Kenton Knepper - Little Book of Wonders, Magic

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Contained herein are my Wonders which I
have seldom shared before. A few have been
seen by extremely close friends. Most have
remained hidden until they made their way to
stage or screen.
Here you will find truly unusual pieces
standards in my performances and those of
others. There are close-up items, magic,
mentalism, weerd and stage effects. Some may
change older classics forever, according to
certain folks. We shall see what history
determines.
I do know that these items are thrilling to
perform, offer a wide variety of skill level and
presentation, contain unique methods and
effects, and have already had an impact on
some very well-known performers.
My bet is that you too will find ways to
perform these tricks and ideas in your own
manner, be it casual or formal.
Whatever you do, don't expect the same old
thing! That is the one thing you will not get.
Kenton Knepper / August 2003
Insta-Pop
Over 15 years ago, I was doing an effect in
which I popped popcorn in my hand. It was a
close-up trick, and while a little messy, very
unique at the time. In that version, a few
kernels of unpopped popcorn and a little
"cooking oil" were poured into my empty hand.
I would hold my hand up to the ears of nearby
spectators, and they heard the sizzle of the oil,
and the popcorn beginning to pop. Ultimately,
a few pieces of popped popcorn would fall out
of my otherwise empty hands.
In my original version (many have played with
different ideas since) the secret was a thumbtip
and a candy called "Pop Rocks". The candy
when placed in the mouth began to make a
sizzling sound and "exploded" or popped into a
tart candy. A few of these Pop Rocks placed in
a thumbtip was the primary secret. The
"cooking oil" was mere water poured into the
tip hidden in the hand. This made the amazing
sizzle and popping sounds. While all attention
was on this hand being held up to the ears for
spectators to hear, my other hand stole a few
popped pieces of popcorn from my pocket. All
that remained was to bring the hands together,
secretly place the tip back on, and allow the
pieces of popcorn to fall from both hands. My
hands were seen as empty otherwise, and that
was that.
This was a very novel effect and the look on
spectator's faces as they heard the sound was
priceless. The main drawback was the mess left
in the tip each time, and the reset was not
exactly easy or clean. Also, "Pop Rocks"
would come in and out of favor in various
places, and at times were difficult to obtain.
For that reason, I never put the routine into any
major publication. Finally, I developed a
version that fixed all of these issues.
You will still need a thumbtip, a few popped
kernels of corn in your pocket and a few
unpopped pieces of corn too. Instead of Pop
Rocks, a neater solution is used. Get a wrapper
from a piece of candy, or better still, one of
those plastic sheets of polypropylene gift-wrap.
This gift-wrap is a clear or colored, thin, plastic,
wrapping paper. It is now common in gift
stores. The very best type of plastic wrapping
paper to use is the older style REAL CELLO
PHANE. True cellophane crinkles easily and
holds the wrinkles in the paper. Tear or cut a
small piece of this plastic wrapping. Squeeze it
into a ball, and then open the ball up again.
Place the wrap into the thumbtip. The tip acts
as an amplifier.
The thumbtip is a type of sound cone or
megaphone that enhances the sound of the
plastic wrap crinkling inside.
Get the tip off of your thumb and secretly into
your fist, just as if you were going to vanish a
small silk. Squeeze the thumbtip a little, then
release the pressure. This sort of pumping
action needs to be made slowly enough that the
movement is not noticeable. Squeeze and roll
the tip in your hand secretly, and the wrap or
cellophane will sound like sizzling and cracking
of oil and popcorn. It will sound like this com
pletely when you tell them that is what it is!
The build up of the effect - the putting two
kernels in your hand (thumbtip), spattering a
drop or two of oil (water or nearby drink),
perhaps even holding your hand by a lighter
(not over it!) or heat source, all sets the mind to
the notion of popping popcorn.
Once the stage and the minds of the audience
are set, hold the hand near a spectator's ear and
say, "Listen carefully. You can almost hear the
popcorn sizzling in the oil and begin to pop".
Be sure to hold the top opening of your hand
near the ear, so the amplification of the tip and
hand is best.
All that is left to do is to steal a few pieces of
popped corn out of your pocket as spectators
listen to the sounds. You will have plenty of
curiosity and enough misdirection to steal a
small elephant. If you wish, you could steal an
entire handful of popped corn, or a basket, etc.
I like the quaint few kernels, as it seems almost
believable this way. In fact, I suppose some
types of mentalistic performers could make
these few kernels appear to be a genuine
demonstration of energy.
The main thing to practice is how to squeeze
the tip slightly, roll it in your fingers to get the
best sounds. Experiment too with different
types of plastic wrapping paper and cellophane.
Soon you will find the best technique and
wrapping paper for you.
You could always carry a salt shaker in your
pocket as well. This is a funny bit when salting
the few pieces of popcorn, and leads perfectly
into any treasured salt effect or salt pour. It's
also a nice way to ditch the thumbtip in the end.
Readings A-Hoy
Perhaps this will be
too subtle to be
counted by many,
and I am thankful for
that. Some of us rely
on this presentation
to open our various
acts of mentalism.
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