I will begin by saying that this trick is not something that will fool people and make them think you are the next Houdini, Copperfield, or whoever your current "World's Greatest Magician" might be...   That said, it is a very funny sight to see a necktie rise up like a Cobra -- if you play a kazoo with some traditional (or stereo-typical) Indian melody as the tie rises, it is even funnier.   So even though this prop is not great magic, I recommend it for adding a fun interlude to your kidshow.

The effect:  you take off your necktie, and coil it up, then place it on a fancy fringed tray.  If you have a kazoo (not included), you put it in your mouth, and then slowly the tie begins to rise up, like a cobra.   The tie's tip is folded over a bit to give the snake's "head" more definition.   When I am playing this prop for the kids, I do a bit of the "they see it, I don't see it" -- the tie rising when I look away, and then going down when I turn back.   When it the tie rises fully, I pretend to have a conversation with it.  "What do you mean, you want a raise?", etc.

The photo of the tie at full-rise is a bit deceptive, since the tie will not stay up without both your hands on the tray, but I needed to rig it for the photo -- couldn't manage a photo while I was also holding the tray and rising the tie  :-)  

This prop is not that easy to use, but with practice, you will get the hang of it.  Also, the tie does not always go down completely, so needs a bit of a push to fully hide away at the end of your routine.   Last caveat:  other sellers of this prop, who simply cut and paste the manufacturer's description, may say the tie can be borrowed.  Not really true.  It can be borrowed from a stooge, but not worth the trouble in my opinion.  I don't even wear a tie for my kidshows.  So I just ask the kids if I can borrow a tie from any of them (they laugh, since none of them have ties on, of course).  Then I just take one from my case and use it, saying "good thing I brought this one then!"

Because this prop is less magic than gag, I will put a GREAT price on it.   I see many sellers asking $45 for this... (too much!)   I did find one seller with it for $30, which is much more reasonable.    I will sell it for a bit less than that  :-)

Back to previous page