Diary

AutomataCon

5/27/2022

Last weekend I, that is, P.T. Widdle - the owner and operator of the Suitcase of Wonders (and occasional contributor to Smallini’s Diary/Blog), attended the AutomataCon in nearby Morristown, NJ.
The AutomataCon is a convention for automata enthusiasts held at the wonderful Morris Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate. In addition to the modestly-sized AutomataCon gathering there was also an outstanding exhibition of contemporary kinetic art alongside the museum’s impressive permanent collection of mechanical music and historical automata. So, a lot of mechanical moving marvels to behold!

While the Suitcase of Wonders is primarily a venue for the presentation of live magic (by Smallini, the World’s Tiniest Magician), I have long been interested in automata in playing a role in both the illusions themselves (as evidenced by the recent “Ask Abe” effect), as well as serving as interstitial entertainment between acts. My limited efforts in this vein include music boxes and vintage wind-up toys playing in front of the curtain. However, I am now looking to incorporate a fully automated device (battery-operated servo, etc.) that can play for a minute or two on its own while I set up the next illusion.

In addition to a self-playing automata, which would either be prohibitively expensive to procure or beyond my current capabilities to make at this time, I have been looking at the idea of automated image projections of some sort - a miniature film projector, so to speak. This idea has led me to the acquiring of a Tiny TV (its own diary entry forthcoming), and now, a mechanical flipbook, fine examples of which I saw at the AutomataCon by Marvel & Rosen, LLC.

These flip books can be motorized and customized to show any short sequence of video or film. They’re quite mesmerizing. I could see two or three of them being shown at once or in succession. While the size of the kit they offer would work in front of my curtain, I would prefer a unit a little smaller, so perhaps I can I make my own using their template.

Like toy theater and puppetry, I consider automata to be an artistic cousin of the Suitcase of Wonders, and I will continue to explore its possibilities to enhance my performances.

Coney Island Spring Gala

3/29/2022

Last weekend the Suitcase of Wonders performed at the Coney Island USA Spring Gala. This was a roaring twenties-themed variety show event to raise money for Coney Island USA, the non-profit organization that runs the Coney Island Sideshow, Mermaid Parade, and the Coney Island Museum.

I was joined by some wonderful performers on the bill, including sword swallowers, stilt walkers, mermaid dancers, magicians, jugglers, burlesque performers and much more. In other words, my kind of people.

The Suitcase of Wonders was received well as I performed my usual repertoire of illusions. I was hoping to debut a couple of new pieces, but since they both relied on audio accompaniment, I had to demur because of the loud (and good) background music that was playing in the room. Most of my tricks work fine with room noise/music, but unfortunately my two new pieces need quiet as there are essential spoken parts. I'll just have to be patient and wait for an opportunity to perform them with the proper environmental surroundings.

In all, it was a great evening, and I hope that Coney Island USA's new chapter (under new management) will be a long and successful one.

Ask Abe

1/29/2022

We here at the Suitcase of Wonders (and by we, of course I mean myself, Smallini, The World’s Tiniest Magician, and Mr. P.T. Widdle, the owner and operator of the Suitcase of Wonders theater), are very excited about the development of our latest magical presentation, Ask Abe.

An audience member is given a wooden writing slate and a piece of chalk. They are instructed to write a brief Yes or No question directed at Abraham Lincoln, the head of whom rests upon a nicely decorated box on the stage. The operator displays another slate, showing it clean of any markings on both sides, and places it flat on the stage next to Lincoln’s head. He then lowers a realistic replica of a hand, attached to some sort of mechanism that controls it, onto the face of the slate.

The operator instructs the audience member to read their question out loud. He then flips a switch on the front of the Suitcase - a red light comes on and the Lincoln head starts moving while the former president’s voice is heard through the Suitcase’s speakers. After a few seconds, the head stops moving, the talking ends, and then the hand starts to move around on the slate, as if writing.

When the hand stops moving, the operator slowly picks up the slate, which is now seen to contain chalk writing on it. It says “Yes” or “No” depending on the question that was asked.

