New Tenyo Elite! Zig Zag Cig in Wood!

[Richard Kaufman]

The boys at Tenyo Elite have finally announced their third release, Hiroshi Kondo's "Zig Zag Cig" made of wood.
Order here:
http://tenyoelite.com/products.php
Limited quantities and expects to ship mid February.

Even if you don't care for "Zig Zag Cig" because it uses a cigarette (or pencil), when you see all the other routines using the prop in the upcoming Tenyo book, you'll be sorry if you didn't get one of these.

[HonEdward]

I got this in the mail today and it is really nice. Looks great and works well. hard to imagine the amount of work that must have gone into making this from wood. Now looking for good objects of the right length to zig zag. It comes with pencil and small metal bar. Also has instructions for using a real cigarette. I am thinking possibly also long toothpicks or straws that the spectator selects. A nice little close-up piece and worth the investment.

[I.M. Magician]

For those of you who missed out on this or chose not to buy one because of the price, I can offer you Tenyo's version for $25 including shipping to addresses in the US. You will receive a brand new one in the sealed Tenyo box along with the English instructions.

Payment can be made via PayPal to randlmagicsellers@msn.com.

Steve Snyderman
P.O. Box 18142
Phila., PA 19116
215-552-9216

[erdnasephile]

Wow! That wooden one is quite a chunk of change. Not saying it's not worth it to the right enthusiast, but it's a bit rich for my blood.

I've always liked that Milton Bradley skeleton version. That sword you stick in the middle really seems to mess with people's minds.

[Richard Kaufman]

It's expensive, with a short run of only 50 (and perhaps another 50 if enough people sign up) it will always be a highly valuable collectible. $250 is small change compared to the more collectible Tenyo items.

[Don Hendrix]

Will the book cost more or less that the prop?

[Richard Kaufman]

It depends on how the book is produced. Not sure right now.

[Tom Leyland]

$250 for Zig Zag Cig seems like a lot but when you consider it has been now made into a 'professional grade' prop, a limited production run, and countless routines; it's not a lot at all.

There are far better Tenyo 'T's' that I think they should make, but it's not up to me!

[AJM]

And my favourite bug-bear, shipping - $50 to those who live outside USA/Canada.

But then again, I have been bitten by the Tenyo bug...

Andrew

(There you go, two 'bugs' for the price of one.)

[Chris Aguilar]

Do working pros actually include Tenyo magic toys in their working sets? Or are "Pro" versions mainly for the hard core collectors like Richard?

Keep in mind that I'm talking about stuff that started out as a Tenyo toy, not proven magical items (i.e. the Koorwinder car) that migrated over to Tenyo.

[I.M. Magician]

I used to use Tenyo's Silk Serenade and still use Tenyo's What's Next in my children's show.

[Richard Kaufman]

Unless you're a snob about using only cards and coins, or "ordinary" objects, there's no reason not to use Tenyo items in professional work. Some of them look most unusual, but that's often the point. Sometimes having interesting props helps a trick rather than hurts it.

[AJM]

I have to say that Telesphere is very very good indeed.

A.

[Chris Aguilar]

I'm not sure if I'd assume snobbery. It seems imaginable that some might be open to use of props, yet still not find Tenyo particularly suited for their needs.

[Brad Henderson]

I have a presentational frame that allows a magician to present items such as Tenyo and Teytelbaum in professional venues. it 'flips the script' and turns the weakness of the prop like/toy like nature and turns it into a feature.

Sent it to RK for the book should he choose to use it.

I have used it to in bars, restaurants and formal shows. Makes the weakness the strength.

[Richard Kaufman]

Since Tenyo has made almost 500 items, it would be hard to over generalize about a Tenyo "type." There are all kinds of tricks using every different sort of prop. So, Chris, I think I'm misunderstanding your point.

[Brad Henderson]

I think the phrase "Tenyo magic toys" reveals Chris's stance on the matter. But to answer his question, I do not believe the Elite versions solve this "problem" (should one consider it a problem) in any way other than to make the tricks more expensive. The Zig Zag Cig looks clunkier in the photos of the Elite version - thicker and rougher. The Moonspinner, if I remember correctly, felt very heavy thereby making the paddle move, well, clunkier. I may be misremembering that and confusing with another high end paddle set that came out not too long ago. But I don't think so.

