Baffling BS by Larry Becker and Lee Earle - Trick

Effect

"The bumper sticker," begins the performer as he shows a selection of them - all of which are cut in half, "is a source of 5-Star wisdom often using four-letter words. They're a short form expression of attitude, philosophy, and humor. You can find them at truck stops, novelty shops, and bargain swaps."

He shows the halves of two different bumper stickers saying, "If you cut them in half and mismatch them, the results can be interesting." (The audience will laugh at a couple of the combinations, we designed them for that purpose.)

Placing a business envelope in full view, he continues, "There are halves of two different bumper suckers in here (they can be seen through the address window) that usually combine with others to get an amusing reaction."

"One of you will choose another half from these," the performer continues, spreading the stack of severed stickers face up for a nearby participant. "As you can see, there are more than two dozen random possibilities. Which one would you like."

After the helper freely chooses one of the halves the Mentalist instructs, "That was an intentional choice, influenced perhaps by color or subject matter. Next, you will select one unseen."

He turns the stack of half-stickers face down and reminds, "Because it's selected blindly, and randomly, it will be a surprise for both of us"

"I'll keep you in suspense a moment longer," remarks the performer, as he withdraws one of the sticker-halves from the envelope (with its back toward the audience) to align with the unseen sticker-half.

"This combination doesn't work," the performer informs, tucking it back in the envelope and pulling out the other one inside. "Hopefully this combination will be better." He aligns it with the randomly selected half, smiles, and tucks the pair partially in his breast pocket, still (and always) fully visible to the audience.

"Let's try the half sticker you picked earlier," suggests the Mentalist, reaching for the participant's piece. He aligns it with the remaining half from the envelope and his eyebrows go up. "Well, this is weird," remarks the entertainer. He turns them around: they are opposite ends of the same bumper sticker!

"But I promised you something funny," reminds the Mentalist, removing the pair of half-stickers from his breast pocket. "And this is funny!" He holds them up for everyone to see; the second pair is also a perfect match!

You get everything you need to perform this outstanding routine, bumper stickers, an ungimmicked window envelope, a 'special something' and instructions. The 'bumper stickers' are printed on glossy card stock and pre-cut into halves. There is a simple, one-time setup task that takes ten minutes or less and you're good to go for years to come.