Toy dog made from beads

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Michael Close
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Toy dog made from beads

Postby Michael Close » December 10th, 2003, 10:27 am

I'm trying to find out who was the first to make a toy dog out of a string of beads. Someone gave me one during my lecture tour of 1998, and some people have put this on the market, but I have been unable to find out who came up with the idea.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

M. Close

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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Guest » December 10th, 2003, 11:25 am

It may be Bob Knigge

http://www.ibmring58.com/Bobindex.htm

I saw him do this pre 1998

I believe Racherbaumer is about to publish a linking ring "parade" with such a routine...

Rock, ya got any info on "Pearl"?

Guest

Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Guest » December 10th, 2003, 12:33 pm

Hey Doug,
I think the creator may be Dick Barry.
Try contacting him through his web site.

Best,
Rick Castro

Guest

Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Guest » December 10th, 2003, 9:07 pm

It's Bob Kniggie. I saw him do it in the mid ninteys and he had some packaged , I forgot who was selling them for him........Mike

Robert Kane
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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Robert Kane » December 10th, 2003, 10:25 pm

Jerry Camaro also explained the tiny Pearl Bead Poddle in his lecture and his lecture notes. This was back in 1996 in Northern California. Sadly, Jerry is no longer with us.

Anyway, it's a fun giveaway for all ages, but it hurts your finger tips like crazy to make them, especially after making 20 or so during an evening strolling performance.

I got to the point of pre-making them and then undoing them before a performance so that the bead strings would be more pliable and easier to work. Well worth the effort to make your audiences smile. :)

Steve V
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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Steve V » December 12th, 2003, 11:52 pm

First time I ever saw a poodle made out of beads (kind of like balloon twisting)was in the early '70's when a Summer art class in Georgia had a teacher who showed it to us.
Steve V
Steve V

Jason England
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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Jason England » December 20th, 2003, 11:20 am

I too saw and received one of Bob Knigge's "Mini-Pearl" sets in the early 90s. But as Steve V has pointed out, the trick was being done long before that.

Jason

Doug Brewer
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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Doug Brewer » December 22nd, 2003, 2:56 pm

Mr. Close: I believe the person who gave you that bead dog was Tom Clifford out of Orange County (CA). Tom sadly passed away earlier this year from cancer.

Although I don't think it was "his", the bead dog was marketed at "the magic company formally known as MagicSmith" as "T.C. Clifford's Pearl Poodle". It came in a paper bag with a string of fake pearls long enough to make about 4,000 bead dogs (ok, a slight exaggeration). The trick may have had info on the history of the bead dog, but I'm not sure. I'm also not sure who has the title to this trick now.

Doug Brewer
San Diego, CA

Tom Ladshaw
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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Tom Ladshaw » December 24th, 2003, 8:48 am

I grew up in South Louisiana and the "bead doggies" were omnipresent at elementary schools each year during Mardi Gras season (this was the early- to mid-1960's).
I came up with a promotional idea with them and gave away a printed sheet of instructions along with strands of the right type of beads during my first lecture tour (1987).
I later saw Scott Correll *selling* them, and much later Bob Knigge released it as "Mini Pearl."
My original instructions gave ideas for several different animals in addition to the basic dog. I also included a killer promotional idea with it that I still use to this day.

Tom Ladshaw
New Orleans, LA

Bill Mullins
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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby Bill Mullins » December 24th, 2003, 5:02 pm

Originally posted by GatorGas:
I grew up
Tom may be stretching the truth here . . . :)

magicgolfer
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Re: Toy dog made from beads

Postby magicgolfer » February 5th, 2004, 8:23 pm

The first time I saw a dog made out of a string of pearls was not in a magic context. It was at a church bazaar in PA in the 70's where my mom's friend was selling them at her booth. I'll have to check with her, but I'm sure it goes back even further than that.

That said, I did see Bob Knigge do it in 1996 at the IBM convention. For the other readers of the forum, in the latest "magic mag" Daniel Cros shows his version of the puppy in a magic context in his routine (feb 04).


Best,
Michael


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