Price$19.95
Media TypeTrick
CategoryGeneral, Bizarre, Close Up, Mentalism
Date AddedJun 23, 2015
Thumb Fun
Illusion Concepts - Devin Knight
(Based on 4 reviews)
EFFECT: A playing card is selected and kept a secret from the performer. The performer shows five small white cards blank on both sides, the size is roughly 1.5 x 2.5. He cleanly removes a card and shows it to be blank on both sides (no double-lift).
The performer shows there is nothing on his thumb and presses it against the blank card, when he lifts his thumb, there is seen to be a black thumbprint with a small replica of the chosen card inside the thumbprint. One of the most novel and commercial card revelations ever invented and a favorite of many professional magicians. Everything can be examined. You can repeat the effect later and have a different card appear. Appeals to all ages. You are not limited to playing cards, you can make numbers, ESP symbols or even the person's initials appear within the thumbprint. You can leave the thumbprint with the spectator to show to others.
This effect comes with Sid's complete directions updated by Devin Knight. A highly sought-after effect by collectors that is now available again. The effect looks so good you will almost fool yourself. Learn to do it in five minutes.
NO CHEMICALS USED
NO GIMMICKS USED
NO SLEIGHTS NEEDED
NO FUSS, NO MESS
CAN BE REPEATED WITH DIFFERENT RESULTS
EASY TO DO
"I really do think this gem is something that many magicians will find as a 'keeper' as they perform it and realize the wonderful effect it has on an audience. You have revived an exceptional piece of magic for many to enjoy! I'm impressed and very happy that you've gone through all that you have to make this available again."
- Chester McBain
Reviews
(Top ▲)
PROS
This is a classic of magic and a blast from the past! It was released in the 1950s by Sid Lorraine, famous for his illustrations for Abbott Magic. The product was discontinued many years ago, and more recently brought back to life by Devin Knight.
The effect is you show several blank pieces of paper front and back. You show your thumb clean. You press your thumb to one of the blank cards and it leaves a thumb print. You receive five blank pieces of cardstock that are 1.5 by 2 inches, or approximately 4 by 5.5 centimeters. In addition, you receive five pieces of cardstock the same size with various thumb prints on them. One has the number 2 ½, another the numbers 1 through 9, another has a small two of clubs, another has a three of spades, and the last has a five of clubs. Finally, you receive five cards with thumb prints that have a blank space in the middle that you can customize.
You also receive a four page instruction sheet. No DVD or online video, just written instructions.
The method is very easy, and involves the easiest of “moves”. The ad copy says there are no sleights. I’m not going to disagree, given the one “move” you must do really isn’t much of a sleight. I would call it a simple move, not a sleight.
The instructions cover a variety of presentations, covering all the thumb print cards you have. Each card is a different presentation and really slightly different effect. The presentations also run the spectrum of card revelation, gag, and even mentalism.
The premise is pretty simple, but the various routines can be very effective and very entertaining. I never saw Sid perform, but there is a section on the last page of the instructions that is a list of comedy bits that Sid used in conjunction with this effect. Many of the bits are reminiscent of old vaudefille bits and they may not work well today, but some might be brushed off and used, or at least, used as inspiration for more up to date bits. For example, using one of the bits as a guide, you would have a participant hold out their thumb in the same position as a hitch-hicker. You would then ask them to move it forward and backward and you help guide them. You then say: “I am going to do a little reading… you like to travel, but you are cheap."
CONS
I don’t know what to say here. You should know that the cards are quite small, the dimensions given above. I don't know if that is a con or a pro. I my mind, it’s more of a pro, but it is something you should be aware of.
VERDICT
A great blast from the past, brought back to life!
This is a classic of magic and a blast from the past! It was released in the 1950s by Sid Lorraine, famous for his illustrations for Abbott Magic. The product was discontinued many years ago, and more recently brought back to life by Devin Knight.
The effect is you show several blank pieces of paper front and back. You show your thumb clean. You press your thumb to one of the blank cards and it leaves a thumb print. You receive five blank pieces of cardstock that are 1.5 by 2 inches, or approximately 4 by 5.5 centimeters. In addition, you receive five pieces of cardstock the same size with various thumb prints on them. One has the number 2 ½, another the numbers 1 through 9, another has a small two of clubs, another has a three of spades, and the last has a five of clubs. Finally, you receive five cards with thumb prints that have a blank space in the middle that you can customize.
You also receive a four page instruction sheet. No DVD or online video, just written instructions.
The method is very easy, and involves the easiest of “moves”. The ad copy says there are no sleights. I’m not going to disagree, given the one “move” you must do really isn’t much of a sleight. I would call it a simple move, not a sleight.
The instructions cover a variety of presentations, covering all the thumb print cards you have. Each card is a different presentation and really slightly different effect. The presentations also run the spectrum of card revelation, gag, and even mentalism.
