The Genii Forum

Hello all, I just recently pulled my haunted hank back out after a long time and planned on using this weekend in a walk-around for some kids. Does anyone out there have any ideas on where I migh get a nice routine for it? It's been so long I erally don't remember what I used to do. I'm sure I could come up with something that would be entertaining but it would be nice to find something already set in stone.
Thanks

Do you mean a Glorpy? (That was the name before every magic dealer in the US stole it.)
The best routine belongs to Lynetta Welch, and she also makes the best Glorpy there is--she's improved the gimmick and the routine.

Click HERE to go to her site.

JC Wagner has a great card revelation using the Glorpy gimmicked hank. Eugene Burger has another two card revelation using it based on a Rosini(?) routine. Both of these I have used and they are very strong.

Richard,

I am very curious about this. Obviously there must be a huge difference in Lynetta's hank and the old Glorpy, since I paid only about $5 for my Fun,Inc. model, and her's sells for 10 times that much ($52, according to her site).

I realize that no one can tip the gimmick here, (nor would I want them to!), however, what is it that makes her hank worth $52 ?

I must admit, the fabric looks very nice. Something you could carry in the breast pocket of a formal tuxedo. My Glorpy is done in celstial design, and looks more likes something a hippie girl would wear at a drum circle.

Claims made by manufacturers in magic are often pretty large, but when I read that Lynetta's Hank can "do somersaults", I was definitely intrigued. Does anyone actually own this hank, and if so, could they enlighten me as to some of it's pluses and/or minuses ?

Many thanks....

Mark Pettey
Naples, FL

Eugene Burger also sells some nice ones, in maroon and black (completely solid color).

Max Maven has an nice spirit writing effect in one of the Color series booklets (and, naturally, in Prism as well).

-Jim

Hi,
I want to add Scotty York's "The Frog Trick".
This is his variation on J.C.Wagner's great trick but
he added really interesting aspect to original routine.
I think this is worker. I still love to use this.

Sincerely,
Y

Since you're looking for effects for kids, combining playing cards with Glorpy is pretty much out unless you're performing for older kids. I know a twelve-year old who still refers to the Club suit as "Puppy-dog Paws." But they generally can't recognize one card from another and when they pick a card, they frequently forget which card they chose. You can use Alphabet cards (some nice ones are mentioned in another thread HERE ) or Picture cards, but to me that's ignoring the most exciting thing about a Glorpy (or Haunted Hank) and that's the idea that you have actually captured a solid ghost in a handkerchief. Having a ghost merely find a chosen card seems to me to be a waste of a good ghost.

I prefer to use the Glorpy to catch a ghost, and then transfer the ghost to a "ghost cage" which is the plastic crate I use in my Sefalaljia routine, described in The Wizards' Journal #10. I use the crate to cover the Glorpy hank, and thel slide the hank back out from beneath the crate, which apparently leaves the ghost inside, bound to the crate. From here I can go into any of the walk-around effects with the crate that are described in the article, such as the linking red and white ropes, the knotting hank (using the same Glorpy hank), the mini-slates with dancing chalk, and so on.

Originally posted by Spellbinder:
combining playing cards with Glorpy is pretty much out unless you're performing for older kids. I know a twelve-year old who still refers to the Club suit as "Puppy-dog Paws." But they generally can't recognize one card from another and when they pick a card, they frequently forget which card they chose.

That's the stupidest... most cop out statement I have read.

Wow.

Not used to seeing those type of posts on this forum.

Once again, I will ask, has anyone actually purchased Lynetta's Haunted Hank ? I would love to speak with someone who has actually worked with the prop. It looks beautiful...


Mark Pettey
Naples, FL

I do tricks for my children all the time. Monty is 8 and Robby is 5 and they both know one card from another.

At the middle school where I teach, every 12-14 year old knows playing cards and can tell one from another no problem.

My children and students may not be representative of the whole. The real point is that you have to understand your audience. Everyone's audience is different.

Spectators forgetting cards is a potential problem no matter who you're performing for. What I do, usually, is have the card selected from a face-up spread, so everyone sees it and no one has to worry about remembering it. This doesn't work for every trick, obviously, but I find it an extremely useful tactic.

