Price$8.90
Media TypeTrick
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedAug 20, 2008
Monkey Monte
Card-Shark.de
(Based on 1 review)
But that's not enough: after she reappears she is found in all three places and the male monkeys have disappeared. The spectator will believe that you spoiled the trick. To fix it you turn over one male monkey and the
lady so that only one card is left. But what will the third card be, you ask? As a big surprise, it is the magician wearing a gorilla costume!
Finally, a very easy to handle Monte for all ages, based on the famous Color Monte.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
I like the idea of using cartoon characters on cards for a monte routine, but this particular version, while mechanically sound, doesn't make much sense to me. On the other hand, it might just be a case of comedy not crossing over cultural boundaries ("Monkey Monte" is from Germany), so here's the author's description of the effect in italics, along with my thoughts in parentheses.
"Show your spectator three monkeys. Two of them are dressed as males, but the third is dressed as a lady. [in the instructions, the presentation actually describes this character not as a female monkey, but rather as a male monkey who 'likes wearing women's clothes and calls herself, err, himself Judy.']. The spectator should look for the lady [i.e., transvestite monkey], but suddenly she has disappeared as you show the spectator three male monkeys. But that's not enough: after she reappears she is found in all three places and the male monkeys have disappeared. The spectator will believe that you spoiled the trick. [sort of] To fix it, you turn over one male monkey and the lady [i.e., transvestite monkey] so that only one card is left. But what will the third card be, you ask? As a big surprise it is the magician [i.e., you, but only if you're a short-haired blonde guy] wearing a gorilla costume [I have no idea what this is supposed to imply]."
If that presentation and those characters strike you as something you can work with, you'll find these cards are nicely made and the handling is functional. Personally, if I were going to do a monte routine with cartoon animals on cards, I think it would make more sense to show, say, two cards with green chameleons on them and one card with a red chameleon, then direct the spectators to "find the red chameleon." When all three cards are then shown to have green chameleons on them, it would follow logically that the red chameleon "changed color to blend in with the others." Then the cards could be touched to something red (a shirt sleeve, silk, whatever), whereupon all three chameleons would be shown as red. Finally, with one chameleon reverting back to its natural green, and the other remaining red, the third card could be turned over, showing a multicolored (rainbow) chameleon (i.e., "this guy's ready for anything"), or a blank card (i.e., he's blending in with the background of the card itself), or something along those lines. A monte with two black horses and a white horse would also be interesting, if only because the final card could be turned over to reveal a zebra.
But if you see something in the monkey characters that I'm missing, or a way to frame the routine that makes a little more sense, maybe "Monkey Monte" is for you.
David Acer
"Show your spectator three monkeys. Two of them are dressed as males, but the third is dressed as a lady. [in the instructions, the presentation actually describes this character not as a female monkey, but rather as a male monkey who 'likes wearing women's clothes and calls herself, err, himself Judy.']. The spectator should look for the lady [i.e., transvestite monkey], but suddenly she has disappeared as you show the spectator three male monkeys. But that's not enough: after she reappears she is found in all three places and the male monkeys have disappeared. The spectator will believe that you spoiled the trick. [sort of] To fix it, you turn over one male monkey and the lady [i.e., transvestite monkey] so that only one card is left. But what will the third card be, you ask? As a big surprise it is the magician [i.e., you, but only if you're a short-haired blonde guy] wearing a gorilla costume [I have no idea what this is supposed to imply]."
If that presentation and those characters strike you as something you can work with, you'll find these cards are nicely made and the handling is functional. Personally, if I were going to do a monte routine with cartoon animals on cards, I think it would make more sense to show, say, two cards with green chameleons on them and one card with a red chameleon, then direct the spectators to "find the red chameleon." When all three cards are then shown to have green chameleons on them, it would follow logically that the red chameleon "changed color to blend in with the others." Then the cards could be touched to something red (a shirt sleeve, silk, whatever), whereupon all three chameleons would be shown as red. Finally, with one chameleon reverting back to its natural green, and the other remaining red, the third card could be turned over, showing a multicolored (rainbow) chameleon (i.e., "this guy's ready for anything"), or a blank card (i.e., he's blending in with the background of the card itself), or something along those lines. A monte with two black horses and a white horse would also be interesting, if only because the final card could be turned over to reveal a zebra.
But if you see something in the monkey characters that I'm missing, or a way to frame the routine that makes a little more sense, maybe "Monkey Monte" is for you.
David Acer