Zig Zag Girl

From MagicPedia

The Zig-Zag Girl illusion is a magic trick similar to sawing a woman in half illusion. In the Zig-Zag illusion, a magician divides his or her assistant who is standing upright into thirds, only to have the assistant emerge from the illusion at the end of the performance completely unharmed.

Since its invention in the mid 1960s (1) by magician Robert Harbin, it has been a very popular illusion invented due to both the apparent impossibility of the trick, and the fact that unlike many illusions it can be performed surrounded by spectators and withstand the close scrutiny of audience members.

Because of the manner in which the illusion is achieved, it is generally performed with a female assistant, and there are limitations on her height and weight. Some of these issues are overcome in Modern Art, an illusion created by Jim Steinmeyer.

The method of this trick was exposed by the Masked Magician, Valentino, as part of a Fox TV series called "Breaking the Magicians' Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed".

The Mismade Girl is similar box illusion.

(1) For the public record, Harbin presented his new illusion at the Magic Circle Banquet in London in october 1965. (Ref: Genii, Vol. 33, n° 5, jan. 1969, page 194.)