New (?) trick: "The bisquit box"

[Merko]

I just had this idea for a stage magic trick. Since I don't know any stage magicians, I thought I'd just post it here and if anyone is interested in knowing how it would be done please tell me privately, but I'd prefer revealing it to someone who might actually do something with it. Obviously I think it's brilliant but maybe someone will be able to tell me that the exact same trick was already done in 1962 and no one cares anymore, or maybe it's just not practical for some reason I haven't thought of.

"The bisquit box"
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An assistant rolls a large cylindrical box onto the theatre stage. It's about 150 cm in diameter and 60 cm high, and it has four wheeled legs lifting it about 30 cm from the stage. The audience can see over the box and there is plenty of empty space behind it, nowhere to hide anything there.

The magician and the assistant now remove a front and back panel on the side of the box. These are curved metal sheets, each covering about a quarter of the side of the box. The removed panels are placed so that they do not hide anything. The audience can now see through the box and they can see that the sides are made of thin metal sheets. The sides have many small holes in them and the lighting is set such that the audience can see light passing through, making it clear that there are no thicker parts. There are also holes in the top and bottom of the box, the top also being sheet metal and the bottom being a thin steel plate.

The magician and the assistant now start rotating the box on its wheeled legs so that the audience can get a good view of all sides as well as seeing the top and bottom from all angles. Nowhere is it thicker than a few millimetres.

The assistant and the magician now put the panels back and the magician brings out a sword and a wooden staff, each in one hand. She pauses for a second to consider which one to start with, and then proceeds to insert the staff through a slightly larger hole in the top of the box. There is now a loud shout from the box: "ouch!". Startled, the magician removes the front panel and an angry girl climbs out. The magician looks with horror at her sword, then regains her composure, bowing to the audience as the trick is finished.

 

[AgeGap]

Where do you hide the angry kid? Have you made the box?

 

[Merko]

Where do you hide the angry kid? Have you made the box?

I can't tell you I'm afraid. Forum rules, you know. Seriously, maybe it's not the right forum but I'd like to give the idea to someone who may use it.

A variation of the trick would be that the magician removes the lid of the box and waves it around to show it is really just a thin "bisquit box" type of metal sheet lid. The girl then enters the box from the top and the lid is put back on. The magician makes some magic gestures before the panels are removed, showing that she is gone, and then the trick proceeds as above.

 

[Pup]

Speaking as someone who's a spectator only, and a casual one at that...

How does this differ from the usual disappearing girl or girl-sword-box trick, in presentation? It seems the same--show box on legs as empty at some point, then person appears or disappears.

If there's a revolutionary new way of hiding the girl in the box, I'd say the best thing would be to work toward showcasing that.

 

[Merko]

How does this differ from the usual disappearing girl or girl-sword-box trick, in presentation?

I have not seen every trick in the world obviously (which is why I'm asking), but every time I have seen such a trick, it has either not been possible to see that the walls, the top and the bottom are all millimeter-thin, or there has been some rather obvious set-up to allow someone to hide behind the box.

In this trick, the box is rotated such that the audience can simultaneously see over the box and behind it, they can see through the box because panels covering the front and back have been removed, they can see under the box, and they can see the regularly spaced holes in the walls, the top and the bottom so that it is clear that these are all only a few millimeters at most (the bottom is a steel plate thick enough to carry the weight of a person). The removed panels are not close to the box and there are no other objects present.

If you think you've seen such a trick then perhaps you can tell me who was performing it.

 

[Pup]

Here's an example of what I'm picturing.

http://www.xploremagic.com/Illusion/woman-appearing-in-box-illusion-revealed.htmlhttp://www.xploremagic.com/Illusion/woman-appearing-in-box-illusion-revealed.html

This is coming very close to the no-disclosure rules, so if it needs to be deleted, so be it, but I think it's okay. The title says "revealed," but it's actual a fake reveal, since the whole thing culminates in a real, unrevealed trick. However, the comments do speculate on how the trick is done, but whether the speculation is accurate or not, I have no idea.

Could your trick be done in such a way that no one could speculate as the commenter does, for example by having the box on casters just an inch or two from the floor, rather than on legs? Because, honestly, his thought is the first thought that occurred to me.

 

[Merko]

Could your trick be done in such a way that no one could speculate as the commenter does, for example by having the box on casters just an inch or two from the floor, rather than on legs?

In the trick I'm proposing the legs would just be thin metal bars protruding directly from the box, with wheels (casters). There would be no podium below the box and the audience would be able to see through holes in the bottom of the box that it is really only a few millimetres thick (just enough for a steel plate to support the weight of a person).

 

[Stray Cat]

OK, if it is exactly as you describe, it's sounding like a cool trick.

Could the box be made from clear plexiglass?
Having a metal box with holes in seems odd if it's as 'transparent' as you say it is.

 

[Pup]

Could the box be made from clear plexiglass?
Having a metal box with holes in seems odd if it's as 'transparent' as you say it is.

