Magic Tricks

I bought Mental Colour by Spooky Nyman knowing how it would work and not expecting a great deal in terms of impact. However, the cost was reasonable and I thought I’d take a look. In short, a participant selects and silently thinks of a color from one of four paint “chip” sample cards and, after whatever patter the performer chooses, the thought-of color is revealed. The methodology required is as simple as simple gets and is supported by a crib that will never be spotted by the participant. Despite initially low-expectations I’ve used this effect many times and with totally good receptions. Its strength (beyond easy methodology) is that the paint chip sample cards look very realistic (I actually tell people I’m working on a painting project for my home). The organic nature of the props puts the focus on the participant remembering a color versus remembering a number as in many other effects that use this method. This benefit greatly reduces any “self-working” feel that some participants automatically feel when encountering numbers. Mental Colour has always gone over well and I usually get requests from the participant to repeat the mind-reading. This is one of those performances where you can actually do the routine again (with a different result) and have minimal risk of discovery. Although you could keep repeating it I’d certainly not do more than one encore. The only downside is that the rectangular paint chip cards are too large to carry in a wallet without folding and are subject to getting banged up or damaged from moisture. They will fit (just barely) in most buttoned shirt pockets. As stated, however, the graphic quality is excellent and they truly look like commercial paint chip samples. Plus: size and construction are minor issues compared to consistently good responses from a math-based effect that is remarkably easy to do.