Both slates are erased and another question can be asked if desired.

This demonstration came about organically after first seeing a video by the amazing British maker of small hand-cranked paper animations, Rob Ives. The video was a new experiment with animatronics utilizing a plastic easter egg crafted into a simple head that was controlled by two servo motors and toothpicks.

It was a simple and elegant design that produced a nice combination of lifelike movements. Ives controlled the setup using a manual servo controller whereby he twiddled the knobs to make the head move in real time.

The Ives head inspired me to make my own using a lightweight painted foam skull I own. The results turned out to my liking and got me thinking about the skull answering questions posed by the audience. I pulled out some Dave Powell Spirit Slates that I’ve been saving for a seance and added a small vinyl hand to do the spirit writing. Both the head and hand are controlled using a fantastic four-servo recorder I bought. The beauty of this device is that it can record up to three minutes of manually controlling the servos to be played back later. None of the usual programming necessary with servo projects is needed. I must admit I’ve been having a lot of fun with this cool piece of equipment.

I felt the skull was too innocuous and lacked personality, so I changed it to Abe Lincoln and his spirit hand. I was delighted to find that my hand-crafted (laser cut) wooden casing (previously used as a music box) fit perfectly as a stand for the Lincoln head. With nice lighting the whole setup looks very pleasing and curious sitting on the Suitcase of Wonders stage.

I like the idea of the servo apparatus being somewhat visible to the audience, peeking out from behind the rear curtain. They can see the mechanisms moving as the head speaks and the hand writes. Because of the cleverness of magic maker Dave Powell, it is very mysterious as to how the writing appears on the slate. No flaps or locking mechanisms are used.

I love when an effect comes together so fluidly, and I’m excited to be incorporating my first animatronics into the mix. Another oddly magical and visually pleasing demonstration comes to life inside the Suitcase of Wonders!

The Bearded Mermaid

12/21/2021

The latest Wonder to grace the Suitcase of Wonders arrived via air mail this past weekend.

Mr. P.T. Widdle, the owner and operator of this concern, had been looking for strange and odd exhibits to present alongside his main attraction, that being I, Smallini, the World’s Tiniest Magician. Getting the idea from a biography of P.T. Barnum that he recently read, Mr. Widdle set out to find an authentic Fiji (aka Feejee) Mermaid to display in his theater of Wonders. This task at first seemed to be folly due to the fact that Barnum’s original Fiji Mermaid (thought to be the only one of its kind), had been destroyed in a tragic fire years ago. However, with some diligent research and quiet inquires made into dark areas of the World Wide Web, Mr. Widdle found some anthropologists and scientists who believed that there did indeed exist other examples of this so-called mythological creature. Agents of oddities who are friendly with Mr. Widdle led him to a promising lead of a well-preserved mermaid that was being kept somewhere in Texas. After much subterfuge and negotiation, the keeper of the specimen (who will only be known as The Dusty Tentacle), agreed upon a suitable price and shipped her to our headquarters in New York City.

For weeks (due to the recent fragile state of the US postal delivery service - alas, Mr. Widdle refused to pay more for a private shipper due to an already substantial outlay for the item itself), we waited nervously for the Fiji Mermaid to arrive. One day at an odd hour we heard a loud thump outside our front door. A wooden crate with the stencil, “DO NOT OPEN” was on the doorstep. Wrapped carefully in straw and what appeared to be dry seaweed was what you see in the accompanying photographs to this diary entry:

A half-fish, half-man creature. I say man because attached to the face (or rather, skull) was a surprisingly still plentiful amount of what once was a white beard. When I immediately pointed this out to Mr. Widdle, he thought for a second and replied,

“Well now, let’s not assume it was a man. It could have been a woman-fish sporting that nice beard. Maybe all the feejee mermaids had them.”

With enough said on that point, we inspected the preserved remains of this mesmerizing specimen and plotted, I mean, planned how to present her/him/them to the Suitcase of Wonders’ curious audience. Just as we expected, the creature fit perfectly inside the theater, and with the addition of some creative lighting and a slowly rotating black pedestal, one would receive quite the jolt when the curtain was raised to reveal the mermaid (mer-them?).
Mr. Widdle and I agreed that a low musical number would play while I, Smallini, stood at the front of the stage touting the wondrous creature for all to see.

