Gags, jokes and other forms of visual and audible stunts can accompany and enhance a magic effect. These are typically very brief etudes that do not constitute a trick in and of themselves, but can be very entertaining and can add quite a bit of humor to any situation. Magicians call these “throwaways”.
Following are some of my personal favorite gags and I typically use them in conjunction with a magic trick or effect. The sky is the limit as far as creativity is concerned.
Cards From Mouth: The magician suddenly coughs, reaches toward his face and pulls a stream of cards out of his mouth.
Rubber Band Up The Nose: The magician takes a rubber band off of a deck of cards or other prop, and saying, “Don’t need this anymore,” holds it up to a nostril and with a loud snort, appears to sniff the band right into his nose.
Neck Cracker: The magician tells the audience that he seems to have a crick in his neck. He grabs the front and back of his head and twists his neck making an audible and sickening “cracking” sound.
Hand Buzzer: An oldie but a goodie. The magician extends his hand to greet a spectator and as the spectator’s hand contacts the magician’s hand, he feels a short but definite “shock” or buzz. A more “advanced” form of buzzer, called a Funkenring, is made in Germany and actually gives off a spark as contact is made, but is perfectly harmless.
Balancing Gags: There are several short bits where the magician performs some amazing “balancing” acts, seemingly impromptu. In one, the magician easily balances a card on the back of his hand. In another routine, the magician balances a Coke can on top of a card.
Disappearing Sharpie Marker (two methods): The magician takes a Sharpie out of his jacket pocket and hands it to a spectator to sign his name on a card or bill. The spectator hands it back to the magician, who promptly causes it to vanish into thin air; using the “flip stick” vanish.
In the second scenario, the spectator uses a borrowed Sharpie to sign a card or bill. The magician recaps the marker and with a magical shake vanishes the marker in plain view of the audience.