Larry Becker & Lee Earle
BAFFLING B.S.
$91
Suggested Retail Price $99.50
THE BLURB:
"The bumper sticker," begins the performer as he shows a
selection of them - all of which are cut in half, "is a
source of 5-Star wisdom often using four-letter words.
They're a short form expression of attitude, philosophy, and
humor. You can find them at truck stops, novelty shops, and
bargain swaps."
He shows the halves of two different bumper stickers saying,
"If you cut them in half and mismatch them, the results can
be interesting." (The audience will laugh at a couple of the
combinations, we designed them for that purpose.)
Placing a business envelope in full view, he continues,
"There are halves of two different bumper suckers in here
(they can be seen through the address window) that usually
combine with others to get an amusing reaction."
"One of you will choose another half from these," the
performer continues, spreading the stack of severed stickers
face up for a nearby participant. "As you can see, there are
more than two dozen random possibilities. Which one would
you like."
After the helper freely chooses one of the halves the
Mentalist instructs, "That was an intentional choice,
influenced perhaps by color or subject matter. Next, you
will select one unseen."
He turns the stack of half-stickers face down and reminds,
"Because it's selected blindly, and randomly, it will be a
surprise for both of us"
"I'll keep you in suspense a moment longer," remarks the
performer, as he withdraws one of the sticker-halves from
the envelope (with its back toward the audience) to align
with the unseen sticker-half.
"This combination doesn't work," the performer informs,
tucking it back in the envelope and pulling out the other
one inside. "Hopefully this combination will be better." He
aligns it with the randomly selected half, smiles, and tucks
the pair partially in his breast pocket, still (and always)
fully visible to the audience.
"Let's try the half sticker you picked earlier," suggests
the Mentalist, reaching for the participant's piece. He
aligns it with the remaining half from the envelope and his
eyebrows go up. "Well, this is weird," remarks the
entertainer. He turns them around: they are opposite ends of
the same bumper sticker!
"But I promised you something funny," reminds the Mentalist,
removing the pair of half-stickers from his breast pocket.
"And this is funny!" He holds them up for everyone to see;
the second pair is also a perfect match!
You get everything you need to perform this outstanding
routine, bumper stickers, an ungimmicked window envelope, a
'special something' and instructions. The 'bumper stickers'
are printed on glossy card stock and pre-cut into halves.
There is a simple, one-time setup task that takes ten
minutes or less and you're good to go for years to come.
MY COMMENTS:
This is another fun routine from the prolific and creative
minds of Larry Becker & Lee Earle. Besides what the blurb
says, I'll just note that the bumper stickers really aren't
bumper stickers. They are smaller-sized than actual bumper
stickers and are cards on glossy card-stock. Also, the
blurb says that the "audience will laugh at a couple of the
combinations, we designed them for that purpose." As with
most effects with built-in humor, you may not be amused by
what is included, but you can use as little or as much as
you want of the gags that are provided. There is some
preparation to the "bumper stickers," but it takes minutes
and is quite easy to do. You get about two dozen different
"bumper stickers," all cut in half, a single page of
instructions, and an extra necessary item needed for the
preparation (it's a fairly common office supply product).
There is also an online video that purchasers can access
that shows a key move in the routine. It's not at all
difficult and it's well explained in the instructions,
but seeing it may make it easier to learn.