I must admit that the addition of this exhibition has given new excitement around here. Mr. Widdle is already at work contacting oddities agents in Russia about other items of interest that we can display, ones that are more in line with my own smallish proportions. I’ve overheard him on the phone talking (in broken Russian) about a unique set of conjoined twins preserved in lucite, and a set of “evolution skulls,” apparently very hard to find. In any case, I am thrilled to have some interesting company to entertain and amaze alongside my illusion program. The Suitcase of Wonders is living up to its name more than ever before!

A New Exhibition?

11/24/2021

The other day my business partner and owner/operator of The Suitcase of Wonders, the esteemed Mr. P.T. Widdle, approached me (Smallini) while I was rehearsing and proclaimed that while he was greatly satisfied with the quality of “entertainments” I have been presenting in his renowned theater - namely, a fine evening magic repertoire - nevertheless he felt we needed to add some unique exhibits to the mix. After all, he continued, the name on the sign reads “The Suitcase of Wonders.”

I chose not to to quibble over this matter, for I knew Mr. Widdle had recently been reading a biography of none other than P.T. Barnum, the greatest showman of them all, and that it was folly to try and persuade my partner not to take this potentially risky and expensive path. To that end, Mr. Widdle suggested that we pursue the acquisition of a legendary and notorious object - the Feejee Mermaid, originally exhibited by Barnum at his American Museum in New York City. While it is my understanding that the original Mermaid had long since been consumed by fire, Mr. Widdle, it seems, will not be deterred by that trivial fact. There are other Feejee Mermaids in existence he claims, and why wouldn’t there be, Mr. Widdle extrapolated, since where there was one, there must have been many.

P. T. Barnum's Feejee mermaid from 1842

So now we are in pursuit of one of these mummified oddities, with a generous financial nut at the ready, so determined is Mr. Widdle to possess and exhibit this watery wonder. We have a couple of promising leads, and it seems to be a matter of personal taste as to which one we end up acquiring - that and the object’s size, as it obviously must fit inside the strict dimensions of our theater. Before committing to one of these far flung purveyors, we will first attend the upcoming Oddities Flea Market next month here in NYC. I performed at this event in 2019, the last time it was held, and I look forward to perusing the vendors’ offerings (and perhaps perform again) this year.

As I ponder these developments, I am happily surprised at the maturity of my reaction to Mr. Widdle’s new pursuit. I, Smallini, remain unquestionably confident with my ability to entertain and amaze audiences, but I am also open to allowing unique exhibits to share the stage (and limelight) in order to help draw crowds. Anything for our dear, devoted audience!

Halloween Seance

10/30/2021

Halloween is a good time to conduct a seance. The spirits seem eager to mingle with us mere mortals on our designated spooky fall day. With the death of Harry Houdini on Halloween,1926, the legendary magician became the most popular spirit for seance mediums to try and contact in order to reach the other world. It began with Bess, Houdini’s wife, who for years after his death, famously tried contacting her beloved husband every Halloween in the vain hope of speaking to him one more time. Despite her repeated failures to do so, Houdini remains the popular spirit of choice for Halloween seances to this day.

I’ve never tried contacting Houdini on Halloween - he seems like he’d be pretty busy that day. Plus, I have no personal connection to him. A familial descendant of Houdini seems like they should have priority of his ethereal time over the scores of wannabe spiritualistic hucksters looking to use the great magician’s name to make a quick buck or impress a potential suitor.

No, Houdini on Halloween is not for me. I have my own personal spirit to contact on All Hallows Eve, although I haven’t yet tried. You see, two years ago, my father died on Halloween, forever hence altering this formerly fun day of innocent spookiness and tasty candy to one of mourning and regret. Not long after the initial shock wore off, however, I kept having gnawing thoughts about the particular timing of dad’s demise. Surely, as a magician and appreciator of spiritualism memorabilia, the timing of the death (Halloween, for Pete’s sake!) was telling me something - that I should try to conduct my own seance to reach the other world and communicate with my very own personal spirit contact.

