-Devin Knight Presents-

Super Deluxe Baby-Gag Routine

A laugh-filled comedy routine that is suitable for magic acts, MC bits, and comedy clubs. It starts out with a funny number prediction, followed by a prediction of a famous person. Next, the performer shows HIS baby picture, followed by a photo of his kids for a NEW hilarious finish. There are six gags with seven laughs in this routine! Includes a method for having an actual adult photo of the called name in the envelope.

YOUR PREDICTION WILL MATCH ANY NATIONALITY CHOSEN!

PROFESSIONAL FULL-COLOR PHOTOS USED - NOT CARTOON DRAWINGS

NEW AND UPDATED TOPICAL GAGS NOT FOUND IN OTHER ROUTINES!

2

-Devin Knight Presents-

SUPER Deluxe Baby-Gag Routine Ken Brooke’s original Baby Gag has been one of my favorite gag routines for the past 20 years. Although I am known for my hard-core mentalism, I have found the baby gag makes an excellent warm-up before my more serious effects. The routine you will learn expands upon the basic gag. The original baby gag had two laughs. This expanded routine gives you a minimum of six or seven solid laughs. The jokes in this release have been updated and are topical at the time of this release (2012). I am currently using this routine in my own act and can attest to the effectiveness of the material. This routine is suitable for magic acts, MC bits, and comedy clubs. In my opinion, it is the perfect comedy opener for a mentalism act. Most versions of the baby gag use cartoon drawings. I have found that REAL photos of babies get a better response from the audience. What You Have Received: Four different 8.5” x 11” PDF files with full-color photos. One is a picture of a white baby and another with a picture of a black baby. Using your computer printer, print on heavy card stock the white baby on one side, and the black baby on the other side. You also have a picture of twin babies and another picture of baby goats (kids.) Print one of these pictures of both sides of a heavy piece of card stock.

You will also need large manila envelope, large enough to hold the picture cards. With a black marker draw a large number 1 on the front of it. You can also use your computer printer to print a large one on the face of the envelope. This is the preferred method. SETUP: Put the first photo-card inside the envelope so the white baby is next to the seam. The black baby will be toward the face of the envelope. Place the twin picture inside the envelope so it is between the face of the envelope and the picture of the black baby. The picture of twins should be facing the seam of the envelope. The picture of kids will be next to the face of the envelope. Place the envelope on a table so the seam is up. The number 1 on the face of the envelope is against the table. PERFORMANCE SCRIPT Pick up the envelope and hold it so the number 1 is away from the audience. Do not call any special attention to the envelope or say it contains a prediction. Just pick it up. Choose someone from the audience to help. Your participant can remain seated. GAG ONE “I am thinking of a number, and I am going to try to project it into your mind. I want you to think of any number less than ten, but do not tell me the number yet.” Pause to give your participant time to think of a number. “Are you thinking of one?” Your participant will assume you asking if he has a number in mind. He should reply, “Yes.”

3

“Really? That is the same number I thought of, the number one!” Turn the envelope around revealing the number 1 printed on it. NOTES: I claim no originality for the number gag. It is not well known, and most people have not seen it. It is not as overworked or as well known as the YOUR-NUMBER gag. It is important you say the lines exactly as written for best results. I have heard performers deliver the lines incorrectly. Some will say, “Have you thought of one?” Granted, this will ensure the person says, “Yes”; but it makes no sense when you reply, “That is the same number I had in mind.” Always ask, “Are you thinking of one?” This usually ensures that your participant will misunderstand. He will think you are asking for confirmation that he has a number in mind. Asking this way sets him up for the gag. What to say when your participant says, “No,” or “I thought of another number,” instead of YES. You are still covered with a good gag. Here is how to proceed. After asking, he says, “No.” He will say, “No,” because he correctly thinks you are asking him if he thought of the number one. You will imply that he misunderstood by quickly saying: “Please hurry up. Think of a number from one to nine.” (Pause) What is it?” After asking, he says, “No, I thought of (the number he has in mind).” Either way he will name any number except the number one. As soon as he names his number, you say: “That is correct!” (Pause for laugh) “That is the same number I had in mind. Amazing!” In this case, you do not show the number on the envelope. The audience did not know you had a number on the front of the envelope. Regardless of his answer, you get a laugh. GAG TWO Turn to another person and say: “I am going to try something more difficult. Inside this envelope, I have a prediction. It is a picture of a famous person. I want you to name ANY famous person living or dead.” Wait for your participant to name a famous person. Assume he chose Tom Hanks. “You could have named any famous person, but you named TOM HANKS. It would be amazing if I had a picture of Tom Hanks inside this envelope...and here it is, a picture of Tom Hanks (pause and then quickly pull out the white baby picture) when he was a baby.” (Pause for laugh) Time this so you have just pulled out the picture when you have finished saying the word BABY.

