This is an absolutely outstanding routine, and the final effect of the frog turning into the
selected card is the type of miracle you won't often find in magic. And for the ridiculouly cheap
price of $10, this is an absolute must.
Now, on the specifics. There are two main
components to this effect -- the card controls/reveals, and the whole "frog business". Let's start
with the frog business -this will involve a bit of practice in folding the frog on the fly, and
doing the bit of "dirty business" for the final reveal, but this just involves a bit of time sitting
at your crafts desk and then practicing. No difficult sleight of hand. Anyone can do this.
Next is the card handling/controls/reveals. This is a tad complex, but not difficult. It's
complex due to the fact that everything in the two phases is carefully structured to pave the way
for the miracle at the end. So, the handlings are a bit less direct than you would normally use
just to control/reveal a selection. Intermediate card workers will be able to do everything very
quickly. Less advanced card workers will need some practice.
Don't let the above
discourage anyone -- again -- nothing is difficult, there's just a lot of structure/handling to
learn and become familiar with-- that's due to the fact that this is a nice long routine with two
full phases, with two cards selected/found, and then a final miracle at the end.
It is
very rare that you will find a piece that is so accessible to all skill levels, uses nothing more
than playing cards, and yet delivers a miracle you can build a reputation/career on (not to mention
so inexpensive). Get this now.
(One last note, to Penguin. Please don't ever again film
your demos with spectators who are 6 drinks in. It's extremely annoying to watch).
13 of 13 magicians found this helpful.
Ever since Michael Close (well-credited by Manuel Llaser) published "Frog Prince", many magicians
have thought "how could I make a signed card turn into that frog?" It is no trivial matter. Kudos to
Llaser for turning this into a reality.
That's the "up side". The "down side" is that the
"structural misdirection" goes deep. You need to be committed to a Llaser/Tamariz "wild whimsy" kind
of performing, where many of the actions seem to derive from the playful whims of the performer.
If you are willing to go that route, more power to you! (you will have a miracle in your
repertoire) If you are a more thoughtful performer, you will need to develop this a lot more, and
may be unsuccessful.
Bottom line: this is a worthy investment if you are curious about the
potential of this entertaining plot. But while the $-price is right, the performance-price might be
too steep for many.
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
I like this little gem. The only reason for 4 stars is the arts and craft work. But other than
that, it is clever and the handling is easy and logical. Presentation will be the key here, too.
All this is clear from the directions in the video.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
For this to be only 10 bucks is unbelievable! You get a lot of material and a fantastic routine.
Don't sleep on this one.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
Howdy guys. To begin, this review is not a reflection of Penguin Magic. I got the parts of this
trick that I was interested in, but as far as his teaching and explanation of the rest of the
performance, it was tedious and confusing. I will still use Penguin as my main source for magic, but
may shy away from this particular performer. Thanks, Matt.
3 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
This effect, while very powerful, takes an inordinate amount of time to reset and the magician is
left with a ton of work to prepare the "gimmick". Way too much work! 'Nuff said
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
The explanation for this effect is over 1 hour long, which in this case is appropriate because
there’s a lot going on. Nonetheless, there are a few moments that could have been explained better,
such as “bring this bottom card to the top,” which Llaser demonstrates by doing it openly, with no
cover. Well obviously that’s not the best way to do it. There are methods for accomplishing that
that are deceptive, but he doesn’t address them in the download. There’s another section where he
gets the wrong card on top of a packet, and again “fixes” it openly. That should have been refilmed
and edited, IMO, or an explanation offered as to why that happened. Also, he keeps saying that his
method of folding the frog can be done one handed. But then when he demonstrates it, he uses two
hands all the way through.
Still four stars, IMO, because it’s a great effect. But the
explanation could use some tweaking.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
This is an excellent trick, very impressive for close-up magic, as well as fun. At first it seems
very complicated but with Manuel's detailed explanations, it becomes very simple and easy to
perform. A must for your close-up routines if you want to have quality magic. 10/10. Highly
recommended. Thank you Manuel. I will surely buy another trick from you.
Congrats to Manuel for creating a practical handling for such an impossible effect! In the tradition
of Michael Close's original version, this routine is a real "worker."
Cute effect. Nice twist on Michael Close's Frog effect in his worker series. Makes for a nice give
away.