window stoppers

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Classic book containing offbeat ideas by UF Grant. A lot of unusual and never before seen magic in here.

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Page 1: Window Stoppers
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Copyrights Copyright © 2008 by Lybrary.com – http://www.lybrary.comAll rights reserved. Allowed Usage This ebook is for personal and home use only. Renting or public viewing of this ebook is strictly prohibited. Any other use of this ebook — including reproduction for purposes other than those noted above, modification, distribution, or republication — without the prior written permission of Lybrary.com is strictly prohibited. We have a special arrangement for libraries. Please contact us for details. Disclaimer Lybrary.com used its best efforts in preparing this ebook. However, Lybrary.com makes no representation or warranties (express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of title, non-infringement, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose) with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this ebook. The information contained in this ebook is strictly for educational purposes. Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this ebook, you are taking full responsibility for your actions. Crime Watch Please help us to identify criminals. At the end of the day illegal copying will increase ebook prices for you or make such products impossible altogether. If you encounter suspicious activities, please contact us at [email protected] or any of our other email and mailing addresses. We reward any tips and information, which lead to the conviction of illegal copying activity with 50% of the punitive damages placed to our credit. Feedback Please send error corrections to [email protected]. We appreciate if you let us know about any typos, errors, or any other comments you would like to make.

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Contents Contents..............................................................................................................................3 UNIT NO. 1 – GOLD FISH THRU HOOP ......................................................................5 UNIT NO. 2 – INVISIBLE GOLD FISH .........................................................................6 UNIT NO. 3 – RESTLESS LIGHT BULB .......................................................................7 UNIT NO. 4 – ENCHANTED ROCKING CHAIR..........................................................8 UNIT NO. 5 – MYSTERY LIGHT – With Variations. ...................................................9 UNIT NO. 6 – PEEK A BOO HOUSE ...........................................................................11 UNIT NO. 7 – THE GHOST LIGHT..............................................................................13 UNIT NO. 8 – THE CONTINUOUS POUR ..................................................................14 UNIT NO. 9 – THE BIRDS AND THE FISH ...............................................................15 UNIT NO. 10 – THE STAND UP CIGARETTES .........................................................16 UNIT NO. 11 – THE PAINT ROLLER SIGN ...............................................................17 UNIT NO. 12 – THE CHANGING SIGN ......................................................................18 UNIT NO. 13 – "DON'T PEEK" .....................................................................................19 UNIT NO. 14 – THE MAGIC ROCKING CHAIR ........................................................20 UNIT NO. 15 – THE GLASS THAT IS FULL AND EMPTY......................................21 UNIT NO. 16 – THE MAGIC CHEST ...........................................................................22 UNIT NO. 17 – THE BLACK ART BOX .......................................................................23 UNIT NO. 18 – THE HEADLESS ILLUSION AS A WINDOW STOPPER ..............24 GENERAL INFORMATION...........................................................................................25

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WINDOW STOPPERS By U.F. Grant

Window Stoppers, Inc. are magical type units which may be rented or sold to stores in your locality. They will cause people going by the store windows to "Stop, Look, and Ponder". Every progressive merchant wants this since he knows that his store window is his best salesman.

The first section of these units has been picked for simplicity in preparation from ordinary items, plus the fact that they are the best suited for stopping people who are passing by. These have been picked from thousands. The second section has some more complicated units, but they are very desirable for their good results.

Any type of store is suitable for these units since you merely have a sign with appropriate wording for the business or article to be advertised. On the sketches in this script are some suggestions. It is best for you to make a tie-up with a local sign painter to make all of your signs for you. This way you can get a better price.

It is best to try to rent all six units to a store, a new unit to be placed in their window every week at a rental cost of from five to ten dollars a week, according to the size and location of the store. Large department stores will pay you as high as twenty five dollars a week.

When making the first contact, it is a good idea to have one outfit along with you. Item No. 1, the goldfish that do not swim thru the hoop, makes a good one to show your prospective customer. You will be able to have a cover on this aquarium so that you can carry it around, as there is enough air in the water to keep the fish alive for many hours with the top sealed. The cover can be made by any tin smith.

In the event that you do not have time to go around and rent the outfits yourself, you can insert an ad in the local paper or papers for salesmen to represent you and pay them a commission on each rental. They can cover all towns and cities, we will say in a radius of 150 miles. Then, to further expand, appoint agents in other cities and so on, as far as you care to expand this type of business. Later on you may want to add some new units to your present line and supply your first customers with new ones from time to time. We can supply you with any additional units you may want. They can be used indoors if placed right, as in bars and clubs.

Any of these units is also effective to use in conjunction with advertising your show in local store windows.

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UNIT NO. 1 – GOLD FISH THRU HOOP Refer to Sketch No. 1. Have a glass fish aquarium, and fastened to the bottom center, a strip of wood with a slot in it. An embroidery or similar hoop is forced into this slot so that the hoop is held upright. Embroidery hoops can be purchased in various sizes in your local dime or department stores.

Take the hoop to a local glass cutting company, the type that supplies window glass, mirrors, etc., and have them cut out a round piece of single strength glass the same diameter as the hoop.

Cement this glass to the hoop with the aid of Dupont waterproof cement. When this hoop is down in the water with the cemented side to the rear, you cannot see the glass, and this is what keeps the fish from swimming thru.

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UNIT NO. 2 – INVISIBLE GOLD FISH At first you may figure this is too simple to be of any value, but this unit, by scores of tests in various locations, has proved to be the best of any tried.

