Entertaining Enigma!

Quite recently I have stumbled upon something in performance that I cannot explain. No matter how many shows, the audience size or setting the results appear to be the exact same.

Not only does this “happening” in my show completely baffle me but I cannot logically understand why it occurs. It is totally unexpected and goes against all my logic and experience as a kids performer.

Rather than puzzle on this all alone, I thought this might make an interesting blog and perhaps others might also enlighten me if they have experienced any similar enigmas in their performances like this one.

A load of balls!

Since the dawn of FizzWizzPop time, I have performed a sponge ball routine in my show. This prop has represented many things over the years including snot a.k.a. “Bogies.” Hence the invention of the wonderful catchphrase a parent once said about my show below…

“The FizzWizzPop show is filled with fun, snot and lot’s of confetti!”

After Covid, I ditched calling them bogies in favour of something less contagious related and they are now just referred to as “squishy green balls.”

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My own routine is a version I developed from Mark Wilson’s course in magic. I kept the bits I like and ditched the parts I didn’t. I’ve added several other ideas I’ve come up with along the way. Currently it’s a full solid ten minute routine.

Recently, I have decided to add an explosion of sponge balls flying out of my case at the very end – which kids just LOVE!

However, here is the conundrum which I cannot understand.

The difference between hand held and hands free is?

If any of you have dabbled in sponge magic for children you will have noticed that they are quite tactile. Meaning most children upon the sight of them want to grab, touch and hold them. Sometimes kids don’t even want to give you them back.

Here is what I have noticed.

Anytime I produce sponge balls from my fingertips or hands during my routine, most of the kids in the audience display the urge to run up to grab it. Or rather they charge up like elephants! They want to touch it.

It’s hilarious and I love that the sight of a simple sponge ball engages children (and sometimes adults) in this way.

So, when I decided to introduce a “sponge ball catapult into my show” I thought in terms of gathering them I would have plenty of help from my audience. Easy peasy, right?

BUT NO. THEY DON”T HELP ME AT ALL. DO THEY!

For some unknown reason, every single time I’ve launched a cascade of sponges balls into the air from my case at the end of this routine in my show, not once has a child ran up to help me gather them – EVER!

All they do is laugh and sit there and watch me running round like a loon picking them up myself. Which, I admit is a fun sight, but the whole point of it was so that they would help me do it .

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Their reaction has got me thinking more about why it happens.

Does it matter where we produce an item in terms of the audiences response to it and if so why?

Why do children, when producing sponge balls from my fingertips are more inclined to want to grab them?

Compared to when the exact same item is produced in mass from my case (essentially an inanimate object) and they do not even attempt to take them or help me gather them?

The answer to this is, well, I have no idea!

Why does it happen like this every time? And are there any similar props that might cause a similar result using this principle? Perhaps cards with a card fountain? I’ve never tried this effect so I am unsure of its outcome.

The only way I am going to find out is to keep experimenting and see what I find.

I will of course let you all know.

Maybe you have also come across a conundrum in magic before similar to this that you simply cannot explain why it happens? If so I’d love to hear from you.

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For now I’ll keep puzzling the above, maybe one day I’ve find an answer to my question.

Or it could just be one of those unexplained principles of magic.

We shall see!