This Week's Top 20
1
2

French Postcards by Chris Philpott


$5 FLAT-RATE SHIPPING TO UNITED STATES. FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $100.
Price: $24.95
comedy
hypnosis
mentalism
out-of-this-world
parlor
stage
street
walk-around

Chris Philpott's French Postcards is a wildly entertaining version of Paul Curry's Out of this World.

"A brilliant Out of this World experience! When Chris did this for me I had one of those "*^%$@ why didn't I think of that?" moments. Presentational gold!" -Steve Valentine

A study out of Cornell University recently made headlines: subjects could predict if a picture was going to appear on the left or right side of a computer screen but only when they used erotic pictures!

To test the theory, you show 12 postcards from various destinations and 12 French postcards (these are vintage nudes -- elegant, sepia-toned, upper-body nudity). The cards are mixed; then, without looking, a spectator sorts them by sensing if a card has sexual energy or not. The results are perfect!

The effect includes 24 custom-made postcards, written instructions and links to video instructions, updates, extra effects and a bonus comedy script by professional comic and magician, Bruce Gold. Also includes Jon Armstrong's "Out of this Blah Blah Blah," the cleanest OOTW handling ever!

"Finally, a reason to do Out of this World, that holds attention from start to finish. With French Postcards, they'll never forget you!"
-Steve Valentine

French Postcards Key Selling Points:

Paul Curry's Out of this World (released in 1942) is justly revered as one of the greatest of all card tricks. The plot is clear and seems utterly impossible: a spectator uses intuition to separate the red cards from the black cards. It's powerful, empowering and easy-to-do...

And yet, it is far from a perfect trick. What exactly does the audience see in performance? They see someone sort 52 pieces of paper into two piles. That's not magic, it's filing!

While there have been hundreds of methodological variations on OOTW, most don't address the core problem of making it entertaining: how do you add emotional stakes to someone dealing out cards, trying to separate red from black?

By moving from playing cards, French Postcards accomplishes several important things:

- More entertaining. In "French Postcards", the volunteer is not sensing if the card is red or black - he or she is sensing if it feels sexy or not. Instantly, this becomes more interesting, engaging and funnier. You don't have to tell a single joke - the situation itself is funny (but if you want to tell jokes, the script by Bruce Gold is excellent).

- More real. Because the premise is based on a real study, it makes the effect more believable and relevant - this is an effect that can make spectator's cry as well as laugh (you can see both in the trailer).

- Better visibility: the postcards are larger and can be seen better by your audience. The two types of cards are oriented two different ways (vertically and horizontally) and veer toward two different color-palettes (reddish versus blue-ish) to further increase visibility. The cards are visually more interesting than playing cards.

- More fooling. The size of the postcards seems to preclude sleight of hand, cutting off one possible explanation for how the trick is done.

And yet with all these advantages, French Postcards is no more difficult than the original effect.

QUOTES:

"Love these! What a fun, creative spin on a classic!"
- Charlie Frye

"Chris Philpott's French Postcards is the best presentation of Out of this World I have ever seen, and the most "magic for the buck" I have ever purchased!"
- Bob Meigs

(Five Stars) "This is a wonderful update to the classic Paul Curry plot, Out of This World. I very highly recommend this product!"
- Dr. J. M. Ayala de Cedoz, My Lovely Assistant

"Great, great, great reimagining of Out of This World! I love this routine!"
- Andy Hofer

"With French Postcards, Chris tells a compelling story in just a few sentences. Once interest has been generated, he then puts the participant INTO the tale. This is a brilliant combination and, along with being a retelling of a classic, is why the effect garners such strong reactions."
- Bill Cushman

"French Postcards has a great hook, a justification, a clever prop, and an intriguing involvement of the spectator."
- Simon Aronson

"It looked to me just how the real thing it might look and that's not something I see that often."
- Sean Giles

"I've just used French Postcards at a gig tonight during that: "show us something different moment". WOW what great reactions! Can't thank you enough!"
- Graham Lowery

"They're friggin fantastic! It takes an amazing effect with a boring premise, flips it, makes it interesting and can engage a lot more people. An incredible effect!"
- Mystery Arts Inc.

"What a practical and brilliant idea to elevate a great effect even higher."
- Tom Jorgenson

"The best version of the best card effect ever!"
- Rob Maron

Have a question about this product?
ASK HERE

Featured Magic Tricks

Customer Reviews (showing 1 - 10 of 13)
Showing the
reviews with
containing
Everything about this is great! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 15th, 2015
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
Classic effect, well made props, clean and easy handling. What's not to love? If you are looking for something that is fun and will amaze your spectator, something that doesn't scream "I just bought this at a magic shop, get this. I love the connection to a real ESP study and the attention to detail. I can't recommend this highly enough.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Great trick, terrible customer service Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 2nd, 2021
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
This is probably my favourite OOTW presentation. It takes it way beyond the sometimes tedious 'filing' procedure of the original and into a funnier, more impacting realm. Using Bem's genuine psychological study as the basis is sheer genius (I'm an ex-psychologist, so maybe that appealed to me more than it will others). Maybe don't mention that NOBODY seems to have been able to replicate his results ;)

The issue I've had is with customer service. Not Penguin's, I should say. Unfortunately the video instructions come via a link provided in a short accompanying booklet. The trouble is, they don't work! Or at least I couldn't get access to the YouTube-based video instructions. The downloads won't download. I emailed the address provided a couple of times but heard nothing back. The booklet is ok, I'd just love to see the video to ensure I'm getting all the subtleties. Shame as it detracts from an otherwise genius product.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
French postcard Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 26th, 2015
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
Wow, what a great trick :)
I love it, it's easy to do and have a great impact!
1 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
French Postcards Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on November 13th, 2020
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
I do like the take of a very good card effect and made it even better.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Excellent! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on May 29th, 2017
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
A beautiful version of this classic effect!
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
FRENCH POSTCARDS Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on May 23rd, 2016
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
VERY COOL...GIVES THE TRICK A LITTLE....BUST..ER BOOST...
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
FAST SHIPPING Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on May 4th, 2016
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
LOVE THE SHIPPING VIDEO...QUALITY MERCHANDISE....
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Great Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on November 25th, 2015
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
Another brilliant offering from Chris. The cards are great, the routine is great and the handling is great.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Brilliant Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on November 16th, 2015
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
I just love this version of the classic card trick. It does take a bit of practice and there is a sequence that has to be followed but it is very easy to do.
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
superb for the showman Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 11th, 2015
(This review is for French Postcards by Chris Philpott)
I purchased the product from Penguin. Rightly described.Its presentation Gold.
You get 24 postcards. 12 with photos of tourist destinations. 12 with classic top nudes. I think the top nudes are very safe to perform for any adult audience.You can put some great one liners into this connected to sex. Its clean guys and its great. Organic stuff. strongly recommended. Thanx Chris and thanx Penguin
Did this review help you? Do you want to respond to this review?
Bestsellers
See all bestsellers



Act Builder beta



     Get To Know Us

     Shipping and Store Policies

     Need Help?

Home | About Penguin Magic | The Penguin Foundation

Mail orders: Penguin Magic, 3299 Monier Circle, Unit A, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
Call us at 800-880-2592 | International Dial: +1 707-317-6733

© 2002-2023 Penguin Magic. All Rights Reserved.
We hope you found the magic tricks you were looking for!