Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: The Climb by Audra McLaughlin
Cakes and Adders Review:
One DVD, a packet of specially printed/gimmicked cards and $34 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect
This is an effect for kids at a birthday party. It's kind of got the six card repeat feel to it. You clearly show five cards, four with candles and one with a snake (that you pretend to not notice and mis-hear the kids saying "cake" not "snake"). You put the snake card into your case, then re-show the four cards in your hand . . . this time it's three candle and a snake . . . keep going until you have 1 candle and 1 snake. Put the final snake away, and the candle turns into a picture of a cake, which you mis-hear as "snake."
The routine has a lot of potential for fun by-play with the audience. The cake has no candle on it, so you open a container marked "candles." Of course it's a snake can, and a whole bunch of snakes jump out at you.
Method
The method is very simple and relies on the included gimmicked cards. You don't, however, get the snake can. You'll have to provide that yourself if you want to do the kicker. They cover a few other options if you don't want to use the snake can. The method is solid and easy, and it can be done by just about any level of performer. This is the kind of thing that relies more on acting and stage presence than anything else.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy doesn't really make any special claims, so there's not much to say about that. The ad video trailer is exactly how the routine looks. It's very clean and simple.
Product Quality
The DVD is well produced and well taught, etc. The audio, however, is a bit low in quite a few spots. The cards included are excellent and work exactly as they claim. This is a solid product from start to finish.
Final Thoughts
I did feel that it was a little bit of a bummer that the snake can wasn't included, but I understand the fact that it would drastically increase the cost of the product. For $33.50, you get the experience of two people, Ricky McLeod and Gary Dunn, who have done this routine many times; you get the cards, and some good tips and pointers on how to use them.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
5 Comments
Dear Jeff,
You mention in the review that the larger cards might make the method too difficult. Can you please expand on this point? I REALLY want this effect for my kid shows but those cards are not visible enough and I really would like the parlor version, but if the method is too cumbersome I might have to find pass on this one. Let me know what you can.
Thanks,
Erik
@Erik – Thanks for the question. Basically, with the small cards, you kind of hold them in a somewhat dealer’s grip but with your palm toward the audience. Watch the video performance to see how the cards are handled. My concern with the larger cards was that it might be harder to hold them due to their size. However, I honestly can’t say one way or another without actually handling the cards. Also, there may be alternate handling for the larger cards that is included when you purchase them. I’ll contact the creators and see if they’ll send me a set of the larger cards to review.
@Erik – I spoke with Gary Dunn, and he’s going to send me a set of the larger cards to review. I’ll let you know when I get it.
Hi Jeff,
Wow, I am blown away with your ability to provide service to people who aren’t even buying something of yours. Thanks so much for following up. I wasn’t expecting them to get back to you, so I went ahead and bought it. Let me know your thoughts anyways, but here are mine.
YES, they are more difficult to do the handling with. HOWEVER, I have found a way of doing it that works and looks as clean. Without revealing anything on this public page, but so that others can benefit, I will obscurely describe what to do. Before counting the cards, fan all of them out with your thumb. Then take them one by one from the fan. I also recommend adding more “gimmick” to the cards to prevent from happening what you don’t want to happen. If you make your own versions of other card tricks, you already have some of this so why not make the gimmick stronger?
Verdict: If you want the easiest handling of the cards, and want to do this trick in very close up situations where you would get caught with a minor flash, go for the smaller ones. If you are doing shows where you want the cards to be more visible and don’t mind a little more effort in the handling, go for the parlor size. This is an expensive effect and they should have included both in the package, as I wish I ALSO had the small ones, but refuse to pay $35 to get them. An ideal size would have been between the two, which has made me consider trimming down my cards to get that size (although I probably won’t).
Thanks again,
-Erik
@Erik – Thanks for the feedback. That will hopefully help out other readers. Also, sorry about spelling your name wrong on the post above. I fixed it, but I had “Erick” rather than “Erik.” Sorry about that.
As for the “providing the service,” I’m glad to help. I enjoy it (most of the time). I’ve got a pretty widespread reputation with a lot of dealers and creators out there, so they’re usually pretty good about responding.
Thanks,
Jeffro