The Magic Coloring Book effect with cartoon pictures of various circus animals and circus tricks, which makes a great item for kid shows. The special book supplied comes prepared to perform the effect. These books are available in 2 sizes, Medium (8.5″ x 5.75″ approx) and Mini (5.75″ x 3.75″ approx).
Different performers have their own favorite methods for presenting this, and the presentation below is one of the most popular.
Start by displaying the book full of black and white pictures. Explain it is a magic Coloring Book, the type where you just paint the black and white pictures with clear water, and all the colors magically appear. Most kids are aware of these.
Say you are going to paint the pictures by magic instead of water. Ask the children to rub their fingers on their colored clothes, and flick the colors at the book.
Flip through the book again, to show all the pictures are now magically colored.
Tell them you have to show the same trick to another group of children the next day, and as the book is completely colored, you cannot use it for your next show. Ask them to “rub off” some of the colors from the book, with imaginary erasers.
The children pantomime this, and you flip through the book to show it is now completely blank. Tell them they rubbed too hard, and rubbed out the pictures with the colors.
Ask them to re-draw the pictures with imaginary pencils, then flip through the book again to show all the black and white pictures as at the start, “ready for your next show”.
Any kid show performer will have his favorite “bits of business” to embellish the effect. You could use it with other color vanishing or changing props, like the Vanishing Crayon Box, Magic Palette, Color Changing Silk or Ribbon etc.