I’m still waiting to do so, and really, I don’t know if I’ll ever try. But if I do, I want it to be entertaining for my audience. I have various ‘tests’ planned, all suited to fit my spirit contact’s unique personae. For instance, throughout most of his life, Dad was a lover of the marijuana herb, so I will place one of his personal smoking pipes next to a framed picture of him and cover both with a decorative cloth. As some of his favorite music is played (Moody Blues), my audience and I will watch as inexplicably, smoke will start to emanate from underneath the cloth - smoke that carries the unmistakable scent of weed. And when I withdraw the cloth, the picture in the frame will have vanished and the pipe will show no trace of being recently used.

This previous test will allow us to proceed to the matter of asking my spirit father some specific questions (yes or no, of course), using two of his childhood school chalk-writing slates. “Is it going to rain later today?” might be an inquiry, for example. Or, “Do you realize what a number you’ve done on your children, Dad?” However he responds, it will be in the unmistakable hand of a confident and bright eight-year-old lad from Roxbury, Massachusetts.

This dramatic and informative written session might well lead into an audio encounter using an old sports bullhorn from dad’s high school track days. Are those sounds of running feet we hear?

At some point, we might even receive an unexpected visit from Nana, whose ectoplasmic-type stiff hand that I remove from a keepsake box suddenly moves, then crumples into a ball.

These are just some examples of what this Halloween dad seance might look like. I am certainly not prepared practically or emotionally to try to ‘reach out’ this Halloween (only one day away), so perhaps next year, dad. I am hearing there are those who would like to talk to you again, not to mention people who would like a slightly different kind of spirit guide to the other world. What’s that? “Sounds like a business plan,” you say? Of course you’d say that, lifelong entrepreneur that you were. But why am I hearing voices now? Save it for the seance, pop!

Fire In The Hole

9/30/2021

Let’s do something with this box of matches.

The magician sets a matchbox down on a dinner plate. He partially removes the cover to reveal the drawer filled with wooden matches.

I’m going to dump some of the matches out and keep some inside. I don’t want you to see how many.

The magician turns over the box and some matches fall out onto the plate. He holds back the remaining matches with his thumb as he slides the cover over the drawer.

Please choose one of the matches on the plate and hand it to me.

The spectator follows instructions.

Thanks. Now I’m going to try and poke this match through the center of the box like so…

The magician pokes a hole in the top of the box with the bottom of the match and continues to push downward until the match pokes another hole through the bottom of the box.

It's a little tough to get this match past the other ones in the box, but look...the match is impaled through the center of the box. Impressive, I know, but that’s actually not the trick.

Please hand me another match from the plate.

The magician lights the second match against the side of the box, and then slowly touches the flame to the match sticking out of the box, igniting it. He then quickly blows out the first match and drops it onto the plate.

Watch, I’m going to pull the flame through the hole…

The magician pulls the lit match out through the bottom of the box, extinguishing the flame along the way. He quickly drops the burnt match onto the plate and starts to blow on the top of the matchbox, which has a little smoke coming out of the top hole.

He drops the too-hot-to-hold matchbox onto the plate, and it makes a surprising ‘clunk’ sound, as if there’s something heavy in the box.

The flame must have fused everything together.

The magician picks up the matchbox and slowly removes the cover, revealing what appears to be a solid brass block filling the drawer.

He lightly touches the block once or twice before saying,

Open your hand. It’s not hot anymore.

The magician dumps the metal block from the matchbox into the palm of the spectator, who can then examine everything.

------------

The above is Mr. Widdle’s presentation of an old close-up trick generally known as the Matchbox and Block trick or Matchbox Penetration, or various other names (I do not know the origin but I’m curious about it). Almost all of the presentations of this trick usually involve just a simple penetration of the box with a toothpick or a needle with a ribbon. The box remains closed until the object is pulled through, then the box is opened, usually by the spectator, and the brass block is revealed.

