Clown Who Lost His Head- SUPERIOR

A Real audience Pleaser!
With superior mechanics!

Credit for the basic effect goes to Milbourne Christopher whose Forgetful Freddie has become a classic effect with children entertainers, inspiring several models and clones. This model is yet another version of this effect, with a presentation theme for audiences not familiar with absent minded school boys !

The Performer displays a large cut out figure of a Clown, holding a balloon. He explains that Clowns are always changing their face, and  sometimes, when they are changing them, they even loose them !

Performer now removes the clown’s head, and places it in a handkerchief (the “dressing room”) to change the clown’s face. However when he tries to retrieve the face from the “dressing room”, it has completely vanished. After a search, (opening out the handkerchief, shaking it, and displaying both sides), he wonders what he should do.

Inspiration strikes, and the balloon from the Clown’s hand is removed, and replaced in lieu of the head. Efforts are made with sketch or marker pens or grease pencil and lipstick to make the balloon head look respectable, but to no avail. The only recourse seems to be a bit of real magic !
The audience is taught the magic spell, then encouraged to shout it out aloud and all together. After one or two attempts, they get it right, and the balloon bursts, and the clown’s head is back in place.

We supply the complete apparatus ready to use. The cut out clown just plugs in to the base. There is an extra matching cut out head, and a Devil Handkerchief for vanishing the head, complete with instructions for its use. Conceived and designed by Sam Dalal, with acknowledgment for the original inspiration.

Performance Ideas:

As you start the trick, draw a silly face on the balloon with a marker before placing in the holder.
Have some interaction with your audience about the face, let them laugh. Perhaps do a few lines of a comical ventrilioquism routine at this time (as you draw eyes and nose, ask the balloon head a few questions- of course, he can't answer because you haven't drawn the mouth yet, etc.)

Use the trick to deliver a message. If at first the clown does not heed the message, he becomes an "airhead"; when he learns his lesson, the head reappears as normal.

Make it into a two-person comedy routine by having your assistant secretly remove the clown's head when you are not looking.