
Gimmick included. 5 complete routines.
The least expensive and most effective Card Through Window ever!
Easy to do. Ultra visual. Unlimited possibilities
No extra mechanical parts. Just a card, one clever gimmick and pure genius
Everything is examinable at the end. Learn it in 60 seconds.
Shortest installation time ever: 4 second reset.
Full DVD training presented by FISM Winner David Stone. Directed by Jean-Luc Bertrand.
$79.95 (30.1506)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10193&cat=0&page=1)

(3) Bongo Hat: Back in stock, and made better than ever!
A super kidshow bit of business. You show a blue hat, which you place on your young helper's head. Oops, it's too small ... so you expand it into a bigger green hat. No, still too small ... so you make it into an even bigger red hat. Not big enough (by this time the hat is getting ridiculously large), so you expand it into a bigger polka dot hat. You do it again, and turn it into a giant striped hat! And, when you turn the striped hat around, there's a really funny Giant's Face on the other side that'll make the kiddies go bananas!
Silk screened on a special bookbinder's material, made from plastic and very strong - use it over and over again. $24.95 (50.016)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=2507&cat=0&page=1)

(4) Rough & Smooth Spray Grid:
This is one of those, “What took so long for someone to create this?” items. I can tell you that I am taking one of these home to use when I make up a deck or two for myself. I hope you will as well!
For the foolproof and professional preparation of Rough and Smooth Decks, it’s the innovative Spray-Grid.
Now, you can easily produce your own Invisible Decks, Brainwave Decks and many more, like the pros!
Contains:
Rough And Smooth Spray-Grid for easy preparation of complete decks.
The Spray-Grid allows the space-saving and efficient Rough and Smooth preparation of up to 54 poker size cards. No more cards flying around during spraying, sticking together or other unexpected mess. Due to the tight positioning the Rough Spray is applied very efficiently.
Special Card-Covers for half-sprayed playing cards.
With these covers you can easily prepare half-sprayed playing cards for surprising and new effects. The special construction of the covers allows soft blends instead of sharp obvious edges.
$20.00 (70.912)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10198&cat=0&page=1)

(5) Magical Arts Journal – Michael Ammar & Adam Fleischer:

A ground breaking magical publication devoted to both the art and business of magic that was published and edited by FISM world champion magician Michael Ammar and magic publishing and event production innovator Adam J. Fleischer.
You’ll find timeless business insights, original performance material and priceless tips and advice about the work and money in magic from close up and stand up magic professionals who were making their living on cruise ships, in comedy clubs, at trade shows and private parties.
The artists who contributed to The Magical Arts Journal are a Who’s Who of influential magic thinkers and the most successful full-time pros of the 1980’s, including: Dai Vernon, Larry Jennings, Tommy Wonder, Paul Harris, John Kennedy, Jay Sankey, John Cornelius, David Roth, Martin Gardner, Jamy Ian Swiss, Chris Kenner, Roberto Giobbi, Doc Eason, Eric Mead, Richard Sanders, Gary Kurtz and many more.
Within the covers of this compendium of every issue of the Journal published, these experienced pros reveal the secrets to their performance material, provide in-depth essays and columns about lessons learned on-the-job, and deliver commentary, reviews, ideas, finesse and other thought provoking content.
Originally released between 1986 and 1990, The Magical Arts Journal is a chronicle of the art and business of performance magic during those exciting, pivotal years.
Hardbound. 8.5"x11." 564 pages. $69.95 (BK01721)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10202&cat=0&page=1)

(6) Phoenix Double Decker: Welcome to a revolution in card magic.
For the first time ever a deck containing 104 cards that perfectly matches, in size and thickness, a normal poker-size deck.
This allows new effects never possible before. The spectator will never expect that underneath the first 52 cards (54 with Jokers) is another complete deck of 52 cards!
Well-known effects like Phil Deck and Trilogy are now possible in an even more convincing way and without a deck switch.
If you need to Rough the deck, use the Phoenix Rough & Smooth Spray Grid to easily prepare the cards.
You will also get access to an online PDF booklet with great routines for the Double-Decker.
The booklet will be updated from time to time as new ideas are added.
Key features of the Phoenix Double-Decker:
* The Double-Decker cards are so ultrathin that two complete decks including Jokers fit into a regular card case!
* The backs are marked like the Phoenix Marked Deck and therefore allows additional handlings
* Roughing the cards will add a little thickness to the cards, but still 104 cards fit into the card case.
* Gluing cards in pairs is also possible, the added thickness does not prevent putting 104 cards into the card case.
$29.95 (30.1508)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10201&cat=0&page=1)

(7) Growing Christmas Hat:
It’s never too early to start planning your Holiday Shows. And, it’s always a treat to find new holiday magic!
The Growing Christmas Hat is our old friend, and fantastic kids’ show item, the Bongo Hat, all decked out in holiday cheer.
A folded hat grows bigger and bigger, accompanied by some really entertaining jokes!
Each time the hat is unfolded to make it bigger, the new design is related to Christmas. At the end, it displays a giant Santa face, which completely covers the kid’s head and shoulders.
This is a self-contained item, offering lots of opportunity for fun.
Silk-screened onto plastic paper for long life. $24.95 (50.968)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10197&cat=0&page=1)