4

It is important to realize that when an audience laughs, you MUST give them time to laugh. This should be obvious; but I have seen too many magicians deliver gag lines, one after the other, without giving the audience time to laugh. In these directions, I put the word ‘pause’ where you need to stop in order to get a laugh. GAG THREE “Last night somebody named, President Obama…no problem.” Turn the photo-card around showing the black baby. Give the audience time to laugh and then deliver these next lines for some additional laughs and groans. “I know what he was thinking when this picture was taken. He’s thinking it’s time for a CHANGE.”

At the time of this writing, this topical line has been getting BIG laughs from audiences. Obama’s famous campaign line was, “It’s time for a change.” The black baby picture was deliberately chosen because it appears the baby is contemplating something. The fact that babies need to have diapers changed makes this a hilarious double entendre with most audiences.

If the day comes that audiences have forgotten his famous line, you could just make the comment, “See he is already planning his future campaign.” GAG FOUR You are still showing the audience the black baby picture. Once the laughter has died down, say: “Last week someone named MICHAEL JACKSON. I didn’t know WHICH picture to show!”

After saying this line, quickly twist your hand back and forth showing both the black baby and the white baby. Repeat this a few times until the laughter subsides. Deliver this line tongue-in-cheek and you will get some strong laughs. OPTIONAL GAGS: Despite Jackson’s death, I have found the above gag plays well and does not seem to upset anyone. Here are two optional jokes you can toss into the routine. I have had success with both of them, as they fit in with his death. Use these at your discretion. “I heard when Michael Jacksons died, thousands of fans and plastic surgeons went into deep depression.”

“Do you know the post office is putting out a Michael Jackson commemorative stamp? Yeah, the fans get to vote for either the white or the black Michael Jackson.” NOTE: If you are uncomfortable using the Michael Jackson bit, then leave Gag Four out of the routine and continue with Gag Five.

GAG FIVE Set the photo-card aside; you are still holding the envelope. “You want to see a REALLY cute picture? I have picture of me when I was TWO. Let me show you.”

5

Reach into the envelope and bring out the picture of the twin babies.

“Yes, that is a picture of me when I was TWO (PAUSE FOR GROANS)…talk about a split personality! NOTE: It is important only to say, “When I was TWO.” Otherwise, the gag will not make sense to the audience. DO NOT SAY, “WHEN I WAS TWO YEARS OLD.” GAG SIX “If you think these pictures are cute, then you should see MY KIDS! Want to see a picture of my kids?” Turn over the card showing the picture of kids. This will get more laughter and groans. Note: I think everyone knows this, but just in case you do not…baby goats are known as kids. I have yet to find an audience who failed to react to the gag. Very young children may not know this, but when you call a picture of baby goats your kids; it is funny even to them. Set the kid photo and envelope aside and continue with the rest of your act. I have used this new routine ever since President Obama was elected. It is a proven audience pleaser. The next section will deal with some exceptions to the standard routine, including what to do when someone names a person of Hispanic or Asian descent. WHAT TO DO WHEN A FAMOUS BLACK PERSON IS NAMED FIRST Assume someone names Eddie Murphy. In that case, turn around the envelope and remove the photo-card so the black baby is showing. Make no comment about the number 1 printed on the envelope if you did not show it earlier. Just remove the picture. “You could have named any famous person, but you named EDDIE MURPHY. It would be amazing if I had a picture of Eddie Murphy inside this envelope...and here it is, a picture of Eddie Murphy (pause and then quickly pull out the black baby picture) when he was a baby.” (Pause for laugh) “Last week someone named…MICHAEL JACKSON. (Emphasize his name.) No problem.” Turn the picture around showing the white baby. The picture of the white baby will bring much laughter. “Actually, I couldn’t decide which picture to show!” After saying this line, quickly twist your hand back and forth showing both the white baby and the black baby. Repeat this a few times until the laughter subsides. WHAT TO DO WHEN MICHAEL JACKSON IS NAMED FIRST Actually, due to his recent death this happens quite often. When you ask people to name a famous person, you will often hear the name Michael Jackson, due to the constant stream of articles about him in the supermarket tabloids. The baby gag is perfect for those times when Michael Jackson is named. Even though Jackson recently died, I have found enough time has passed and audiences will again laugh at these gags.