I like that. Or a metal cage made of an open wire grid, including the bottom. But how would the person suddenly appear inside the box without the audience seeing how or where they were coming from? Smoke or other "poofing" method to obscure it, maybe?

Now I see why magic tricks use so many of the same cliches to hide what happens--putting the cloth over the box, making a puff of smoke...

 

[Stray Cat]

I'm not asking for Merko to expose the method, just exploring the possibilities of what could be achieved.

ETA: I'm guessing that if Merko's box is as transparent (filled with holes) as is mentioned, a cloth would have to be used anyway.

I developed a method for producing a person from nowhere in the middle of a solid and otherwise empty stage, without using a box at all.
And when I say it like that, it sounds impressive (to some). If I went into detail about it, the limitations of it would become apparent.

 

[Merko]

Thanks for the comments, but I'm not going to answer any hypothetical questions about the trick because that inevitably turns into a sort of 20 questions game to reveal the method.

 

[Merko]

ETA: I'm guessing that if Merko's box is as transparent (filled with holes) as is mentioned, a cloth would have to be used anyway.

There is no cloth. The trick works as described in the op. As for the holes, I would say they should be about 1 cm in diameter with a distance between them of about 10 cm.

 

[Stray Cat]

Thanks for the comments, but I'm not going to answer any hypothetical questions about the trick because that inevitably turns into a sort of 20 questions game to reveal the method.

I genuinely wasn't trying to start a game of 20 questions.

But the problem is that unless certain questions are asked, it is impossible for anyone here to say if your method or one quite similar in principle has been used in the past. Which was one of the points in your OP.

If your illusion is exactly as described, it really sounds like a good trick. You'll have to excuse my hesitation in accepting your description though, because my experience in the magic world has taught me (especially when reading the description of a trick offered for sale on the internet or magic shop catalogue) that what arrives usually doesn't measure up to it's description. But I mean no offense personally to you.

I'm guessing you only have this at a concept stage?
If you could make one and video the trick, it's real test would be YouTube where all manner of idiots would wildly guess at how it was done.

Then you could also send the video to illusion producers (obviously without revealing how it works) and see if they are interested in buying your 'secret'. I find that a good demonstration is the best way to promote this kind of thing because like me, a lot of magicians don't tend to believe written descriptions.

Hope this helps and I hope you can do something with it.

 

[Merko]

I genuinely wasn't trying to start a game of 20 questions.

Of course not, it was not an accusation, just explaining why I will not answer questions about hypothetical variations of the trick. The trick is as described in the OP. I will answer questions to clarify anything that is unclear, but I will not answer questions of the type "can this or that change".

You'll have to excuse my hesitation in accepting your description though, because my experience in the magic world has taught me (especially when reading the description of a trick offered for sale on the internet or magic shop catalogue) that what arrives usually doesn't measure up to it's description.

I know what you mean. Sometimes, something very crucial is left out, something which is very visible to the audience but is completely not mentioned in the description. I don't think I have done that.

Another such deficiency is when the trick is described "as the audience sees it", while in fact an observant viewer would not see it like that at all. Now obviously there are hidden aspects (or it would not be a trick) but I think my description above is fair.

I'm not going to build it, I'm not a stage magician and also this is not about trying to sell a finished trick to someone. I'm just trying to find some stage magic engineer willing to spend five minutes considering the idea.

 

[Stray Cat]

Well Illusion builders are always open to new ideas. The problem being that in order to pique their interest, you'd have to show them how it worked (in a drawing or suchlike). And then you'd possibly have to be prepared for them to just make it without even giving you credit.

I'm not really a stage magician (even though I do do magic on stage), I do develop my own tricks and make all my own props. I doubt I'd be able to help any further than the vague things I've said already though.

Where are you based? I may be able to suggest professional people you could approach.

 

[Merko]

Well Illusion builders are always open to new ideas. The problem being that in order to pique their interest, you'd have to show them how it worked (in a drawing or suchlike). And then you'd possibly have to be prepared for them to just make it without even giving you credit.

That's what I had in mind. I'm not paranoid about getting ripped off, although of course I'd prefer to give it to someone with a bit more style than that.

I don't think it matters where this person would be located as I doubt there is any need to communicate in any other way than email anyway.

 

[Stray Cat]

Well if you don't see the advantage of a face to face meeting, I'd say that Kevin James is as honest as any magician. He's a nice bloke to get along with and has the necessary means at his disposal to develop your idea if he thinks it's worth doing.

Of course, there are many other people out there who would be just as suitable, but I'm recommending him from personal experience. I'll PM you his email.

His website doesn't seem to be loading properly for me at the moment.

 

[Merko]

Well if you don't see the advantage of a face to face meeting, I'd say that Kevin James is as honest as any magician. He's a nice bloke to get along with and has the necessary means at his disposal to develop your idea if he thinks it's worth doing.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll mail him and see what he has to say.