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If you use a change bag in your family and kid shows here are thirty quick tricks that will help get your creative juices flowing. The change bag is a great utility item and will help you create some fun and visual magic for your audience.
30 Change Bag Tricks!
1. Color Change Silk:
Effect: This is a simple little effect where a red silk changes into a blue.
Method: Have the blue silk in the secret compartment. Place the red silk inside and perform the change.
2. Cut and Restored Rope:
Effect: A 5-foot length of rope is cleanly cut in two pieces. Each piece is placed into the change bag and when removed it is restored back to one solid length!
Method: Simply have a duplicate length of rope hidden inside your change bag. Cut the extra piece in half and place into the change bag. Perform the change and reveal it has been restored completely.
3. Torn and Restored Newspaper:
Effect: A newspaper is torn into several pieces and placed into the bag. After some magic words the newspaper is removed and is restored.
Method: Have a duplicate newspaper or pages hidden inside your change bag. Tear up the other pages and place them in the bag. Perform the change and show them completely restored.
4. Misers Dream Finale:
Effect: During a money/coin production sequence you place some coins and bills in the bag. With a magic pass you pull out many more bills and coins for the finale.
Method: Have extra paper money hidden inside the change bag. If using coins be careful as they can make some noise. When producing coins or money during your act place it in the bag. For the finale pull out the extra money as it seems to have multiplied into much more. Note: You can also use “Spring” bills.
5. 20th Century Vanish:
Effect: You cause a large silk to disappear using the change bag.
Method: This is an easy and full proof way to make the silk disappear for the 20th Century Silk routine. Simply place the silk you need to vanish inside the change bag and flip the lever. Now show the bag empty!
6. Color Change Shoelaces
Effect: A white shoelace is placed in the change bag. When removed it has turned red and the bag is empty.
Method: A red shoelace is hidden inside the change bag. Display a white shoelace and place it in the change bag. Make your switch to show the color change.
7. Tissue Paper to Paper Flowers
Effect: Colored pieces of tissue paper are dropped into the bag and when removed have changed into spring paper flowers.
Method: Place spring paper flowers and hide them inside the bag. Tear up small sheets of colored tissue paper and place them in the bag. Make your switch and show the paper flowers.
8. Seeds To Flowers
Effect: Seeds are dropped into the bag and turn into paper flowers
Method: Hide some paper flowers in the bag. Dump flower seeds into the bag and make your change. Show the seeds have transformed into flowers.
9. Broken Watch Comedy Gag
Effect: A borrowed watch is placed in the bag. You then take the watch out and smash it with a hammer.
Method: Switch the borrowed watch for a duplicate you have hidden in the bag. Smash up the duplicate watch and your spectators jaw will drop.
10. Cut and Restored Tie
Effect: You remove your tie and cut it in half. You place both pieces inside the bag and when they are removed your tie is found to be back to one piece.
Method: Purchase two duplicate ties and hide one inside the bag. Remove your tie and cut it in half and place both pieces inside the bag. Make the change and remove the tie to show it’s complete back to one piece.
11. Silk Blendo
Effect: Three separate colored silks are placed into the bag and when removed the have blended into a large American flag silk.
Method: Hide the American flag silk in the bag. Display a red, white and blue silk and place them into the bag one at a time. Make your change and show the transformation.
12. Popcorn
Effect: A few pieces of corn are placed into the bag and when removed they have changed into popcorn.
Method: Hide the popcorn inside the bag. Place the pieces of corn inside and make your change. Show the cooked popcorn by removing it from the bag.
13. Magic Laundry
Effect: Show a dirty white silk and place it into the bag. Dump some invisible magic detergent inside the bag and when you remove the white silk it is completely clean.
Method: Hide a clean white silk inside the bag. Have a dirty white silk in hand and place it into the bag. Pretend to dump magic detergent inside the bag and shake it like a washing machine. Tumble dry and remove the silk to show it’s completely clean.
14. Gummy Worms To Real Worms
Effect: A few gummy worms are placed into the bag and when removed have changed into real worms!
Method: Hide some real worms inside the bag. Dump some gummy worms inside and make the change. Have a spectator reach in to remove a couple and watch them freak. It’s great for the Halloween season.
15. Sponge Explosion
Effect: For the climax of any sponge ball routine you place a couple into the bag and they multiply into many sponges of all sizes.