The premise is pretty simple, but the various routines can be very effective and very entertaining. I never saw Sid perform, but there is a section on the last page of the instructions that is a list of comedy bits that Sid used in conjunction with this effect. Many of the bits are reminiscent of old vaudefille bits and they may not work well today, but some might be brushed off and used, or at least, used as inspiration for more up to date bits. For example, using one of the bits as a guide, you would have a participant hold out their thumb in the same position as a hitch-hicker. You would then ask them to move it forward and backward and you help guide them. You then say: “I am going to do a little reading… you like to travel, but you are cheap."
CONS
I don’t know what to say here. You should know that the cards are quite small, the dimensions given above. I don't know if that is a con or a pro. I my mind, it’s more of a pro, but it is something you should be aware of.
VERDICT
A great blast from the past, brought back to life!
Suggestions
I think this effect would lend itself wonderfully to a give-away, however, you only have a limited number of fingerprint cards. One particularly good give-away would be for a special couple, celebrating a wedding or an anniversary. Take one of the fingerprint cards with a blank space and make a photocopy of it. Using a fine tip pen, modify the fingerprints to be in the shape of a heart. Find out the initials of the special couple in advance. Let’s say they are RT and LT. Inside the heart, write “RT + LT”. Make another photocopy of this onto card stock. Perform the routine as outlined in the instructions.(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Stairway to Heaven by Mary J. Blige
Thumb Fun Review
Fifteen "special" little pieces of cardboard, 4 pages of instructions, $20 bucks and one Thumb Fun Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect
Show a small stack of cards (approximately half the size of business cards) to be blank on both sides. A card is "selected." You place your thumb on the stack of cards. A thumb print appears on the top card. Inside the thumb print is the selected card.
Method
The method uses misdirection and some basic handling of the cards that's taught in the instructions along with the special cards that are supplied. The cards are not gimmicked, so they can be examined after the effect is performed.
Thumb Fun Review: Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy mentions that Sid Lorraine created this effect and taught it to Doug Henning who "used it everywhere, including in some of his touring stage shows, showing it on a big screen behind him." I tried to get a hold of Doug on the Ouija Board to find out if that was true, but he wasn't home. I'll try later. For now, we'll have to take their word for it.
As for the claims about the effect and method, those are accurate and honest. The rest of the claims are not false per se, but they're definitely opinion, not fact. For example the claim that this is "[o]ne of the most novel and commercial card revelations ever invented . . ." is a claim that I think many people would disagree with, but alas, it is all opinion and therefore has no bearing on the final star rating.
Last, they claim that "the effect looks so good you will almost fool yourself." Um . . . based on the method, I'm not sure how that would happen. I mention this because it would be easy to assume, based on that claim, that the method happens automatically somehow. It does not. You must do some minimal handling of the cards and use some good old fashioned misdirection.
Thumb Fun Review: Product Quality
You are supplied with 15 small pieces of cardboard. All of them are blank on one side. Five of them are blank on both sides. The 10 that have something on them all have a thumb print. 5 of the thumb prints are blank in the center so you can write something that will later be revealed. Three of them have a playing card (3 different playing cards). One has the digits 1 through 9 on it, and the last one has the number two-and-a-half on it. Watch my review video to see them up close.
The cards are well made. They're much like glossy business card stock. They're slightly taller than a business card is wide, and their width is just shy of about half the width of a business card. The instructions recommend putting fanning powder or talcum powder on the cards to make handling them smoother. I didn't feel the need to do that. I was able to handl the cards just fine without that. Though they are well made, the printing on them is a little less than the quality you might hope for. Again watch the video for a look at the cards.
The instructions are well written. They clearly explain the method for making the thumb print appear. However, they do assume that you already know how to have the card "selected." They don't cover that. They cover a brief method for getting the spectator to think of two-and-a-half for one of the options. The card that has the digits 1 through 9 is used as a gag prediction. Think of any number from 1 to 10. It (and the rest of the digits) appear thumb-printed on the cards. As mentioned, the blank ones can be used for whatever you want. You'll have to provide your own "selection" process, however.
Final Thoughts
Lastly, there are a handful of thumb gags that Sid Lorraine used to do in his act. Unless you're a 75 year old Vaudeville act, don't use these jokes. They are clearly dated. There's much about this effect that feels dated, but I just can't quite put my thumb on it.
Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of gem.
Available at your Favorite Magic Dealer. Dealer's see Murphy's Magic For Details.
(Top ▲)
With this trick, you show the spectator five small blank cards about one-third the size of playing cards. You then rub your thumb vigorously against your sleeve and press it against one of the cards. When you take your thumb away, it leaves an FBI-type thumb-print in the middle of the card. In the middle of the print is a blank space with a small image --- of a previously selected card, a predicted number, or whatever else you want to put inside the tiny space.
Thumb Fun, first marketed by Sid Lorraine many years ago, has recently been revived by Devin Knight. I bought my version from Lybrary.com as an $8.00 download. It contained instructions and templates for making the thumb-print cards. I took the templates to Office Depot and had them printed on business card stock. Some dealers sell a somewhat more expensive version of Thumb Fun with ready-made cards.
