Pirate Magic

[Damian Odess-Gillett]

Hi All,
I'm looking for ideas for pirate themed magic for children. My nephew's 6th birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and they'll be having a pool-side pirate party.
The first thing that came to mind was a miser's dream with gold dubloons. Perhaps some kind of pirate flag blendo, if i can find the silks...
Any ideas or stories would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Damian

[DrDanny]

Just wear an eye patch and say "Arrrrr" a lot. Maybe do Forgetful Freddie Walks the Plank. The kids will take it from there. ;-)

[Mark Pettey]

I have a prop I have used for many different themes. It would be perfect for a pirate show. It is a large wooden chest, and resembles a treasure chest. It is made in India, I think, and called The Enchanted Chest. Basically a tip-over trunk. Looks very cool.

Routines could involve a parrot (use large flash card pictures or a puppet, no need for a live bird), gold coins, a fake hook hand, a peg leg used as a wand, etc.

Tim Sonefelt has a great pirate treasure map routine he is now selling at his Wonder Imagery site. Barry Mitchell has a little treasure chest prop used in a routine about gold coins. Rice Silks still sells the pirate flag silk.

Or, you could think more modern, and go with some ideas from the cartoon show Sponge Bob Square Pants. which has nautical, pirate, under the sea overtones.

Arrrrrrgh, start up the Google search engine me mateys !

[Spellbinder]

Eleazar Goodenough wrote up his Pirate Miser's Dream act and included it in "Cauldron Capers" from last Halloween's The Wizards' Journal #14, on my site. He performs it with eye patch and a hook on one hand, dropping the golden coins (plastic) into a halloween cauldron.

The same issue (#14) has my "Inexhaustible Jack-O-Lantern" in it. What has that got to do with a pirate, you ask? The table used in the act is made from a skeleton leg (and now is the time to get skeleton parts for making it from craft stores). Instead of a Jack-O-Lantern, you could make your inexhaustible production from a pirate's hat or even a treasure chest.

Good luck, matey!

[Jolly Roger]

http://www.practical-magic.com/index.ph ... &Itemid=26

Try this! JR

[Damian Odess-Gillett]

Thanks Mark, Phineas, JR--I appreciate it. Good advice all around. I've started reworking miser's dream and have ordered some "gold" doubloons. Also found a torn and restored treasure map and pirate booty mentalism routine that hopefully will engage the younger audience...

[Jeff Haas]

Good-looking parrott puppet, this is by Folkmanis:

http://www.puppetstoreusa.com/papua.html

[Damian Odess-Gillett]

Great idea, Jeff--i just put in my order!

[Jeff Haas]

Have fun with it, and don't tell too many bad pirate jokes!