I generally dislike those TV shows explaining the tricks of some of the great illusionists of history. Generating those illusions and skillfully performing them is a lot of work. The reward for performing them, aside from money earned, is the mystification of the audience. Explaining the illusions to the public on television steals from the illusionists the fruits of their hard work.
For the sake of family relationships, however, I am willing to invade the area of illusions a little bit, by teaching some tricks so that the adults here can mystify their children.
BEWARE: DO NOT TEACH THIS TRICK TO LITTLE CHILDREN. THERE IS A CHOKING HAZARD, HERE.
Materials: 2 new, clean plastic drinking straws, same color, solid in color; scissors.
Method: Carefully snip-off about two inches of one of the two drinking straws. Take the two-inch piece and hide it in your mouth so that it won't interfere with speech.
Take the other full-sized drinking straw. What you say to your audience as you build-up to the trick doesn't matter. Probably, it's best to talk about something else in the room, while you pick-up the full size straw, so that they are distracted by the annoying dissonance between what you are talking about and what you are doing.
When you pick up the full size straw, hold the bottom of the straw with your right hand cupped horizontally, with your palm toward your chest, and the absolute bottom of the straw held between your cupped hand's thumb and the palm.
As you shove the top of the straw against the bottom of your chin, stop talking and with lips closed carefully and invisibly shove the straw piece in your mouth with your tongue so that it is trapped vertically against the inside of your upper and lower front teeth between your tongue and your teeth.
At this point, carefully glide your hand UP the straw pressed against your chin, so that the cup of your hand hides the fact that you are just sliding your hand of the straw, and not piercing your skin and showing the straw upwards into your head through your chin.
As you do this, do it with some hesitation, wincing and groaning in pain.
When the straw has been "shoved upwards into your head" an appropriate distance, open your teeth and lips enough to let your audience see the piece of straw in your mouth behind you teeth.
It will look exactly like you have successfully shoved the straw through your chin into your mouth.
For the sake of family relationships, however, I am willing to invade the area of illusions a little bit, by teaching some tricks so that the adults here can mystify their children.
BEWARE: DO NOT TEACH THIS TRICK TO LITTLE CHILDREN. THERE IS A CHOKING HAZARD, HERE.
Materials: 2 new, clean plastic drinking straws, same color, solid in color; scissors.
Method: Carefully snip-off about two inches of one of the two drinking straws. Take the two-inch piece and hide it in your mouth so that it won't interfere with speech.
Take the other full-sized drinking straw. What you say to your audience as you build-up to the trick doesn't matter. Probably, it's best to talk about something else in the room, while you pick-up the full size straw, so that they are distracted by the annoying dissonance between what you are talking about and what you are doing.
When you pick up the full size straw, hold the bottom of the straw with your right hand cupped horizontally, with your palm toward your chest, and the absolute bottom of the straw held between your cupped hand's thumb and the palm.
As you shove the top of the straw against the bottom of your chin, stop talking and with lips closed carefully and invisibly shove the straw piece in your mouth with your tongue so that it is trapped vertically against the inside of your upper and lower front teeth between your tongue and your teeth.
At this point, carefully glide your hand UP the straw pressed against your chin, so that the cup of your hand hides the fact that you are just sliding your hand of the straw, and not piercing your skin and showing the straw upwards into your head through your chin.
As you do this, do it with some hesitation, wincing and groaning in pain.
When the straw has been "shoved upwards into your head" an appropriate distance, open your teeth and lips enough to let your audience see the piece of straw in your mouth behind you teeth.
It will look exactly like you have successfully shoved the straw through your chin into your mouth.
Practice, practice, practice.
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