#7. Coloring Card

by Jim Gerrish

Effect: A few days before performing at a Birthday Party Show, I send a special birthday card to the parents of the child who is having the birthday. The front of the card shows a black and white line drawing of a circus clown.

The card is sealed in a separate envelope that is inside the envelope that I sent to the parents. Along with that sealed envelope is a letter to the parents telling them to make sure the child brings the card to the show because I will do some magic with it.

At the show, after showing the black and white drawing on the front, the blank interior and the blank back of the card, the card is placed inside a “magic printing press.” The back of the card is still visible through an opening in the front of the “press” and the Birthday Child takes a crayon and writes his or her name on it.

Now, one by one, we take the “magic” crayons and color in the picture magically. In this process, the crayons vanish, one by one. First we color in with the red crayon all the parts that should be red, like the clown’s nose, the buttons on his costume, and so on. When that is finished, the crayon has vanished… all used up. So now we color in all the yellow parts… and so on. I only use four colors, red, yellow, green and blue, but you could obviously use more. Before we finish, I take the last crayon and use it to magically write a message inside the card before vanishing the crayon.

The child then loosens the wing nuts and releases the card, showing that it is fully colored on the front, has the message I wrote inside it, and still has the child’s name on the back. It also now has a sticker inside containing my contact information. I hand it to the birthday child along with a refrigerator magnet so he or she can look at it all year long and remember the fun they had turning (whatever age) and remember me and this special magic birthday party.

Wiz Kid Ee-Gee-Fiki has posed for the photo instructions, and also added his ideas for a greatly simplified way of showing the card after only one or two colors have been applied. He also has added an extra method that he finds useful to easily vanish a crayon.

Upon payment, you will be sent an e-book (pdf file) with the instructions.

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