Method: Hide 15-30 sponges of all sizes in the bag. Dump a few sponge balls after your routine into the bag and make the change.
16. Tied Silks
Effect: Two untied silks are placed into the bag and when removed are not tied together.
Method: Hide two tied duplicate silks inside the bag. Display the other two silks and show them they are separate. Place them into the bag and make your change. Now they are tied together! You could also do this routine in reverse.
17. Mind Reading Coin
Effect: Pennies are placed into the bag and a spectator removes one. You are able to announce the exact date on the coin.
Method: Have several pennies with different dates hidden inside the bag. Borrow pennies from the audience and place them into the bag. Make the switch and have a spectator choose one. You are forcing them to pick one of your pennies so you already know the date!
18. Egg To Parakeet
Effect: An egg is placed into the bag and out pops a live parakeet.
Method: Hide the parakeet inside the bag. A blown egg is used as it will not make the bag messy. This egg is placed into the bag and you perform the change. Please take great care when using animals.
19. Card Force
Effect: Cards are dumped into the bag and a spectator removes one. You are able to guess the card correctly.
Method: Hide several of the same cards inside the bag. Place several other cards in the bag and make the change. The spectator will be picking from your force cards. This is perfect for any routine where forcing is needed.
20. Tri Colored Rope
Effect: Three separate colored ropes are placed into the bag and when removed are now one long tri colored rope.
Method: Hide the tri colored rope in the bag. Drop the three separate ropes inside and make the change. Perfect for the rainbow ropes routine.
21. Cut and Restored Ribbon
Effect: A ribbon is cut into two pieces and then restored back.
Method: Have a duplicate ribbon hidden inside the bag. Simply cut and restore!
22. Mind Reading Words
Effect: Pieces of paper each with a different word are used and placed into the bag. A spectator removes one at random and the magician correctly reads their mind and announces the word.
Method: Have a dozen or so papers hidden in the bag. Each paper contains the same word. You merely force them to pick after the others are placed into the other part of the bag.
A very easy mind reading effect!
23. Broken & Restored Necklace
Effect: A necklace is broken and the pieces are placed in the bag. When they are removed everything is back to one piece.
Method: Use two duplicate necklaces. Hide the extra one in the bag. Break one and place it inside. Make your change and show the restoration.
24. Raw Rice Becomes Cooked
Effect: Raw rice is slowly dumped into the bag. The magic cooking begins and when you remove the rice it is now puffed.
Method: Hide the puffed rice or rice cake inside the bag. Slowly dump the grains of rice into the bag so they see it go inside. Make your transformation and enjoy the treat!
25. Haunted Rope Tie
Effect: A rope is placed into the bag and when removed is seen to have a tight knot on it.
Method: Use two ropes and tie a knot in one. Place the tied rope and hide it in the bag. Take the other rope and talk about ghost and spirits. Ask them to do some magic on the rope. Make your change and show the spirits have tied a knot in the rope!
26. Animal Balloon Prediction
Effect: A dozen or so un-inflated animal balloons are placed into the bag. A spectator removes one and you guess the correct color without looking.
Method: Hide several balloons of the same color inside the change bag. Place the others in and have a spectator select one. You are forcing them to select one from the compartment that contains all of the same color. Read their mind and announce the color. Then make them a balloon doggie for being a good helper.
27. Marshmallow Peeps
Effect: A marshmallow peep becomes a real baby chick.
Method: Hide a baby chick in your bag. Place a marshmallow peep inside and make your change. Then place the baby chick in a KFC container for comedy.
28. Spoon and Fork Bending
Effect: A couple spoons are placed examined and placed into the bag isolating them from any sleight of hand. When removed they are seen to have bent in a weird way.
Method: Pre-bend a couple spoons and place them in the bag. Place the other spoons, which were examined inside and make your change. Be careful that the spoons do not bulge out the bag. You can also use forks.
29. Mouse Trap
Effect: The bag is used as a mousetrap. It is shown empty and a piece of cheese is placed inside for bait. A real mouse is produced.
Method: Hide a real mouse in the bag. Show the bag empty and place a small piece of cheese inside. Make your change and produce the mouse. The perfect mousetrap!
30. Making Change
Effect: A dollar is placed inside the bag and you change it into 10 dimes.
Method: Hide ten dimes inside the bag. Place a dollar bill inside and make your change. A very portable change machine!