Doing card tricks for young children is easy and they love the tricks if you are entertaining. Re not knowing suits, you can do tricks with colors (Last Trick of Dr. Daley, Oil and Water, etc.) allowing the kid to make a magic pass that causes the magic to happen, and you can also do card selection routines in which you have the kid write his/her name on the card, or you can do it for the kid.

Cannibal Cards plays very well. "Mandy, give me the name of a boy in your class. Scott? We'll put his name on this card. Is he your boyfriend?" "Noooooo!" Of course, he always is. And they love it when Scott gets "eaten."

Re Mark's question, I own two of Lynetta's hanks. They are beautiful, and the gimmick folds very naturally, so that you can bring the hank out in a very small bundle and return it that way, yet still achieve plenty of ghostly action when you need it. Whether this is a case of running when no one is chasing is up to you. I don't actually use them because they are the wrong size for the routine that I do, but wish I could, as they are far more beautiful than the $5 version I am stuck with.

Rather than turn this thread into a discussion on card tricks for children, or on who makes the best version of Glorpy/Haunted Hank, let me simply remind everyone that Dmatthew, the original poster, asked a question about a walk-around routine for kids, using his Haunted Hank.

In a walk-around situation, you don't usually know very much about your audience. You just walk up to a bunch of kids and parents, introduce yourself and start right in. Under those circumstances, it is probably wisest to not make assumptions on whether they know as much as your children know, but provide entertainment that you are certain they can ALL watch, understand, and enjoy.

If Glorpy pounces on a playing card and tears it to shreds, it doesn't matter if the card is a three of puppydog paws or a seven of spades. The point I was trying to make in my post is that Glorpy is about a GHOST that you have captured in your HANDKERCHIEF. What can we come up with for Dmatthew that will work for KIDS in a WALK-AROUND situation? Sorry for all the CAPS. Sometimes I need to SHOUT to make a point.

Well, first of all I want to thank everyone who took the time out to post a response. I also want to apologize because I didn't mean to cause any arguments! You've all been helpful and I will check out the recommendations and let ya know how it goes!
Thanks, DM

For those who are interested, I added a video on my website of my Ghostly Pocket Hank . The video shows some of the different moves that can be done with my hank. It's just a product demo that I shot in my office, so please don't judge my performance. Also, for those who need a larger hank, or one for JC Wagner's routine, I do make them, but you'll need to call or email for a quote.

Lynetta

I tossed away my Glorpy years ago, after learning a nearly improptu method from Jim Ryan's lecture notes. ("Bar Magic" I think it's called.) In his hands, using a dinner napkin, the ghost-catching effect was as strong as the best gaff handling I've seen.

When I was a kid I saw one of the first demonstrations of the Solid Ghost done in the US. The illusion was stunning. Years later someone made a high quality gimmick that I still have. I find it superior to Glorpy as the effect is more mysterious and baffling and the illusion of the solid "ball" under the hank is perfect.

Barrie Richardson has a version of the solid ghost, using an ungimmicked hank, in Act Two. It's excellent, as you might expect from Barrie.

But it can't be used for tricks like Eugene Burger's or Max Maven's. (I'm not sure any of the impromptu or nearly-impromptu versions can.) Max and Eugene use the "solid ghost" illusion as an element for another trick and not as an effect by itself.

"Almost Impromptu Solid Ghost" by Jim Ryan, in which a ghost is captured in an ungimmicked handkerchief was published in The Magic Menu, Jim Sisti, (editor) Issue 43 September/October 1997, Jim Ryan Issue. The concept is easy to duplicate, but as Pete McCabe says, it is not useful to all situations and routines.

Here are some more published routines:
GREATER MAGIC DVD #24 - BURGER'S SPIRIT MAGIC

Buffaloe, Jim: Buffaloe'd - The Magic of Jim Buffaloe 1998; P. 182 The Capricious Ghost: a small ghost performs various feats (uses Glorpy, Cybernetics, a reel, etc.)

