Childs Play

THE BLURB:
This is a twist on the old kids game "Guess Which Hand?".
The game can go on and on and the magician will always be
able guess which hand holds the Listerine packet. A great
Mentalist bit. Child's Play comes with everything you need
to perform, including the gimmick and detailed instructions
and 3 different routines. Magic Magazine March 2006 said, "
Good product worthy of consideration"

We also recommend using "Scorpion" by Outlaw Effects with
our Child's Play products. This effect makes a great add on
to our product. It can be found at www.outlaw-effects.com
. We are not responsible for misuse of the "Scorpion" in
performances.

Optional marbles (colored marbles may vary from shown) for
purchase with this effect or Child's Play II

Five spectators remove marbles from a bag. Magician can
tell who removed the black one. $8.00 Marbles available in
pearlescent red (shown), white, and pearlescent green.

I am not sure if I mentioned it in the literature I sent you
but the CPI (Original Version) also is available in an
extended version. The extended version has a longer cord
and the vibrating unit will then be placed in your coat or
pants pocket. The extended version has a retail of $70.00
($5.00 more than the standard model).

MY COMMENTS:
This is a souped-up version of Charles Gauci's Eye-to-Eye,
which became part of Jason Alexander's award-winning Magic
Castle act. The basic idea is that a spectator holds and
hides an object (or two) in her hands. The performer is
then able to identify which hand has what object. In
Gauci's version, magnets and hidden gimmicks are used. Some
found the placement of those hidden gimmicks to be
uncomfortable and looked for alternative methods. Child's
Play is one of those alternatives that was developed. Like
Gauci's version, strong magnets are still involved and
gimmicks are still hidden on your body, but the body part is
certainly less problematic. With this version, though,
electronics are used in a significant manner and the
gimmicks are concealed on a different body part. The
gimmick is certainly small and practical. You can certainly
use this for an impromptu or walkaround situation, though
there may be some who will be uncomfortable with it. Also,
like the Gauci version, you certainly can't set this up in
front of the spectators.

Another complaint with Gauci's version is that the object is
a marble and not something ordinarily found in one's pocket.
This version uses a package of Listerine breath strips. I'm
not sure I can rank this as an improvement or a drawback.
It's certainly a stylistic difference, though if one wants
to do this impromptu, it's certainly more believable to have
a Listerine packet in your packet than a child's plastic
marble.

Unfortunately, the skimpy two-page instructions do not
provide a detailed routine. It only details how to work the
props. Professional performers should have no trouble
coming up with a routine for this and making it a powerful
routine, but novice performers may not understand the
subtleties necessary to actually make this the stunning
performance piece that performers such as Jason Alexander
and Charles Gauci have done. And this is why I cannot
recommend this effect for the novice performer, but
experienced performers who are looking for a decent
alternative to Gauci's methodology may definitely want to
consider this.

NOTE: The extended version allows you to place the gimmick
in a more deceptive place on your body which is not as close
to the hands as the original (which is definitely not to say
the gimmick is in the hand!).