6

In that case, you show the picture of the black baby first. “You could have named any famous person, but you named MICHAEL JACKSON. It would be amazing if I had a picture of Michael Jackson inside this envelope...and here it is, a picture of Michael Jackson (pause and then quickly pull out the black baby picture) when he was a baby.” (Pause for laugh) “You can tell from this photo Michael is contemplating something, and I know what it is. He is thinking, do I want to be black or WHITE! (Emphasize the word WHITE and pause for the laughter.) “Maybe I should have used this picture instead.” Turn the photo-card around showing the white baby. “Actually, I CANNOT decide which picture to use!” After saying this line, quickly twist your hand back and forth showing both the white baby and the black baby. Repeat this a few times until the laughter subsides. Follow up by showing the picture of you when you were two and finally your kids. WHAT TO DO WHEN A PERSON OF HISPANIC OR ASIAN DESCENT IS NAMED Neither of the black baby and the white baby pictures is suitable. With most other versions of the baby gag, this has been a potential problem. My version deals with this possibility and offers a funny solution that is even funnier than the original baby gag. When a person of either of these nationalities is named, you show the picture of twins. The picture was carefully chosen. The babies in the photo could be either boys or girls. The style of clothing does not designate the sex of the babies. Most importantly, the babies have dark hair. Over 95% of babies born from these nationalities have dark hair. The twins can easily pass for either Hispanic or Asian babies. A close examination shows the eyes of the twin on the right could pass for Asian. Since most Native Americans have dark hair, the twin picture will work for that nationality too. The same applies for people born in India and Arabic countries. Assume someone names Jackie Chan. In that case, you only show the picture of the twins, leaving the regular baby-gag card in the envelope. “You could have named any famous person, but you named JACKIE CHAN. It would be amazing if I had a picture of Jackie Chan inside this envelope...and here it is, a picture of Jackie Chan (quickly pull out the twin babies picture) when he was TWO.” DO NOT SAY, “WHEN HE WAS TWO YEARS OLD.” Follow this by showing the audience the picture of your kids. AFTERTHOUGHTS: I have found that when someone names an Asian personality, seeing the twins is even funnier than the standard baby gag. The twin gag is completely unexpected. There is even a bit of mystery. To the audience it appears these are Asian babies. When you pull out a photo of Asian babies, it can be rather puzzling, even though it is a gag. The same applies if someone names a Hispanic personality. In both of those situations, you ignore the baby-gag picture and show the twin babies followed by the picture of your kids.

