I HATE KIDS

by

$45 (List Price: $50)

The Blurb

Routines like this are VERY hard to come by:

It is self-working
It has built-in comedy
It packs really small and plays HUGE
This will play ANYWHERE
You get all of the props with it.
You get all of the “patter” with it.
JUST the wallets (you get 3) would cost you $60.00 – $75.00

“Packs tiny, plays huge.”
– Shawn Farquhar

“Everybody wants to be Stephen Bargatze. Here’s an
opportunity with on of his funniest routines.”
– Bob Sheets

“A win-win routine featuring a (temporarily) triumphant kid
– this is Bargatze at his outrageous best.”
– Gene Anderson

“I hate Stephen Bargatze! No one has gotten so much out of
so little in atll of magic, except, that guy with the coin
and sharpie.”
– Rick Merill

IBM Close Up champion and 4F Guest of Honour, Stephen
Bargatze finally releases one of his all time greatest
effects. This gem of magic is certain to be a stand out
piece in your show. Easily five minutes of great magic and
comedy interadtion. I Hate Kids is the perfect addition to
every family and kids entertainer. Three professionally
crafted genuine leather wallets and lifetime of performance
experience is included in this outstanding DVD package.

My Comments

So you get to your gig to do a mentalism show and to your
surprise there's a young kid (maybe more) in the audience.
And you know that if you don't play to the kid at least a
little bit, the kid will probably be fidgety and throw off
your show.  On the other hand, you know the kid probably
won't enjoy or appreciate the adult style of performance
that you do. So, now what? This is certainly a very solid
answer to that question.

The blurb is a bit vague so let me describe it.  Three
leather coin purses are shown.  The kid is told there is a
dollar in one and that he will guess which purse the dollar
is in.  He is also told that he will lose.  Of course, the
purse he chooses has the dollar bill in it.  After the kid
sits down, the performer explains to the kid that it's a
good thing that he didn't pick the other two.  It's shown
that one of them has a ten dollar bill in it and the other
has a twenty.

Some may recognize immediately that these are the same type
of small purses that Larry Becker used in his marketed item,
the Universal Coin Purse.  These are a bit smaller but just
as well made.  Stephen Bargatze does state that after he
developed the routine many years ago, he found Larry's item.
He does highly recommend Larry's product, but unfortunately
I don't think he was aware that it is no longer available.
At the time of this writing, you can get the instructions
and routines for Larry's purses in the e-book version of
STUNNERS PLUS.

In this case, then, you're not buying something new or
groundbreaking, but a solid routine that's been performed
for well over a decade and is finally being released now.
The coin purses are nicely made and you can certainly use
them to do Larry's routines (though you may need another
set).  The purses do not come numbered, but a few bucks
spent at the local hardware store for the right stickers to
put on the purses is all you'll need (and some may prefer
not to number the purses).  All that is explained on the
instructional DVD.

Also, the title of this, "I Hate Kids," refers to the
presentation.  It's a demonstration of why the performer
doesn't like to work with kids.  I certainly won't be using
that titular phrase in the routine.  As a teacher, I
certainly have to soften that approach a lot.  But that's my
style.  I'd lighten it up a bit to say that I have
difficulties with mentalism demonstrations involving kids.
And, as recommended, I would only use this particular
presentation when a kid really did show up to one of my gigs
aimed at adults.  On the other hand, the presentation that
Stephen Bargatze uses may well fit your style perfectly.

A few other notes:  The package includes the three purses
and an instructional DVD.  The routine is easy-to-do and
packs flat.  The purses (approx. 3" square) are very nicely
made and should last quite awhile.  If you don't have these
purses, or need an extra set or two, I definitely recommend
you get these while you can as they are a great utility
prop.  And then, if you don't have Larry Becker's STUNNERS
PLUS, get that to see all the possibilities that you can do
with these purses.