Ganson, Lewis: The Art of Close Up Magic Volume 1 (c)1996 L&L Publishing; P168. A ghost appears under a handkerchief lying on a table. A variation of Dik Van Brummer's Solid Ghost, or a more modern version known as "Glorpy". Includes an additional tip from Alan Alan.

Glorpy was created by Madblood Creations (Bill Madden and Bernie Trueblood) circa 1960. It was declared the "Trick of the Millenium" by Genii, the conjurer's magazine, so I figured back issues of Genii would be a treasure trove of innovative Glorpy routines.

From Charlie Miller's Magicana, Genii Volume 37 (1973) Page 424: HAROLD A GOOD CLOSING EFFECT
EFFECT The Magician shows a pen and a deck of cards and explains that his invisible assistant, Harold, will help out in the next trick by invisibly marking any card called for with its position in the deck. I'm sure you can guess what happens.

That's it. Thanks to good old Charlie Miller, Genii has one Glorpy routine from that era. The rest consist of commercial routines published in books:

Hank Moorehouse: "Glorpy Surprise" circa 1975

"Just Another Magician? Hell No! - The Magic of Don Hudson (for adults)" circa 1980, contains a "Glorpy without the gimmick"

Carl Dreher's "Professional Close-up Studio - Volume 1" (circa 1981) which describes how to turn a Glorpy ghost into a wine glass then
into a full-size bottle of wine.

Perhaps we'd have more luck brainstorming NEW and ORIGINAL routines for kids using Glorpy.

Any takers?

I'll start. Since Glorpy looks a little like a ball when it first appears, it might be combined with an appearance of solid rubber balls or billiard balls, or even sponge balls. The balls appear under the Glorpy one by one, vanish, reappear under the Glorpy, and then when placed under the Glorpy one final time, they all vanish. This might be a good use for the ungimmicked Glorpy.

The original Solid Ghost, created by Dik Van Brummer as performed by Sam Hughes, was published in the Gen in 1958 and was practically impromptu given that the preparation took only a moment. If you were careful you didn't even need to fix the gimmick to the handkerchief. Indeed you could smuggle practically anything into the handkerchief and make the effect work.

The best version I saw using a silk was George Blake's Haunted Hanky. His version incorporated a hinged gimmick that allowed for more movement than Solid Ghost. The silk was translucent and seemed incapable of hiding anything. A long time ago I corresponded with George about the origin of the effect and he believed that his trick was the first to use a hinged gimmick in this way. It certainly seems to be the first to have been advertised in the magic magazines.

Max Maven wrote a brief history of this effect, which was published some years ago in MAGIC.

The reason I've always given the guys who created Glorpy so much credit is because they put the curve in the wire, allowing you to press down very slightly in order to make the hanky rise greatly.

I have Impromptu version of the Solid Ghost called Coney Island Casper ( I was having a hot dog at a Coney Island restaurant when I came up with the idea).
It was publish in Magic, May 2000, along with Max Maven's sensational piece, A Brief History Of "IT".

Here's a Glorpy routine for Valentine's day. From under the mysterious Glorpy hank... a chocolate "kiss" appears. It seems you have captured the spirit of Cupid. Each time you shake out the hank and reform it, you get another candy kiss. On the final time, you produce a jumbo kiss. If you can't locate a jumbo sized kiss, you can make one from a styrofoam cone and some aluminum foil. Pass out the other kisses, but when the big one appears, you are overcome by greed and you stash that one away for yourself.

Excellent! Thanks to everyone for the replies. I will definitely be using some of these references in my research. Also, thanks to Lynetta for jumoing on and sharing info on a wonderful product!
DM

A translucent hank (to capture a ghost) sounds fascinating to me. I would love to see how this looks live . . .

I have a couple of the original George Blake Haunted Handkerchiefs in purple silk. I wouldn't quite call them translucent but they are of very thin silk, and as David says you get two movements.

Incidentally when performing for children and they are looking at a playing card, the line to use is, "If you're not sure of the name of the card, remember what it looks like."

