"In
1962 I performed at an IBM meeting in Chicago. This is where I met
Theo Bamberg (OKITO). We became friends and over the years he taught
me to build magic. I bought his hand tools, which I still use today.
It is with Okito's permission and approval that I began building
OKITO-NIELSEN products." NN
Okito
Items are characterized not only by the specific design of each
trick, but by the use of Oriental decals to decorate the finish.
The
following effects are all made in the Okito Tradition.
Due to our busy schedule, we can only make a handful each of these
beautiful collectible props.
Featured
Items
Okito-Nielsen Square Circle
Effect: This is probably one of the oldest tricks in magic, which every magician knows. Two containers are shown to the audience. They are both empty: A green tube, and a red square box with no top and bottom. The empty tube is nested inside the empty box, and from within, the magician can make a large production of silks, spring flowers, or even a small animal.
This prop sits on a 10.5 inch square x 1.5" high base. The red box measures 8" x 8" x 12", the green tube measures 6.5" in diameter x 11.5" tall. The secret compartment measures 6" in diameter x 10.75" tall The image below shows the entire prop, with the gimmicked compartment inside the prop!
NOTE: As of today, December 2, 2011, this item is officially SOLD OUT. All batches of it were sold, and Norm is not planning in making any more.
Okito-Nielsen
"Norm's ABC Block"
Effect: An ABC Block is placed into a tube. The block instantly vanishes
and reappears in a hat or container some distance away.
This is the remake of the Okito-Nielsen Coolie Cube, but using an ABC Block and very pretty decals depicting Chinese children playing with blocks.
Norm made a few of these in the 1960s, and made a couple of dozen about 10 years ago.
This time we are making 24 of these. This is a very good, commercial, effect and quite a collectible piece as well.
Tube measures (outer dimensions): 7" x 3-5/8" x 3-5/8"
Block measures: 3" square
View a video demonstration of the effect below:
(Missed detail...I forgot to show the hat empty before doing the trick! Sigh...I suppose you will forgive me, as I realized this after uploading the video on YouTube. And yes, the hat can be shown empty.)
Okito-Nielsen
Chinese Sticks
Towards
the end of 2009, George Millward made a total of 17 Chinese
Stick sets which sold out within a few weeks. Unfortunately,
this project was more work than George anticipated, and it
interfered with his magic performing career, so he told us
that we could make them instead.
This
has been our pet project. We
have completely redesigned the sticks, and we believe that
we have come up with one of the very best sets in the market.
Effect:
The performer shows two sticks together in his left hand,
each containing tassels attached to the end of a string. It
would seem that both sticks are connected, because when the
magician pulls down on one tassel the other one goes up, and
vice-versa. To prove that the sticks are not connected, the
performer separates them at one end; and yet, he is still
able to pull one tassel down, while making the other tassel
travel upwards. To further prove that the sticks are not connected,
the magician completely separates them, and even while disconnected,
the tassels keep going up and down mysteriously through the
sticks.
The “Chinese Sticks” is a timeless piece of classic
magic. There have been many different styles of sticks in
the market, and numerous routines have been published in the
magic literature. Each performer adds has his or her unique
touch to this effect. When it is well presented, this can
be quite an entertaining piece of magic.
Our
sticks have the following characteristics:
They
measure 12” long. This length allows the performer
to put them in his jacket pocket, making the trick more
practical to carry around.
The
tassels are quite long as well. We chose yellow on the
main sticks for visibility. Yellow is one of the most
visible colors on stage when seen from a distance.
Each
stick contains a hollow screw on the back that allows
you to attach a dummy string and seemingly connect two
sticks together. In his routine, Roy Benson “exposes”
the connection in the back of the sticks, and to prove
that they can be disconnected, he asks an audience member
to take a pair of scissors and cut the string.
A
third stick is included with this set. Benson
was the first one to add this third stick to his routine.
In the past, in order to make a “Benson set”,
one had to purchase two sets of sticks to obtain a third
one. This third stick allows you to add a “climax”
to the basic presentation of the Chinese Sticks, as well
as a comedic interlude. This set of Okito-Nielsen Chinese
Sticks allows you to perform the Benson Routine.
What makes these sticks special and superior to many models,
is that both the tubing and the weights are made out of
brass. Brass has a lower coefficient of friction, and
it is heavier than other metals.
The weights are beautifully engineered. The strings ride
on small pulleys at the end of the weights, and each weight
rides on sixteen Teflon balls. The balls not only reduce
friction, but also cushion the weights so that these sticks
do not rattle.
Finally,
the sticks are decorated with Oriental style decals in
the Okito tradition, and they are sealed with a heavy
duty urethane coating.
