Difference between revisions of "Sponge balls"

Revision as of 05:54, 23 January 2015

Sponge Balls, made of sponge rubber or polyurethane foam and usually about 2 inches in diameter are a common prop used in many sleight of hand routines.^[1]

One of the first routines was published by Jesse J. Lybarger in 1926.^[2][3] Also in 1926, Joe Berg introduced his Cups and Balls Routine wherein he made use of balls made of sponge instead of the usual cork. ^[4]

Al Stevenson devised a process for making perfect spheres from the polyurethane foam and later Albert Goshman improved the process.

Noted specialists in sponge ball magic are Audley Walsh, Frank Garcia and Frances Marshall.

Roy Benson used sponge balls for his Benson Bowl routine.

Other shapes have also been used including rabbits.

Variations

• Peter Rabbit Goes to Town! (Robert A. Nelson): Marketed item, 1945.
  • J. G. Thompson, Jr., My Best (1945, pp. 182-183).
  • Peter Rabbit Hits the Big Time (Daryl): Stephen Minch, For Your Entertainment Pleasure (1982, pp. 11-17).
• Multiplying Rabbits (Albert Goshman).

• Clones ( Patrick Martin): Marketed item.
  • The Clones From Brazil (Ron Bauer): Genii, Vol. 47 No. 7 (July 1983, pp. 464-466).

Publications

• The Phantom Balls by Lybarger, Linking Ring, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Oct. 1926)
• Audley Walsh's Sponge Ball Routine (1936)
• Frank Garcia's Sponge Balls (1959)

References

1. ↑ Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians by T.A. Waters
2. ↑ The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Magic by Bart Whaley
3. ↑ Genii, Vol. 64, No. 1, January 2001
4. ↑ Routined Manipulation Finale by Lewis Ganson (1954)