As a result of my research, I have seen that there is a scarcity of routines for the Haunted Hank, and have begun to write some new routines for a future article in The Wizards' Journal. The first seven items in the article address various ways of creating a "Ghost Hank" from impromptu to a whole lot of gimmicks that have not yet been used in connection with the effect. I have decided to call it simply "Ghost Hank" both as a generic sort of name that doesn't violate anyone else's proprietary names, and also because I find the idea of naming a Handkerchief simply "Hank" to be funny.

Items 8 to 20 are complete routines for Hank the Ghost Hanky, as follows:

8 Wing Flapping Fairy
9 Leprechaun Irish Whiskey Ghost
10 Pompom Critters with Ghost Hank
11 Abominable Snowman Ghost Hank (snow balls)
12 Ghost Hank on the rocks (ice cubes)
13 Ghost Hank DLite
14 Ghost Hank Easter Eggs
15 Ghost Hank Candy Kisses
16 Ghost Hank Goo (Slimy!)
17 Live White Mice or Hamsters with Ghost Hank
18 Ghost Hank Flea Circus
19 Ghost Claus
20 Halloween Hauntings with a Ghost Hank

I hope this will fill the void with some funny ghostly bits of business.

Richard Kaufman wrote:Do you mean a Glorpy? (That was the name before every magic dealer in the US stole it.)
The best routine belongs to Lynetta Welch, and she also makes the best Glorpy there is--she's improved the gimmick and the routine.

Click HERE to go to her site.

I must echo Richard here, her "glorpy" is by far the best ever.
Worth every cent.
As far as cards go, there are very limited routines I do with children and cards due to attention span.

In regards to George Blake's version. His gaff is brilliant and the best version I have seen.

Sorry for the earlier post. Made a mistake.

Just in case anyone here on the Genii Forum is interested, I have completed the e-Book of Ghost Hank variations and routines with only a few changes from the originally described list of contents in my previous post. You can find it on my site under "Hank, the Ghost Hank" in The Wizards' Journal #16.

Wow! It worked! Thanks Richard Kaufman...and I love your teaching on the pass...now to Glorpy, excuse me...the Ghostly Hank .

I just bought Lynetta Welch's Hot Deal which includes Ghostly Hank, Devils Hank and ungimmicked dup. This is without any doubt the best Glorpy...but its not just Glorpy. A Nashville magician used to do a ghost hank (I know some of you guys recall the name...I'm blocking on it this AM) but this is the one the operator puts his hand or a spoon etc on the ghost and "rolls" it in a small circle...and yes it does feel weird and although I was always a Glorpy guy...this trick really was a neat twist. Guess what? Lynetta's does BOTH!. I am new to the forum so I want to be careful, but lets say she figured out how to make a "ghostly elbow". And further, as a Glory guy fooler, the gimmick can be made to be very illusive so a guy like me...looking where the gaff is supposed to be sees a flaccid hank if desired. Sorry for the clinical stuff...
...and the SOMERSAULT someone asked about. Well, you CAN do the beginnings of a fairly impressive try at a somersault, but I have to help him roll all the way over (much like pre-schoolers in my judo classes . Also, the move can be used to go for munchies ala Rocky Racoon...but I haven't figured out what ghosts eat. Richard is 100% correct. There is nothing similar that is as genius as this new and improved "Ghostly Hank".

Whoops...what I meant to say is its expensive...don't buy one LOL

If anyone is still looking for a routine for the Haunted Hank, Ghost Hank, or Glorpy you might want to check out Wiz Kid Qua-Fiki's "Babushka of Baba Yaga" in The Wizards' Journal #21. Combined with the Sefalaljia magic of Stewart James, Paul Curry, Elizabeth Warlock, Jim Gerrish and Professor Spellbinder (and probably others as well), Wiz Kid Qua-Fiki weaves a tale of the magic Babushka headscarf that is filled with the spirit of the Russian witch and fortune teller, Baba Yaga. OK, so the truth is, he has turned Sefalaljia into a tablehopping routine that uses a simple men's handkerchief (the Babushka) to perform a complete ten minute (or so) show at each stop. He came up with a new examinable variation of the "Haunted Hank", adds a "Haunted Spoon," Knotted Rope, Linking Red and White Ropes, Finger Ring and Rope, and ends with the ring vanishing and reappearing inside a set of nested Babushka Dolls.