In our opinion,
the best performer of this classic effect is Roy Benson himself.
Check out the following video!
One
of our favorite columns in MUM
Magazine is Paul Osborne's Shop to Stage,
where he features workshop plans to magic effects that are
"oldies but goodies". He has featured, among others,
a Nite Club Vanish, a set of Buddha Tubes, a Bunny Box, and
in the October 2008 issue he had a Breakaway Box.
The
Breakaway Box was initially made by National Magic. After
the article appeared in MUM, a good customer of ours contacted
us to request the item. He said: "Wouldn't it be nice
if it were decorated in the 'Okito' style?" Norm had
been working on Okito's Jewel Box Mystery at the time (which
is also scheduled to be ready within a month), and had a few
sheets of wood left from that project. He told our friend:
"Let me see what I can do."
Norm
did it! He cut enough material to make only 30 of these Breakaway
Boxes. And he did not spare any costs. These boxes are rich
and beautiful with the traditional lacquered finish, decorated
with the Okito-style Oriental decals and finished with brass
hardware.
Effect:
The effect is quite simple. A magician casually shows a box,
spins it around, grabs the top lid and the rear and bottom
panels breakaway from the box, revealing that it is empty.
The magician can even thrust his arm through the box to show
that there is nothing to hide. The box is reassembled, and
after making a magical gesture, the box is reopened and silks
are produced from it.
Norm
just finished these and they are ready to be shipped!
Shipping
and handling for this item is $20. This box will be very well
packed and double-boxed for shipping.
Effect:
Two doves or any small object are placed inside a box. The
magician then makes a magic pass over box. The box is spun
forward revealing it completely empty! Everything has vanished!
The Flip
Over Box was invented by Jack Gwynne in 1928. It is a classic
magic trick.
The
Okito-Nielsen version is decorated with the Oriental style
decals and sealed with a shiny urethane coating.
The
box measures 14" x 10" x 5".
Brass
hardware is used to enhance the finish, and the swinging doors
are riveted for durability.
Norm
made two of these in the 1960s. This time he is only making
a limited edition of 24 boxes.
Okito-Nielsen
Jasper Box
A
few months ago, we were cleaning the workshop and found
a box containing a prototype Norm made a couple of years
ago based on an idea he found in an old magic book.
This
is a production box that can be shown on all sides and
then opened to reveal that it is empty as well. After
making a magic pass or saying the magic words, a load
of silks or streamers can be produced. The box also
lends itself to vanishing items - i.e. placing an object
in the box, and then opening to reveal that it is gone,
etc.
The
reason we call this the "Jasper Box" is because
the load is big enough for Jasper, our dwarf rabbit.
We figured he is also a good salesman - or sales-bunny
- as his cuteness would help us sell a few of these.
The
design and load chamber for this box are based on an
old principle. As usual, this prop is made in the Okito
tradition. The box is beautifully crafted and decorated
with Oriental decals, and this box has a glossy finish.
Box measures: 12” high, 9” wide and 6”
deep.
Norm
has only made a limited edition of this effect, which
will become very collectible. Only 24 are available.
Shipping
and handling for this item is $20 domestic. This box
will be very well packed and double-boxed for shipping.
Effect:
The performer shows three cardboard tubes. Each tube is of a different color. All the tubes are of the same height but they vary in circumference allowing them to nest into each other. After showing each tube unmistakably empty, the magician stands the smallest tube upon a glass plate and covers it successively with the larger tubes. In spite of the apparent fairness with which the tubes have been shown and their isolation upon the glass plate, the magician can pull a tremendous number of silks or production items from the nest of tubes, even a dove!
After asking various collectors if they have ever seen this trick, all of them told us that they did not know of an existing sample.
So, we decided to make this trick from scratch. Norm has been quite busy in the last few months, experimenting with all sorts of tubes and decals. We even asked Johnny Thompson and Fielding West to loan us a dove to try it out!
If you are not familiar with the effect, you can read all about it on the 1952 book Okito on Magic by Theo Bamberg with Robert Parrish, page 137. This seems to have been one of the effects Okito had in his professional repertoire.
This effect includes
- 3 Nested Tubes measuring 13" high x 5.5", 4.5" and 4" in diameter respectively
- Special load gimmick
- 10" square Plexiglas base
- One 12" x 12 ft silk streamer
- Detailed instructions
Note: We have only made 30 of these. After they are sold, we are not planning to make them anymore.
Towards
the end of 2009, George Millward made a total of 17 Chinese
Stick sets which sold out within a few weeks. Unfortunately,
this project was more work than George anticipated, and it
interfered with his magic performing career, so he told us
that we could make them instead.
One
of our favorite columns in 
Norm
just finished these and they are ready to be shipped!
