Houdini’s Pets by Wayne Dobson in collaboration with Alan Wong

“Houdini and his wife Bess never had children, instead, they poured their love into each other and their cherished pets. Houdini especially valued this photo of him surrounded by his beloved animals.”

This clever routine offers multiple layers of deception. Initially conceived as a simple visual gag, Wayne has intricately developed it into a sophisticated, comedic prediction effect suitable for close-up performances.

You present a framed picture of Harry Houdini holding a variety of his pets. The spectator freely selects one animal from a list they create on a card—this choice is entirely genuine, with no equivoque or misleading tactics involved.

Once the photo is revealed, it shows Houdini with only the chosen pet, complete with the animal’s name inscribed. This routine utilizes a clever adaptation of Dobbo’s variation on Roy Johnson’s switch frame, originally designed for Vic Pinto’s popular Society of International Magicians routine from the mid-1970s. Although Roy never published the frame, it has been appropriated by various dealers over time. We refer to it as ‘The No-Switch Switch Frame’.

Additionally, this effect introduces Wayne Dobson’s ingenious and straightforward FG Force, guaranteed to bring a smile to your face as you perform it, along with engaging scripting.