Do you want a reaction that packs a punch?

People will remember you for this effect alone.

This effect can be performed in any situation

whether on stage or during a ‘street
performance’.

You can walk around with natural movement.

Your audience will never see the ‘Gimmick’.

The ‘Gimmick’ itself is lightweight and

portable.

The ‘Gimmick’ can be made in less than 30

minutes.

The ‘Gimmick’ costs under £5.00 to make.

3
 EFFECT

The magician, wearing a long jacket removes a tissue from

his/her pocket and wipes his/her nose, saying to the audience
that he/she has had a cold for many weeks, and can’t seem to
shift it. The tissue is then placed in his/her pocket. Two
seconds later the magician sneezes and his/her head suddenly
falls from off the shoulders to just above the waist.

The magician then quickly checks to make sure his/her head is

still on! He/she then pushes the head back up onto the
shoulders.

The audience is then asked, “Did you see that? I think I need
to take some stronger medicine!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

“Why hasn’t ‘Magic by Knight’ made the gimmick’?”

Everyone has a different body frame and the ‘gimmick’ is so

easy to make, you can do so at home.

“Can the effect be performed whilst surrounded by members of

the audience?”

‘No’. The effect requires the performer to bend forward.

Anyone viewing the trickery from the back would see this
happening. This illusion is best performed with the audience in
front of the performer.

4
“Will people notice me bending forward?”

This effect shocks people! No one will notice this. The

audience will be fixated on the movement of your head.

“I don’t have a long coat, will a shorter coat do?”

The effect requires the performer to bend forward; a long coat

covers this movement. A shorter coat would work but you must
first experiment with the ‘gimmick’ to ascertain if the effect is
as great.

“Could I have my jacket open?”

‘No’! The effect requires the player to have his/her jacket closed
whilst performing the effect. However the jacket can be opened
prior to and after the performance of the illusion.

PREPERATION

Items required:

1 piece of copper wire, about 5 feet in length (you could use

two wire coat hangers, taped together)

1 small black metal can of household spray paint

1 pair of pliers

1 pair of wire cutters

1 piece of masking tape

1 ¾ length coat

2 small pieces of sponge

5
NOTE: IN ALL PHOTOGRAPHS THE ‘GIMMICK’
FRAME HAS BEEN ILLUSTRATED FOR CLARITY.

STEP 1

Place the copper wire over your shoulders in a central position

(Figure 1).

Figure 1.

STEP 2

The copper wire is bent down on both sides of the body to form
the letter ‘n’ (Figures 2&3).

The wire is moulded to the body frame. This is easily

accomplished by pressing the wire against the body using very
slight pressure. The use of pliers will be of benefit here.

6
 • Note The wire is behind the neck and bent down the front
of the body.

Figure 2.

Ensure the wire fits to the end of the shoulder blades. This will
add ‘roundness’ to the frame.

Figure 3.

7
 STEP 3

The neck and shoulder area should then be prepared. Simply

hold the wire either at the shoulder blades or mid chest level and
bring the shoulders inwards (Figure 4). This adds the
‘roundness’ to the neck/ shoulder area.

Figure 4.

STEP 4

Once the basic body ‘mould’ has been constructed, remove the
frame from the shoulders and fine-tune the bends and curves to
ensure a comfortable fit (Figures 5 & 5a).

8
Figure 5.

Figure 5a.

9
 STEP 5

Place the copper frame back onto the body and bend any wire
running past waist level in toward the navel. These pieces of
copper will become the ‘lifting handles’ for the ‘gimmick’.

Do not worry if these pieces of wire overlap (Figure 6).

Figure 6.

STEP 6

Leave an overlap of approximately3 inches. Trim any wire left

over (Figure 7). Leaving an overlap will enable the performer
to take one hand out of his/her pocket and search for ‘your head’
during the performance.

10
Figure 7.

STEP 7

The ‘gimmick’ is now complete, ‘well done’!

The next step is to make the frame ‘invisible’. This is where the
black spray paint is utilised.

In a well ventilated area spray the copper frame black. Leave

the ‘frame’ to dry for the time recommended on the can.

Once the frame is dry, use the masking tape and wrap it around
the ‘handles’. This will help to grip and the locating of the
‘handles’ during the performance (Figure8).

11
Figure 8.

You now need to practice!

STEP 8

REHEARSAL

Put on the body frame, then the long coat. Fasten up the coat
BUT not the two or three buttons from the top. This is where the
head will ‘drop’ to.

12
The performer can move around, bend down, jump and sit. Try
it!

Start the rehearsal by placing both hands into the coat pockets.
The handles will protrude out from the body and can be easily
located. Lift the frame up using the handles. It’s easy isn’t it!

As the frame is lifted, bend forward, pushing your backside out

to the rear. Remember to keep the head directly facing the
audience (Figure 9 and Figure 10).

(View exposed) Figure 9.

13
(View exposed) Figure 10.

STEP 9

Once the lifting is perfected and for an enhanced illusion, try

bringing one hand out of a pocket.

A note of caution! Before doing this, push the two handles

together and whichever hand remains, hold the weight of the
frame. Do not worry the weight of the frame and the coat can be
held with one hand with practice.

Use the free hand to feel around above ‘your newly positioned
head’, as if looking to find it in its original position (Figure 11).

14
Figure 11.

Make use of a few seconds to locate ‘your head’. Grasp ‘your

hair’ and pull ‘your head’ back to its original position.

For those who are not blessed in that area, simply take hold of
the chin and push ‘your head’ back onto the shoulders, (in
actual fact you are merely standing up straight).

However these added movements aid the illusion perfectly

When standing upright, the body fame will more or less go back
to its original position.

Once erect, use both hands to ‘twist’ the head to the left, then to
the right by clutching either side.

15
Move the head around in a circular motion to emphasise
completion of the effect. The head movement will also aid the
frame back to its original position.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For added effect, a ‘cracking’ noise could be made as the head is

adjusted into position (Step 9).

As previously noted, at the beginning of the performance, have

the coat open with the hands in the trouser pockets (Fig13). The
performer can then explain to the audience that he/she has a
cold, which would give reason to fasten up the coat.

Figure 13.

16
 Note in Figure 13 that the handles are behind the body.

Before the performance simply direct the wire handles behind

the back. The coat hides the shoulder frame (Figure 14).

Figure 14.

Adding sponge to the shoulder area of the copper frame will

assist in the design of this effect by keeping the all round shape
of the shoulders.

Cut a sponge and utilising masking tape; attach the sponge to

the frame. The effect cannot be seen as it is hidden behind the
coat.

17
 ‘ILLUSTRATION OF A ‘LIVE PERFORMANCE’

Figure 15.

Figure 16.

18
Figure 17.

Figure 18.

19
Figure 19.

Figure 20.

20
Figure 21.

CONCLUSION

You are now ready to perform this amazing illusion.

“I want to thank you for purchasing this effect

and wish you many astounding and dumb
founded reactions as you perfect and perform it”.

Harry Knight 2004

21