7

The Jay Leno Effect

Many magicians have asked if there is a way to have an actual adult picture of a named celebrity in the envelope. The feeling is that by doing so you add real mystery to a great gag. Some performers have tackled this problem by using pre-show work with someone who later calls out the forced name of the famous person. The baby gag is done and then an adult photo of the named person is shown, for a kicker finish. The problem is that many performers do not want to use pre-show work. Here is a method I developed for a lecture tour. It has proven to be 100% reliable and allows you to finish the baby gag with an adult photo. To do this you will need a photo of Jay Leno. For legal reasons, I cannot supply you with a photo of Leno, as this would be profiting from his photos. You can easily get a high-quality photo by doing a Google search for Jay Leno Pictures. This will bring up many sites where you can download and print his picture. Be sure to print it on high-quality photo paper. One site I found that has free Leno pictures of the highest quality is: http://www.celebwelove.com/Jay_Leno/ You force Jay Leno’s name in a very clever and subtle manner. The force works best with Jay Leno. He is currently one of the best-known celebrities. Everyone recognizes his picture, because he is an icon of nighttime television. If you ask a group of people to call out famous celebrities on nighttime television, you will invariably hear the name Jay Leno. In this routine, I will give you some lines that almost guarantee that his name will be called. Setup: For this routine, you use the envelope (with the 1 gag) and the picture card with the white baby and black baby. The twin/kid card is not used in this routine. Insert the white/black baby card inside the envelope along with a picture of Jay Leno. You will also need 10 plain index cards. On each of these, you write with a black marker the name Jay Leno. Place this stack on a table so the written names are face down. The audience is not aware that each card already has a name on it. They will only see the blank sides. You will also need a dried-out black marker. I recommend coating the tip with clear nail polish to ensure it will not write. Performance Script Do the “ONE GAG” and then tell your audience you have a photo of a famous nighttime television celebrity inside the envelope. Place the envelope on the table for the time being. Uncap the marker and pick up the stack of index cards, being careful not to flash the writing on the other sides. “In a few moments I will ask people to call out some names of famous nighttime television celebrities. One of these names will be chosen at random. I have a prediction inside this envelope.” Point to the envelope on the table “Whoever’s name is selected, a photograph of that person will be inside this envelope. So please call out celebrities whose pictures everyone would recognize.” This line ensures that Jay Leno’s name will be called out, since you specified people everyone will recognize. You also told them to call out NIGHTTIME television celebrities, so this limits their choice of names. I have done this effect many times, and Jay Leno’s name has always been called. In fact, it is nearly impossible to have 10 names called out without hearing his name. You will be amazed at just how well this works.

8

The Writing Subtlety Ask people to start calling out names, you will hear many names including Jay Leno. Here is where you throw everyone off track. Repeat one of the names and apparently write it on the card. Assume someone says, “David Letterman.” Using the marker that does not write, write the name David Letterman on top of the previously written Jay Leno. The audience sees you apparently writing the name, if anyone pencil reads, it appears you are writing the name just called out. Once you have done this, drop the card face down on a table so no one can see the name on it. Repeat this procedure until all 10 cards are face down on the table. Of course, all 10 cards have Jay Leno on them. It will appear that you had 10 names called at random and wrote each name on an index card. Pick up the stack of cards, keeping the names face down. Approach someone, after mixing the cards, and ask that person to pull out a name card but not to show it to anyone. Return to your performance area and put the remaining nine cards out of sight. Pick up the envelope and say, “Whichever name was selected, that person’s photo will be inside. Which celebrity did you select?”

The participant replies, “Jay Leno.” “Would you be amazed if Jay Leno’s picture is inside? Ladies and Gentleman, a picture of Jay Leno, (Pause, then bring out the white baby photo)… when he was a baby.” Pause for laughter. “You can tell it is Jay Leno; look at the chin.” This usually gets another laugh, as the baby does have a slight dimple on his chin. Follow up with the Obama Gag and the Michael Jackson Gag and then place the photo aside. “I can see some of you are a bit skeptical. For the skeptics, I put one other picture inside.” Bring out the photo of Jay Leno. Show it on both sides so the audience can see there is no other picture on the back of it. Make sure you show the envelope is empty and that it contains no other photos. The audience could think you have other photos inside. It is important that you have many people call out names at random. This will ensure you hear Jay Leno. Do not write his name first, I like to write three or four other names first, then Jay Leno. Be sure to repeat each name aloud as you apparently write it. Although I prefer Jay Leno, I have had success using the force with David Letterman. Keep this in mind in case you are doing a repeat show or two shows the same evening. That way you will have two different endings that will throw the wise ones off track. Obviously, you could have a blank face deck with lots names written on them and just force a card; however, the force I have explained is far more baffling to an astute audience.

Devin Knight