While these simple presentations can be effective, I’ve always had a couple of issues with them. First, a matchbox is used but why are no matches ever seen? Why not use a match to penetrate the box? There is also no explanation as to why there are already holes in the box.

It wasn’t long before I ditched the fake matchbox that came with the trick for a real one. And then I saw that you could cover the brick with some matches and it would look like the box was filled with them. Finally, and this seemed like a no-brainer to me, I lit the match that penetrated the box, and then pulled the lit match through.

This is a dramatic moment, which results in a logical basis for the actions that follow. When the lit match is pulled through, a little puff of smoke comes out of the hole (a nice effect), but it also implies that the box is hot - or at least whatever’s inside it is. So it is therefore natural to blow on the box to cool it, and while doing so, the magician can secure the gimmick in a manner that is completely natural. Even better, when pulling the drawer out, you can continue to blow on the inside and even pretend to brush off ashes, all while absolutely making sure the gimmick is secure.

The lit match also gives a sort of logical reason for the metal brick to appear. “The flame must have fused everything together,” says the magician. Some sort of fire-based alchemy or forging is implied.

As if all this wasn’t enough to use a lit match for this trick, when the brick is given out for examination, there is a nice little smudge of ash on the center, apparently from the lit match going through it. The smudge of ash serves as a weird piece of evidence to the spectator that something happened in that box.

I searched online expecting to see instances of other magicians using a lit match with this trick, but surprisingly, I found none. Some were using a real matchbox and matches, but they were not lighting the match! It seems incredible to me. The only reason I can think of is that perhaps magicians now frown upon using fire when performing, as smoking is now pretty much non-existent in public settings. I can understand that, although the lack of seeing real flames (from lighters or matches) anymore should make the use of fire in a magic trick even more unique and dramatic. I also read some comments from magicians that said the hardest part of this trick was justifying having a box of matches. Perhaps, but generally speaking, magicians don’t need to justify anything - all props are fair game. Besides, people still use candles, don't they?

I did come across a fine routine for this trick by well-regarded magician Danny Orleans, who was the first to point out that it is better to make the block appear in addition to the penetration by the match. He allows the spectator to examine an empty box before he makes the block appear inside it. He also adds a nice touch, which I borrowed, of having the box drop onto a plate, so the spectator can hear a loud clunk before opening it. But again, even in this fine routine, why not light the match? And while the plate is a nice touch to add the element of sound, why is it there at all? In my version, the justification for plate (or ashtray) is for the mess of the burnt matches later on.

There must be others out there in the magical world who have used a lit match for this trick, maybe an old-timer from when the trick was first released, or maybe someone current, who just doesn’t talk about it publicly. I hope so, because the “fire in the hole” really gives this classic little illusion a nice kick.

City Reliquary

8/26/2021

2017 City Reliquary

Last month I performed The Suitcase of Wonders (featuring Smallini, The World’s Tiniest Magician), at City Reliquary, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
This odd and delightful community museum/performance venue houses permanent and rotating collections of eclectic NYC historical artifacts (like a lightbulb from the Statue of Liberty), and also hosts an abundance of fun block parties, backyard concerts and film screenings. First started as a window display at the ground floor apartment of its founder, Dave Herman, the City Reliquary later moved to its current location in a former storefront on busy Metropolitan Ave.

I performed as part of an evening bill of live music and poetry readings, hosted by uptown musician and bon vivant Jane Lecroy. While the other performers entertained in the whimsically decorated backyard stage area, I set up my miniature theater in one of the indoor museum rooms. This arrangement worked out nicely, as people could easily move from one area to another and enjoy all the shows.

This performance was the first live presentation of the Suitcase of Wonders in a long time (due to pandemic conditions), so I decided to stick with some standards instead of debuting new material. However, this show did provide an opportunity to finally break out my new table (built by magician Peter Wood), and try out a new hat that belonged to my late step-father, and was recently given to me by my loving mother.

I did add a new addition to one of my standards (A Hopping Production) - that being smoke! I’ve always wanted to add a puff of smoke during the moment when the large (for Smallini, that is) rabbit magically appears, so I finally got to try a new tiny smoke device. It worked out quite reliably and added a mystical touch of smokey atmosphere to the illusion at the appropriate moment.

