What? The ooh-aah bird is a Michael Close creation. You can find it in his Workers series and on his video: Very very Close, volume 1 (L&L Publishing). The idea is that a little bird lays an egg. In the egg you’ll find a miniaturised version from the selected card. Mister Close gives many, many details, so check out his material. Why? When I see people do this trick, it’s always a little bird and they also use the same joke (about the Ooh en Aah). Spoken about creativity and imitation…
I want to share some thoughts about this great thematic effect and show you in the process that there are so many possibilities if only you want to see them. And you can only see possibilities when you start thinking about it. A nice technique in this context (about creating different ideas) is ‘brainstorming’. (If you don’t know what this means, you should really look this up. By the way, most people have come to understand this technique the wrong way (it is a systematic system), so you might want to look it up after all.) Many possibilities First, the bird:
Why the heck do we all use the same bird? Because we can’t fold any other origami figure…
Or is it because we can’t come up with another joke, because the joke really helps selling the effect.
If these two answers are the ones you would come up with, you’re really showing off. Showing off that you have not put any effort in thinking about this effect. Because the bird can be any animal: a reptile (with a nasty character?) or perhaps an ancient dragon (still have an old fire gimmick lying around?).
If you decide on some possible characters or animals, look through some jokebooks or on the Internet and you’ll find a few nice ones. And don’t think they have to be related to the animal.
A dragon spits fire, so you can also make a joke about his bad breath. Or the hot food he’s eating. (Of course your girlfriend eats even hotter food, but that’s not important now…Neither the fact that she seems to be able to spit fire too…)
And if you’re really lazy: reptiles and dragons do lay eggs (I mentioned them on purpose). Do I need to say more?
Second, the egg:
The egg is a result. A result from the chosen object: a bird. But suppose you’re not good at origami. Well, I can fold a plane, so, when I heard the news about drugsmugglers on Schiphol (Dutch airport), I had my version ready:
I fold a plane, drop out a plastic container (the ones you can find inside a ‘surprise egg’) and tell the people: “This is what smugglers use: they swallow it, filled with cocaine, and the rest you can imagine for yourself...”
Third, the content off the egg:
You can spill out a miniature card, but really, are there no other options? The question you have to ask yourself is: What can come out of it? Not: What should come out of it? Otherwise you’ll be restricting yourself from the beginning. And that’s a sure-fire way to kill every spark of imagination.
Perhaps you can pour out a red four (sponge, perhaps already in your possession) or a small birdie (youngster) with a card symbol pierced through his wings (oh, how sweet).
Or, a personal favourite, a little stickman that’s holding a card. In conclusion You see there are many possibilities if you ask yourself some simple questions and if you dare to change. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
“Innovate, don’t imitate.” (Hugo Boss) |
