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connor o'connor · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:52 pm Post subject: Ali Bongo hat

Ali Bongo hat

reveiwed as someone requested it in an older thread, so bound to come up again

The Effect

The magician takes a small hat and places it on a childs head, but it is too small. He unfolds it and it changes colour, it is now bigger. Still too small, so he unfolds it and it changes colour. The magician says it's still too small, untill in the end there is a very large hat covering the kids head. Spin it round and there is a giants face on the back.
The trick happens five times to reveal five differing size/colour hats from way too small to way to big, then the turn around for the giant.

Cost

around £15.00

Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

2 because if you do get caught with a crease in the corner then it may reduce your flow in performance, see bellow

Review

Ok this is an under fives trick, which is why I bought it. So that I had one more trick for my under five audiences. The kids like it (some love it, depends on how many blue smarties they have had). But in my opinion this is just a filler. It gives you something different, which is why I bought it. But it won't set the world alight.
In handling it is very easy to do. But if a corner gets creased over and you do not notice then by the time you get to the next fold you could be there for a while undoing it. The plastic paper is nice for some aspects, but it's creases can get a little tricky. All I say is fold it back up again very carefully.
As with a lot of kids tricks this is about the ability of you to ham it up and make more of it than it is. If your a natural idiot like myself then fine, and I know that performance is everything in magic, but all you are doing is unfolding a sheet of paper. the kids know this, the adults know this and hopefully you know this. It is not magic as such but a sight gag

It did the job I needed of it but the creases are now so weak when I get to the bigger hats the creases try to unfold themselves revealing the next hat colour, especialy if I have got a corner caught and am quickly trying to sort it while looking smooth.
I did some practice to get this smooth thinking it to be my fault, and now the folds are weaker, and it's looking worn. It has not lasted long at all.
(practice and only ten performances)

Overall

5/10. good for under fives, but all you get for your money is plastic paper (which is not long lasting) and its all about the performance you give it so £15 is a bit steep (more an aid to your performing ability than something that you can perform to)
It's only got a five because the kids like it enough me to risk using it.

Mandrake · . Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 19000 Location: UK (62:AH)