A young and upcoming magician named Holden Summers attended, and he helped me greatly by corralling audience members to watch the show.

Another fellow named Collin, a professional photographer from New Haven, took some excellent photos - an unexpected benefit! His photos are featured in this diary entry.'s slideshow.

It really felt amazing to perform for a live audience after such a long hiatus. I hope to appear again at City Reliquary when pandemic conditions allow - it is a hidden NYC jewel, and if you ever find yourself in Williamsburg on a Thursday - Saturday evening, you should definitely check it out.

Funhouse Revisited

4/30/2021

When last I spoke about my new routine “Funhouse,” the piece ended with the magician giving away one of several mini balloon animals or mini plush toys to a lucky spectator. Both items had previously been magically produced and were displayed on either side of the stage.

While I liked the idea of having a special giveaway at the conclusion, I wasn’t totally happy with the timing and manner it occurred; The special items are produced and displayed but the giveaway was not “earned” by the spectator, as in a real carnival games situation.

So I decided on a third, final act, one where the spectator must play a quick carnival game to receive a prize that was previously produced by the magician. Smallini would present an actual mini carnival game, with prizes on either side to be won by a lucky spectator now turned player!

What would this game look like? How would it be played?

I thought about the carnival games that I’ve always liked: ring tosses (especially onto rotating milk bottles), bean bag throws (either at targets or in holes), and shooting galleries. I’ve always loved the moving targets of shooting gallery games - the cut out ducks, old cans, foxes - and the way they satisfyingly snapped back when hit.

Remembering a tip from the Pinbox3000 guys about how to make small targets using office binder clips, I fashioned a wheel on the 3D printer with eight handles for as many clips/targets. The targets snap back nicely with a flick of the finger.

The game’s housing came next; First designed in Tinkercad, then laser cut cherry hardwood on a Glowforge. The glued-on lettering was cut out of a lighter shade of hardwood.

The duck and rabbit targets were also 3D printed and hot-glued to the binder clips.

The original idea was for the wheel to be motorized, but although I did get a working version, it proved to be too large and bulky for the Suitcase of Wonders stage. So the final Mini Toss has a hand-crank in the back for manual turning of the target wheel. It works smoothly, looks great and I find it fun to turn the wheel myself. Plus, the hand crank is smaller than the motor, and it is detachable for travel.

The whole Mini Toss unit, at about six inches square, fits perfectly on the stage with the prizes displayed on either side, waiting to be won by the player. The only thing left was the bean bags to throw at the targets. I found some well-made one inch sized mini bean bags made by a woman on Etsy. They are just right for tossing with your thumb and forefinger. The only issue is sometimes the targets don’t always fall back after being hit. Thinking the bags might be too light, the Etsy seller is working on a version of the bean bags that contain three pennies instead of the usual resin pellets. Hopefully, this added weight will be enough to knock over the targets consistently.

When I ran through this routine with the newly added Mini Toss at the end, it was a revelation. The added real (no magic) mini carnival game at the end gives reason and purpose to the previous two acts - the prizes are produced first, magically, then they are won, legitimately, in a carnival game. The routine now seems like you’ve had a little evening out at a mini magic carnival, presented by, me, Smallini.

Magicians Come To Life!

3/1/2021

The MyHeritage.com website is now offering to "animate" your portrait photos using a technology they call Deep Nostalgia. I find it both enthralling and discomforting at the same time. When I animated an old picture of my late father and sent it to my sister, she cried.

I chose to animate a few classic photos of some deceased magicians. I'm amazed at the results. Psychologically, I find the process seems to work best with photos of the long deceased - people where there exists little or no recorded footage. Perhaps this is because I have no reference point in my mind for seeing them alive, whereas the contemporary photos I've tried seem somehow less dignified and cheesy. The exception here is Doug Henning, who seems almost ethereal in his animated rebirth.

I recommend watching these videos full screen.

<<Previous

Smallini's Diary