The best adaptation I ever saw of a Tenyo item was done by Ed Solomon of San Antonio. He took the original Tenyo piece and decorated upon it. Made it appear to be an Egyptian relic of sorts if I recall.

[Chris Aguilar]

Since Tenyo has made almost 500 items, it would be hard to over generalize about a Tenyo "type." There are all kinds of tricks using every different sort of prop. So, Chris, I think I'm misunderstanding your point.

My point is that standard Tenyo items are considered mass market items correct? Are they not marketed as primarily "magic toys" or am I wrong about that? They are not specifically aimed at the professional performer.

Of course, talented folks can (and have) done great work with "Slum" items, which are often much lower quality than even standard Tenyo plastic items. And while I'm sure the same applies to some Tenyo items, it's hard to imagine that someone is a "snob" for not valuing them in that manner.

The few "Elite Tenyo" items (wood and so on previously offered by Brooks and Co.) don't seem any less strange to me than the regular plastic versions. As far as "Elite" goes, I'm reminded of those weird all wooden finger choppers.



At least those can be had for around $20.

[Richard Kaufman]

I think there are several things going on:

1. The sense that anything made in plastic is a "toy."

2. A lack of understanding/appreciation of the ingenuity of not only the invention, but the process by which these items are manufactured. They are made in plastic often because that is the only substance in which they feasibly can be made for reasons that will be quite clear in my book.

Yes, Chris, you are correct in that Tenyo's main customer base is comprised of Japanese laymen (as many adults as kids), or people who were laymen and now have a collection of Tenyo tricks (making them amateur magicians, even though the tricks are essentially self-working). The 10 Tenyo Magic "Corners" in department stores around Japan function as a microcosm for the entire society of a magic shop (of which there were none in Japan prior to the 1970s).

The appreciation of Tenyo in the west is not really on the Tenyo Creative Division's radar. We make up a very small percentage of their customers. If they can hit the needs of their customer base in Japan and magicians in the west, so much the better. They do try for that, because they enjoy appreciation from people with magical knowledge, but it's far from their most important goal.

I perform Tenyo tricks for laymen all the time. They are astounded by them. Not one has ever said, "Yeah, okay you can do a trick with that piece of plastic, but can you do a real trick with a deck of cards or some coins?"

[Chris Aguilar]

I also think of the "elite" wooden Tenyo items as "magic toys", albeit fancier, much more expensive ones.

I'm truly glad that Richard and others find joy in using these, but I remain unconvinced that lacking similar appreciation makes one a snob.

[Brad Henderson]

I wonder if Chris's opinion would be the same regarding Teytelbaum's amazing pieces also done in plastic. Visually there are similarities. Does the quantity or method ot manufacture become a relevant factor? They both (Tenyo and Teytelbaum) produced deceptive and potentially entertaining tricks. would we consider eddy's stunning items toys?

Sincerely curious.

[Pete McCabe]

Mago Anton has a handling for Invisible Zone (the one where you push a pen through a plastic frame and then lower a panel to reveal that the middle of the pen is gone). The idea is to cover the entire thing in modeling clay, and then instead of lowering the panel, you tear a hole in the clay. That produces a great effect and certainly conceals the plastic nature of the device.

Props matter. A plastic Tenyo apparatus says something about the performer using it, as does a wooden one. Every performer is different, so for some the plastic works and for some the wood is more meaningful. A prop can also say something about who the performer used to be. David Regal starts his Cups and Balls routine with the "toy" plastic cups he had as a child, before switching to a metal set.

The Zig Zag Cig is a fantastic illusion, but what is the presentation? What is the box supposed to be? This question is not answered by making the apparatus in wood.

[erdnasephile]

Mago Anton has a handling for Invisible Zone (the one where you push a pen through a plastic frame and then lower a panel to reveal that the middle of the pen is gone). The idea is to cover the entire thing in modeling clay, and then instead of lowering the panel, you tear a hole in the clay. That produces a great effect and certainly conceals the plastic nature of the device.
.

The routine Pete references (along with some other cool routines with Tenyo) is on this page: http://www.tenyo.co.jp/magic_en/tips/tip05.html

Mr. Anton uses a clever gambit to try to alleviate the "Let me see that clay" impulse.

However, I couldn't help think that if one of the apparent reasons for the routine is to conceal the appearance of the prop, wouldn't it make more sense to not use that prop at all? (Which I suppose is why Tenyo Elite exists).

