Bob Farmer Gets BAOTY Award

[Q. Kumber]

For a quality advertisement that might actually inspire someone to actually buy the trick, Bob Farmer gets the BAOTY (Best Advertisement Of The Year) award for an ad appearing in GENII magazine.

Unlike so many other ads appearing in magic magazines which show an image and a vague statement that convey zilch, Farmer, whose copywriting is reminiscent of the J. Peterman Company, paints a picture that inspires the imagination, the emotions, and a dip into your wallet.

Bravo Mr. Farmer.

[Daniel Z]

I think rather it was Peterman whose ads adopted the Farmeresque approach.

[Q. Kumber]

I should have mentioned, the ad is for Headhunter, and is in the March edition of GENII

[Daniel Z]

I'm not sure but I think Bob's Tsunami had that kind of "picturesque" ad. I don't know if he used that style before but if I'm right Tsunami came out a year before Sienfeld started to air -- which would give Bob bragging rights on this. Bob, do I have this right?

[Tom Gilbert]

Is the BAOTY more prestigious than the GOAT award?

[Richard Kaufman]

Most definitely.

[Leonard Hevia]

The packet effect "Oil and Gaffs" Mr. Farmer includes in his ad for Headhunters is a killer.

[erdnasephile]

I'm not sure but I think Bob's Tsunami had that kind of "picturesque" ad. I don't know if he used that style before but if I'm right Tsunami came out a year before Sienfeld started to air -- which would give Bob bragging rights on this. Bob, do I have this right?

Yes, I have the original Tsunami, Deja Voodoo and Headhunter (printed on blood red anti-photocopying paper) and they are three of the best ads ever. (Although the original Headhunter ad had a different punchline, which made me laugh so hard I spit up when I read it!)

[Bob Farmer]

Thank you all! Yes, the "Tsunami" and "Deja Voodoo" ads came out long before Seinfeld. They are now included in my books, The Bammo Tarodiction Toolbox and the Bammo Gaffus Maximus, respectively.

The punchline in the original "Headhunter" ad was too political and sarcastic for modern consumption.

Magic tricks should evoke a smile and the ads for magic tricks should also do that. My "Mutanz" ad (see below) was completely outrageous but one reviewer failed to see the joke and accused me of "exaggerating." Guilty.

The "Oil and Gaffs" effect is absolutely free and available to anyone who sends an email and asks for information about "Headhunter." Yes, it is a stunning effect with an ending that will shake your teeth loose.

Also info about my other stuff can be had by emailing:
bammomagic@cogeco.ca

The Mutanz ad follows:

A bizarre new packet trick by Bob Farmer and Roy Walton MUTANZ

Inexplicable Unexplainable Enigmatic and Just Plain Weird!

A Cascade of Alchemikal Conundrums!

A Phantasmagoric Orgy of Cabalistic Conjuration!

A Bewildering Bafflement of Uncanny Dimensionality!

Strange and supernatural forces twist and possess ordinary cards until they become GROTESQUE MUTANTS
—IN THE HANDS OF THE SPECTATOR!

No angles. Everything examinable. Resets instantly.

Satisfaction guaranteed or we’ll apologize.

Warning: This ad contains bombastic hyperbole and unconscionable embellishment.

[Leonard Hevia]

Yes, I have the original Tsunami, Deja Voodoo and Headhunter (printed on blood red anti-photocopying paper) and they are three of the best ads ever. (Although the original Headhunter ad had a different punchline, which made me laugh so hard I spit up when I read it!)

Now I'm curious about that original Headhunter ad. The first time I ever heard of a headhunter was on Gilligan's Island reruns I used to watch after school as a kid.

[Bob Farmer]

Leonard: The ad copy in the original "Headhunter" ad was identical to the present ad except for a few words that modern sensibilities might find offence with. Not everyone finds some kinds of magic as amusing and silly as I do, so out of respect for that group (or maybe just to sell a few more tricks), I decided to snicker under my breath in (probably imagined) superiority and change the questioned wording to, "That dress makes you look fat."

And I should mention that the present ad's graphics were designed by that geniius (sic) in the Genii family, Elizabeth Kaufman.

[Leonard Hevia]

How does Mr. Farmer come up with such devious card magic? Consorting with Satan? The devil is not in his league. He went to Canada and found out the hard way.

The devil went down to Ontario looking for a soul to steal
He was in a bind, cuz he was way behind, and he was willing to make deal
When he came upon a boy playing with a deck, and playing it hot
And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump and said "Boy let me tell you what,
I bet you didn't know it but I'm a poker player too, and if you care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you.
Now you play pretty good poker boy, but give the devil his due, I'll bet a deck of gold against your soul,
Cuz I think I'm better than you."

The boy said, "My name's Bobby and it might be a sin, but I'll take your bet, you're gonna regret, cuz I'm the best that's ever been."

[Bob Farmer]

Leonard: Close except it was at a crossroads at midnight and no fiddle-related myths were involved.

[Leonard Hevia]

Leonard: Close except it was at a crossroads at midnight and no fiddle-related myths were involved.

It was also at the crossroads at midnight where Robert Johnson faced the devil. But Johnson purportedly sold his soul to improve his guitar playing skills. The devil traded his soul for a stack of Farmer's card books.

[Bob Farmer]

Leonard: The truth is much more mundane. Besides having a trick brain which continually suggests tricks without any conscious intervention by me, I live in a small town. My audience consists of my lunch pals, two criminal lawyers, a software designer and a sound engineer. Once I show them a trick, it's done--to show them another trick, I have to invent another trick. My entire repertoire at any time consist of one trick--the one I just invented. In addition, the absence of magicians around me and my complete indifference to what is actually going on in magic, insulates me from distractions and I can pursue what I'm interested in.

Look, if I was going to make a deal with the Devil, I'd make a deal for my guitar and saxophone abilities which haven't improved for years.

[Leo Garet]

Leonard: Close except it was at a crossroads at midnight and no fiddle-related myths were involved.

Not even a hint of fiddling with cards?