Street Magic - Jumping Head Trick

Effect : A magician walks toward a person on the street and asks if he could show the person a quick trick. He tries doing the trick but then ........his neck starts to hurt really bad. He grabs his neck and starts to sneeze...... . He then sneezes hard and his head jumps down to the middle of his body. While one hand is holding his head, the other holds on to the his jacket. The magician then pulls his head back to the normal position above his shoulders. The magician then calmly walks away.


Preparation: Get a black shirt, lay it out on a surface and carefully cut it with scissors so that it has a V shape cut down to the middle of the chest area. Then you will need a jacket and another black shirt but don't cut the second shirt ! You will also need a long metal coat hanger. ( See photos at bottom of this page )


Get Ready : Put on the first ( the uncut one ) shirt on..Then put the cut shirt on, on top of the uncut one. Next, on goes the jacket. Now get the coat hanger and lay it out flat so that it looks like a long rod. ( Make sure that the hanger reaches from shoulder to shoulder ) . Grab the rod shaped coat hanger and and put it between the cut and uncut shirt, so that it looks like you have big tough shoulders.


Performance : Outside in an area with a potential audience around, approach someone and ask them if you can do a simple trick. While you are trying to do the trick, you suddenly get a neck ache you then reach back with your left hand and grab a hold of your jacket collar ( and the rod shaped coat hanger ).Then pretend to sneeze ! harder and harder ! on about the fourth sneeze, you pull your jacket up by pulling on the coat hanger rod and push your head down through the V shape in the prepared cut shirt . You then pull your head back up with your right hand. Remember to keep hold of your lowered head with your right hand .


1) Cut V shape along white dotted area......

2) Squeeze coat hanger into rod shape.

3) Insert coat hanger under cut shirt.,,,,,,,,,,,

4) Pull coat hanger to give impression that head has lowered.


Practice this trick in front of a mirror to get it right and also try performing the trick at slight angle to the spectator and not directly face to face.