Friday, March 02, 2007

I'm Back...

What a phenomenal couple of weeks it has been! Sorry for not posting last week; we had so many things going on including many out-of-town visitors. Two major conventions last week: Blackpool in England and the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. Many of our friends and customers made the journey from Las Vegas to Fresno to stop by and say hello, like our good friend, Gerardo Para from Chile. Gerardo arrived last Friday and stayed four days with us leaving to go back home Tuesday. Gerardo had a great time and absolutely loved our new location. Of course, he did some major shopping while he was here as well, asking us our opinions on certain effects.


Gerardo Para and me.

Speaking of these two conventions, many new and unique products were introduced at both conventions and we've already placed our orders with the creators. Many of them will be arriving in less than two weeks, so stay tuned to the web site for many, many updates. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!



As far as new products are concerned, Mike has been putting products on faster than ever these past two weeks. Highlights include Richard Sanders' Any Ring, the perfect add-on accessory to Richard's best-seller, Interlace as well as your existing borrowed ring routines. Other items to check out include the Miser's Delight, Andy Nyman's Dead Zone Pro, and make sure you check out the brand new Jay Sankey category which includes ALL of Jay's releases!


Who's the dummy?

Hey, I know what you're thinking, but don't say it out loud... As many of you know, I've been an avid collector of antique magic and ventriloquist memorabilia for many years now, and I recently acquired, with the help of Martin Breese, England's most revered ventriloquist and magical creator, the late Terri Rogers' Shorty Harris! Shorty has a great new home here and will be a treasured piece in my collection as he helps oversee the workings and goings on here at Hocus Pocus!

The Honor Roll. My son Max came home Wednesday smiling from ear to ear having received a certificate of honor as he made Honor Roll. Both Betty and I are extremely proud of him, and it's obvious to me now that he takes after his mother, academically... Speaking of Max, he has now added two more lovebirds to his collection, and he is actively working with them every single day training them. Who knows, maybe he'll develop his own bird act incorporating lovebirds instead of doves. A father can only hope...



My friend Robert Baxt just showed what may be, in my humble opinion, the greatest version of the classic Orange, Lemon, Egg, and Canary trick I've ever seen. It's great because it is absolutely the easiest, no fuss, no muss, routine I've ever seen! For those not familiar with the effect, a small bird is vanished, then an egg also disappears, and a lime goes after that. Displaying a coconut, it's cracked open to reveal the lime inside, then the lime is cut open to show the vanished egg inside it, and the egg is cracked open to reveal the bird inside! It's comical and mysterious!

Robert calls it "The Lime in the Coconut" and it comes complete with special imitation fruit that from a short distance away is undetectable from the real thing. You'll never have to run around shopping for produce at the supermarket again! And it can even be done with a supplied fake bird that you'd swear was real the way it moves. Now it's the perfect trick to travel with! No live animals, no real food! It can be done anywhere! Comes with a special cage that's different and more reliable than the regular method, and cloths that vanish the items for you. And this will be another exclusive to Hocus Pocus item. We're still working with Robert on the price and obtaining the custom made apparatus in quantity, but keep watching our website for information on when this wonderful crowd pleaser can be yours!



Oh, by the way, do you wanna get mugged by Hocus Pocus? No, not that kind of mugged. Check this out: I found these really cool ceramic coffee mugs that say "magician" in 13 different languages! You want one? Here's how to get one: any order you place between now and next Friday, March 9th at 5:00 PM PST, just ask and we'll ship one absolutely free with your order. That's right, it's your free gift with any purchase!

As you can see, it's as busy as busy can be here at Hocus Pocus. I'm sure glad it's Friday, because I could use the couple of days to relax. Here's to hoping you all have a great weekend as well and we'll see you next week.

Until next time,

Paul

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