(8) Dream Prediction Lite:
Paul Romhany's top selling one-person prediction routine just got better. Dream Prediction Lite offers the same effect as the original, but more portable for most working conditions.
Here is the ideal prediction routine with no need for offstage assistants. With Dream Prediction Lite, Paul has included a few new subtleties that really help sell the effect, actually making it stronger than the original.
Here is an example of one routine:
The magician talks about his dream holiday and tells the audience that he wrote it down on a large piece of paper and sealed it inside an envelope which can be seen at all times. The audience can see the prediction through the window in the envelope.
A spectator is asked to call out the name of a cruise ship they would like to travel on. The performer writes the answer down on a clipboard for verification later on.
Another spectator is asked to call out a destination they would like to visit. Again it is written down on the clipboard.
A third spectator is asked to count the change in their pocket and the amount is again written down on the clipboard.
This spectator comes on stage to verify each of the items called out. The envelope is shown and opened. The audience can see the prediction fall out of the envelope and the spectator reads the prediction. It exactly matches what the audience chose.
This is an extremely adaptable routine. You can use any presentation you like, such as a "Dream Date," a "Dream Car," or a "Menu" type routine in a restaurant. You are limited only by your imagination.
Everything in this routine is worked out through hundreds of performances, making it very easy to perform, giving you time to concentrate on your own presentation. If you have always wanted a mentalism routine that will play big and not have to worry about offstage help then this routine is for you.
Comes complete with:
• Gimmick envelopes that are smaller in size than the original making this more adaptable. It also enables you to perform Paul's new way of loading the gimmick. And, you can show both sides of the envelope prior to the prediction falling out.
• Clipboard
• Pen
• A complete instructional DVD with cruise ship performance and a 'Dream Date' type routine that Paul uses at private parties. $199.00 (40.742)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10192&cat=0&page=1)

"The routine is excellently conceived and worked out. I have absolutely no doubt that I will use this successfully for many years. Thanks for making this available and whilst my initial reaction was that the cost was high, I feel it justified as it is way too good for the merely curious..."
- Nicholas Einhorn, UK

(9) Magic Scratchers – Danny Orleans: Scratch for magic! Kids won't believe their eyes as they follow the steps on 40 scratchable cards, watch the magic unfold, and then scratch for the eye-popping reveals! Written by a professional magician, these amazing tricks will keep kids awestruck for hours. $10.00 (10.1577)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10194&cat=0&page=1)

(10) Sherpa Pen: Transform your Sharpie into a stylish Fountain Pen!
Now, you can look just like Thurston Howell III when you bring out your obviously expensive pen.
Add style to your close-up performance by using the new Sherpa Pen. It looks like a very expensive pen, but actually has a Sharpie inside.
The Sherpa Pen comes with a black Sharpie, but you can replace it by any color you wish. It looks and feels like a fine fountain pen for a fraction of the price.
Available in Black With Chrome, Midnight Black (All black) and Gunmetal With Chrome Trim. Please specify. $30.00 (70.913)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10199&cat=0&page=1)

(11) Upgrade Pack For Spike:
If you already own the original Spike, but are not crazy about wearing a PK Ring, the Upgrade Pack For Spike is for you!
A simple game of chance with a four inch spike.
Four inches of cold, hard steel ground to a point, and rising vertically from a solid wooden base. Will you drive your open palm down onto it with force? Blindfolded? Take the chance, prove yourself. A life without pain has no meaning. Give your life meaning.
Five unmarked wooden blocks are displayed and one four inch steel spike. The performer can have his back turned, be blindfolded, or even leave the room while the spectator places the spike into one block (free choice). The spectator is then instructed to cover all the wooden blocks with Styrofoam cups. The performer walks over to the five cups and instantly smashes his hand on four, leaving the cup with the spike underneath untouched! An incredible feat of mentalism!
Ideal for close-up, stage, cabaret, cruises, and other larger venues, this hand-crafted beauty is a versatile magic prop that can be played for comedy or high drama! Whichever way you choose, you will leave your audiences spellbound!
Remember, this is only the Upgrade Pack. You must already own the original Spike to use it.
$38.00 (60.1679)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10195&cat=0&page=1)

(12) Rainbow Bicycle Deck: Imported from Italy, this is the new Bicycle deck with a rainbow back.
Even the case is rainbow.
The quality of the cards is the same as the regular Bicycle decks.
This deck of cards can be used as one way deck and inside the case you will find two additional special cards. $9.00 (30.1496)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10200&cat=0&page=1)

And that’s this week’s Hotlist. An even dozen items. Seven more items than we have frogs in our pond. I think.
I hope that you really enjoy this week’s Blind Justice sale. I can’t even begin to tell you how pleased I am to be able to share our happiness with you.
And, as always I really appreciate your taking time out from your busy schedules to spend some with us. Whether you visit online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford, rest assured that we love your company!
Hank