This trick packs small and plays much bigger than I expected. I present the cards as “scratch-off lottery tickets.” I try to scratch off one of the cards but fail. Then I give the card to the spectators and ask if they can scratch it. Of course, they fail too, but this allows them to handle the card and realize that it’s just ordinary white card-stock, blank on both sides. Afterward I make the thumbprint and image appear on the same blank card they just handled (or at least, what they think is the same card).
I’m enthusiastic about this trick for three reasons. First, it’s very, very easy to perform. Second, despite the simplicity of the method, it’s a genuine fooler and looks magical. Spectators really want to examine that card again -- and you can let them, or even give it to them as a souvenir. Third, the trick can be personalized. For example, I performed Thumb Fun for the bride and groom at a wedding reception and made their names appear together in the middle of the thumbprint.
There’s only one “con” I can think of: If you want to personalize the image in the thumbprint, as I did for the newly-weds, you will have to do some extra prep. But if you aren’t interested in personalizing the trick, you can simply make a selected card appear in the middle of the thumb-print and re-use the same card again and again (in fact, the templates include three thumb-prints, each with a different card image, so that the trick can be repeated with different outcomes).
Thumb Fun, first marketed by Sid Lorraine many years ago, has recently been revived by Devin Knight. I bought my version from Lybrary.com as an $8.00 download. It contained instructions and templates for making the thumb-print cards. I took the templates to Office Depot and had them printed on business card stock. Some dealers sell a somewhat more expensive version of Thumb Fun with ready-made cards.
This trick packs small and plays much bigger than I expected. I present the cards as “scratch-off lottery tickets.” I try to scratch off one of the cards but fail. Then I give the card to the spectators and ask if they can scratch it. Of course, they fail too, but this allows them to handle the card and realize that it’s just ordinary white card-stock, blank on both sides. Afterward I make the thumbprint and image appear on the same blank card they just handled (or at least, what they think is the same card).
I’m enthusiastic about this trick for three reasons. First, it’s very, very easy to perform. Second, despite the simplicity of the method, it’s a genuine fooler and looks magical. Spectators really want to examine that card again -- and you can let them, or even give it to them as a souvenir. Third, the trick can be personalized. For example, I performed Thumb Fun for the bride and groom at a wedding reception and made their names appear together in the middle of the thumbprint.
There’s only one “con” I can think of: If you want to personalize the image in the thumbprint, as I did for the newly-weds, you will have to do some extra prep. But if you aren’t interested in personalizing the trick, you can simply make a selected card appear in the middle of the thumb-print and re-use the same card again and again (in fact, the templates include three thumb-prints, each with a different card image, so that the trick can be repeated with different outcomes).
(Top ▲)
This is a great classic. It is easy and fun to perform and spectators get a huge kick out of this trick. With Thumb Fun, the performer allows the spectator to pick a card and does not reveal it to the performer. The performer then shows a stack of 5 small blank pieces of white paper and after displaying that his thumb is clean, he presses it onto one of the pieces of papers and reveals a thumb print with a tiny image of the selected card, printed on the paper.
I have a dim recollection of seeing this trick as a kid, many decades ago. Discontinued since then, it was brought back and updated by Devin Knight, with permission .
This trick comes with the necessary small pieces of white paper and two double sided pages of instructions. The instructions are clearly printed with excellent illustrations, which are easy to follow and understand. This is not like so many tricks where the written instructions have been copied over and over so that it is blurry and barely legible. These instructions are newly printed and not only contain the instructions, but suggested patters and Sid Lorraine's one-liner gags he used to use when performing this trick. The one liners are a bit outdated and probably won't be used.
You can reveal different outcomes, different selected cards, ESP symbols or even a custom word or drawing.
The ad copy is accurate except for the statement that there are "no sleights." That is not accurate. There is a move that needs to be done, but it is as easy as waving hello to a friend.
This is fun for audiences of all ages, fun in a close-up or strolling situation and can be carried around in your wallet at all times.
I have a dim recollection of seeing this trick as a kid, many decades ago. Discontinued since then, it was brought back and updated by Devin Knight, with permission .
This trick comes with the necessary small pieces of white paper and two double sided pages of instructions. The instructions are clearly printed with excellent illustrations, which are easy to follow and understand. This is not like so many tricks where the written instructions have been copied over and over so that it is blurry and barely legible. These instructions are newly printed and not only contain the instructions, but suggested patters and Sid Lorraine's one-liner gags he used to use when performing this trick. The one liners are a bit outdated and probably won't be used.
You can reveal different outcomes, different selected cards, ESP symbols or even a custom word or drawing.
The ad copy is accurate except for the statement that there are "no sleights." That is not accurate. There is a move that needs to be done, but it is as easy as waving hello to a friend.
This is fun for audiences of all ages, fun in a close-up or strolling situation and can be carried around in your wallet at all times.