Which monkeys should you do magic for?

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 5th, 2023, 10:17 pm

It's nonsense. I've been doing the French Drop and retention vanishes for my various cats for decades. They do not have opposable thumbs. They are invariably fooled.
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MagicbyAlfred
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » June 5th, 2023, 10:24 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:It's nonsense. I've been doing the French Drop and retention vanishes for my various cats for decades. They do not have opposable thumbs. They are invariably fooled.


That is a delightful image, Richard. But can your cats fool themselves with a spider vanish?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb5D_Z6wWOE

Edward Pungot
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Edward Pungot » June 5th, 2023, 11:19 pm

I concur with Richard. I’ve also performed various false hand transfers with all sorts of doggie treats and small biscuits and they have always followed the main line of action to the other hand expecting it to be there. They could care less about your endowment of an opposable thumb. They just anticipate the through line of action. You know you’ve fooled them because as far a dogs go, they immediately sniff around you empty hand wondering where the food stuff went.

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Robert77 » June 6th, 2023, 3:12 am

What if these dogs and cats are just humoring you all so that they get their treats?

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Edward Pungot » June 6th, 2023, 4:03 am

Canines will, if you give them enough time sometimes backtrack and inspect the other hand. But always, they follow the larger continuous action first and investigate there first. You could “jester” with the dirty hand afterwards, but it would be cruel not to reward their efforts with a production behind the ear.

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » June 6th, 2023, 7:35 am

Edward Pungot wrote:Canines will, if you give them enough time sometimes backtrack and inspect the other hand..it would be cruel not to reward their efforts with a production behind the ear.


I have reproduced playing cards that way after doing a vanish for them, but the card often ends up dog-eared.

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Joe Lyons » June 6th, 2023, 7:47 am

"Confusion is not Magic"

:)

Edward Pungot
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Edward Pungot » June 6th, 2023, 8:50 am

Joe, you just opened up a can of worms by bringing up Vernon’s quote in the context of this discussion (at least for me anyway).

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Joe Lyons » June 6th, 2023, 8:57 am

Edward Pungot wrote:Joe, you just opened up a can of worms by bringing up Vernon’s quote in the context of this discussion (at least for me anyway).

Just a joke, Edward.

To be taken no more or less seriously than the Python sketch.

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » June 6th, 2023, 9:16 am

Me: "C'mon Rover, time for a trick. C'mon Boy. This will blow your doggie mind!"

Rover: Barking enthusiastically, but thinking to himself -- "Oh, here we go. Couldn't we just skip the trick and get to the treat? I wonder what it'll be this time, the French drop with the transparent Ramsey Subtlety, or the Retention Vanish, where it's obvious that it's in the other hand, but I act like I don't know that?"

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Dave Le Fevre » June 6th, 2023, 9:28 am

MagicbyAlfred wrote:but thinking to himself
Thank you for that. Rover's thoughts had me laughing. :lol:

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 6th, 2023, 12:34 pm

Robert77 wrote:What if these dogs and cats are just humoring you all so that they get their treats?


Obviously you've never had a pet. They don't humor you, nor would they even understand what that means.
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Bill Mullins » June 6th, 2023, 3:59 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote: They don't humor you,


I dunno, a dog will put up with a whole lot of crap from his human.

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 6th, 2023, 5:35 pm

Putting up with crap is not the same as humoring someone.
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Tarotist » June 6th, 2023, 10:37 pm

Dogs have a strong sense of smell. I would imagine they would sniff the correct hand.

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby PressureFan » June 7th, 2023, 12:53 am

I read about a magic shop owner that had a cat that would find the spectators selection from a spread deck. Does anyone recall who that was? I think it was in The Linking Ring, '60s or '70s.
The method is really clever and practical. I'm not kidding.

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Robert77 » June 7th, 2023, 1:58 am

Tarotist wrote:Dogs have a strong sense of smell. I would imagine they would sniff the correct hand.


Well according to Richard, they're truly mystified. So not only aren't they humoring us, they also have selective sniffers and so are "genuinely fooled." :)

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Tarotist » June 7th, 2023, 6:18 am

Robert77 wrote:
Tarotist wrote:Dogs have a strong sense of smell. I would imagine they would sniff the correct hand.


Well according to Richard, they're truly mystified. So not only aren't they humoring us, they also have selective sniffers and so are "genuinely fooled." :)


I strongly suspect the dog isn't the slightest bit interested in the trick and is merely being polite. I bet if you try it on a cat it would just ignore you and walk away!

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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » June 7th, 2023, 7:03 am

Yes, probably so, Mark. I always like to say that cats don't have owners; they have staff.

But this particular cat is atypically polite, and a delightful spectator. I would love to get these kind of reactions when I toss-vanish a card.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlpLOYtTfzQ

Of course, the best reaction is when the spectators put a little something in the kitty.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Which monkeys should you do magic for?

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 7th, 2023, 12:22 pm

I can assure you that my cats have always had the greatest interest when I interact with them.
For those who think the olfactory sense has something to do with this, don't use food! Or, you can hold the food in both hands before you try it, so both hands have a scent that interests the animal.
What's more interesting to me than the false transfer business are dogs who can identify where a piece of food is when placed under one of three cups, which are then shifted around.
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