In addition, one of the strengths of invisible zone is the small frame of the prop--there just doesn't seem to be a place for the pen to be hidden. Using a larger blob of clay undermines that strength. I also think the spring plays an important role in the plot of the original--it's not a vanish as much as an weird off-kilter x-ray in the "invisible zone".

[Tom Pilling]

[...]

I perform Tenyo tricks for laymen all the time. They are astounded by them. Not one has ever said, "Yeah, okay you can do a trick with that piece of plastic, but can you do a real trick with a deck of cards or some coins?"

Is it fair to say that the heckle would be more likely to occur if one were not, in fact, competent with cards or coins? I don't see why a good magician couldn't pull out Tenyo, or similar, and perform a great trick. It's easier to be confident about it if you know that your arse is covered, if called out in the way you describe. The irony being that a confident performance makes the heckle scenario very unlikely.

[Roger M.]

Invisible Zone is one Tenyo trick in plastic that amazes every single person on earth who sees it.

It's anything but a toy.

From complete laymen to magicians who've never seen Invisible Zone before and can't place the principal, all spectators are simply gobsmacked when shown Invisible Zone by somebody who knows how to work a simple magic prop with an interesting bent.

In other words, if you can't absolutely WOW any spec anywhere with the plastic Invisible Zone (Tenyo's very best trick IMO), you've got problems to figure out before you go out and buy any more tricks.

Not Tenyo, but Vikings Ball Through Hand also fits this bill.

I'm a card guy, but I've always got these two "pocket tricks" near-by.
What magic is all about, and definitely not toys.

[Chris Aguilar]

It's great hearing that so many of you get so much enjoyment from the Tenyo toy line.

[Tom Pilling]

You are missing the point. I own precisely no Tenyo items, but am willing to bet that the better ones could be used effectively by a good magician.

Go figure.

[Richard Kaufman]

It's great hearing that so many of you get so much enjoyment from the Tenyo toy line.

Ever the provocateur!

[Kent Gunn]

I have fond memories of spending the money from my paper route on these cool tricks with Japanese writing on the packaging. Cubio, What's Next, Crazy Spots, Sutekina (had to look that one up) and my big closer, Silk Serenade. The tricks were inexpensive and available at a toy store that was near my paper route.

Memories make for some really strong connections to a product line.

Chris, I suspect you're a little too young to have run across those items I mentioned, in your youth. I wish I had the original tricks I listed in a box, somewhere in the magic room. I don't have the originals.

Tenyo occupies a great niche in magic. The products are, as others have mentioned, HUGE in Japan.

I wouldn't worry why people collect Tenyo. I wouldn't question the quirky desires of others. After all, we're magicians with a darned strange hobby. The magic books of my youth were sold in moments of needing a few bucks. Those books have been replaced and seem to be breeding in my library. When I found copies of the great magic books I'd sold off, the sense of completion was overwhelming.

It never occurred to me to collect Tenyo tricks. It wasn't until a few years ago, when in Japan I put the cool little tricks I'd bought as a kid together with the Tenyo brand. A few magic acquaintances in Japan were kind enough to help me find replacements for the few Tenyo tricks I'd had and performed with as a kid. Those little nubbins are on a shelf in the magic room. Haven't even opened the packages.

Nostalgia and a fascination with some truly awesome magic principles are to blame for the obsession you don't quite see.

It's ok Chris.

[erdnasephile]

Since Invisible Zone has been mentioned several times: at the end of this long review there is a routine combining a prop that Pete really likes with Invisible Zone.

http://tenyo-magic.blogspot.com/2010/05 ... -zone.html

Hey, Kent: I had the exact same Tenyo collection when I was a kid--except for the Cubio--I had one of those penetration frames instead. The one I wish I could have back is the Coin Fan. For some strange reason, I tore open the fan as a kid just to see the mechanism inside. Silly.

[Jonathan Townsend]

It's great hearing that so many of you get so much enjoyment from the Tenyo toy line.

Ever the provocateur!

If a non-magician can buy it at a toy store it's a toy. I like the Tenyo line of magic trick toys. They show remarkable ingenuity in design and production.

If your curiosity about a trick is directed at the prop - it's likely an average non-magician will be curious about the prop. It's not polite to pull apart puzzle boxes using a pen knife or band saw... but watching folks attempt to make exploded view diagrams in their minds is a good indication that they don't think you used sleight of hand.

If you perform an item successfully the audience won't know if you used sleight of hand, hypnosis or really do consort with demons.

Have you read The Roadside Picnic? Look what I was able to bring back from my trip to Japan. Shhhh Godzilla might be watching.

[Chris Aguilar]

I have fond memories of spending the money from my paper route on these cool tricks with Japanese writing on the packaging. Cubio, What's Next, Crazy Spots, Sutekina (had to look that one up) and my big closer, Silk Serenade. The tricks were inexpensive and available at a toy store that was near my paper route.

Memories make for some really strong connections to a product line.

Chris, I suspect you're a little too young to have run across those items I mentioned, in your youth. I wish I had the original tricks I listed in a box, somewhere in the magic room. I don't have the originals.
.

As a kid, I owned and enjoyed just about every toy (and more) that you mention. I remain fond of them as clever toys, albeit not interested in using them for much more than that. If others find more serious use for the toys, then more power to them.

So yes, I understand how much fun a quality toy can provide. And I think it's great that many continue to enjoy such toys into adulthood.

I have a passion for many things that others would no doubt find childish, yet I would not dream of accusing those folks of snobbery for not sharing said passions.

[Jonathan Townsend]

F

...

I have a passion for many things that others would no doubt find childish, yet I would not dream of accusing them of snobbery for not sharing those passions.

Harsh grader? I try to give the whims of caprice or the distraction of nostalgia a gentleman's C. But okay - if the real audience is not reaching for their faith-talisman readying to denounce you as a witch ... maybe it's an F.

[Richard Kaufman]

Jonathan, you wrote: "If a non-magician can buy it at a toy store it's a toy."

I call Bullsh*t!

[Jonathan Townsend]

Jonathan, you wrote: "If a non-magician can buy it at a toy store it's a toy."

I call Bullsh*t!

Okay, how do we get those items from the toy store into the magic shop so they merit being treated as tradecraft to be respected in the way we do our magic shop items and books?

Here's a fine item from the same place as where one finds Tenyo - but do we put it in the magic shop? http://en.gigazine.net/news/20090716_fantasy_universe/

How about this one: http://www.haozxwang.com/archives/3370

When it's got Hello Kitty or Disney characters on it, and aimed at an open market it does not seem (at this moment at least) intended to be kept as "secret" .

[Pete McCabe]

If a non-magician can buy it at a toy store it's a toy.

I think we're going to need a precise definition of non-magician and toy store. When you're done with those:

1) What is it if a magician can buy it at a toy store?
2) What is it if a non-magician can buy it at a magic store?

[I.M. Magician]

Excellent questions Pete! Here are my answers.

1) it's a magic trick being marketed and sold in a place to reach a wider consumer base.

2) it's a magic trick being sold in a place (specialty store) where both magicians or anyone else can enter and become a customer.

How about magic shops selling crystal balls, balloons, and other "related" items?

[Brad Henderson]

does modern magic cease to be a 'magic book' and become some sort of 'toy book' when sold in mass market retail chains?

didn't the great British department stores of the past have magic counters - one notably manned by Cardini himself?

Would those Chinese rings and instanto decks be toys, or something other than 'magic' just because they were sold in a department store?

Would we consider the items of Warner or Teytelbaum toys? If not, is that because they are generally not sold in toy stores? What about some of those quirky amazing proppy tricks Schwartzman used to sell - like the babushka or mummy transposition? Functionally they are very similar to many of the Tenyo pieces - obvious magic props which do something amazing.

Really the only difference I can see is the mass marketed angle as being a differentiation. Which would suggest aversion to be based on snobbery, yes?

[Tom Pilling]

"Magician throws toys out of pram after being accused of using toys."

[erdnasephile]

Interesting discussion.

To me, I think the differentiation between "toy" and "magic trick" depends mostly on how the performer regards the prop. A toy car becomes "El Cochecito" in the imagination and hands of a master. Same for the Adams Ball Vase when Skinner rocked it.

In addition, there are some rather expensive magic tricks that are toys to me (i.e. fun to play with, but I just wouldn't perform them for real people). An example would be some of the old Milson Worth and Collectors Workshop items I have owned. Great craftsmanship, very clever, beautiful materials, but I don't think I could fool anyone with them because I can't see the magic in them.

If and when I do, then they will cease to be toys to me.