Have a glass fish aquarium in a window with water, sea weed and stones in the bottom, and maybe a little stone castle, etc. The sign as shown in the Sketch for the No. 2 Unit appears above the aquarium, but there are really NO FISH AT ALL in the aquarium.

It is amazing to see folks peer in and look closely at all angles to see if they can see the invisible fish.

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UNIT NO. 3 – RESTLESS LIGHT BULB This is the most intriguing puzzle to those not in the know. People will stand and watch this for ten or fifteen minutes at a time trying to figure it out.

Have a piece of glass about 15" square sitting on top of four glass tumblers as shown. Then place on the center of the glass a 100 watt light bulb and start it spinning around. Have an electric fan behind a display sign so that the air from the fan hits the bulb at one point of its spin around the glass. This gust of air hits it each time it comes around and this is what keeps the bulb spinning around the glass all day long.

The amazing thing, you will find, is that the bulb will spin in this one circle, and not move out of its radius to go over the edge of the glass, if the glass is fairly even or level.

Have the sign over to the left side of the window and if the left side of the window is glass also, close that side off with a large sign, so people cannot go to the side of the window and accidentally see the fan behind the sign.

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UNIT NO. 4 – ENCHANTED ROCKING CHAIR The rocking chair is set sideways in the window, as shown, and the rockers are fixed to screw eyes in the floor so the chair will rock, but will not "walk" from its position. The chair back should be solid and fan aims where arrow points. The fan should be an oscillating fan to be most effective. Moving air currents can be the unseen force in any number of attention getting window displays: 1. Ribbons and streamer may be kept in motion. 2. Flags may be made to wave, continuously or intermittently. 3. Balloons may be kept in motion or apparently made to float in the air. (The Vornado Fan Co. pointed one of their fans straight up in the air, and kept a colorful rubber beach ball bouncing captive on the air current.) 4. Light bulbs may be made to roll as you see on the facing page. 5. Model airplane propellers may be made to turn without having any engines. Windmills can operate and spinwheels can spin on the unseen air currents of a good fan. These are the sort of things that should suggest new WINDOW STOPPER ideas to you.

Another way to make a chair rock - put a plate lifter under one of the rockers. You may like the suggestion on page 17 which uses an electro magnet. You could use a thread, too. Don't be afraid to think of new suggestions, yourself.

Colors, sounds, flashing lights, moving objects, water drops, live animals, air currents, automata, machinery, and even smells, can be combined with a spectator's curiosity to make an effective WINDOW STOPPER.

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UNIT NO. 5 – MYSTERY LIGHT – With Variations. This is a good standard mystery window display that can't be beat. A flower pot full of sand with a bulb sticking in same and the apparent base of the bulb out in the air is what they see. Still the bulb flashes off and on all day and all night long.

Break off a base from another bulb and cement this extra base to one side of the bulb as shown. The base of the bulb proper goes straight down into the sand and is screwed into a regular socket on an extension cord. The cord comes out of the hole in the bottom of the pot, thru a piece of black velvet that covers the floor of the window, under the cloth and out of the window at the rear to an outlet. Have a flasher button in the socket that the bulb screws into and the bulb will flash off and on to attract attention.

If this is to be elaborate you can have a hole made in the bulb part of an old style 100 watt frosted bulb, and you can have a new small 100 watt bulb inside the old one. The base of the small bulb would be buried in the sand, while the actual base of the old style bulb is exposed.

The bulb can be set in clear plastic and made to look like it is floating in a bowl of water. You can even use the idea of the soldered wires and have the bulb floating in a goldfish bowl. The base of the bulb must be perfectly dry. Get an electrician to help you with these ideas. There are many variations of MYSTERY LIGHT earning money for their owners every day. You can devise your own application.

A clever electrician can help you get the right covered and insulated wire to fit inside a length of knitted string. You can thus have a bulb hanging from a piece of string in the center of the window - LIGHTED! If knitted string is not available you can use soft magician's rope, with the proper wires inside. The wires of course are soldered to the bulb and you can even have a dummy hook from the ceiling (which would be a part of the electrical setup) on which you hang the rope and bulb.

A variation to this is to have a black velvet cloth on the floor of the window, bunched up at various points to make it attractive. Then a light cord running under the cloth and in the center of the window on the cloth have a light bulb with two wires coming from the cord under the cloth, thru the cloth, and soldered or merely stuck to the socket of the bulb, one to the side of the socket and one to the bottom of the socket.

Fine invisible wire will not show against the velvet. You can get fine wire from an old door bell transformer. If the wire is not black, paint it black. The lighted bulb on a velvet cloth makes a beautiful effect. This, of course, should be arranged with a bulb of small wattage and with a flasher, so that the bulb will not overheat and be a fire hazard.

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UNIT NO. 6 – PEEK A BOO HOUSE Make up a cardboard house about 15 inches square, with a hole in the front about six inches in diameter. On the inside of the front panel, around the hole, either paint or stick a Santa Claus cap above and a set of Santa's whiskers around the lower edge as shown in the sketch.

On the rear panel inside, full size of the panel, have a mirror. This miniature house is stuck to the front inside of a window, or have a small table up against the window with the house sitting on it, so the opening at the front of the house is right up against the inside of the window.

Have the hole in the house so that it is about 50 inches up from the sidewalk level outside. Then the average person or child can peek into it. When they peek in to see the "Midget Santa" they are really seeing their own eyes and mouth, thanks to the mirror, and the so-called "Santa" winks back and smiles at them.

In place of the Santa idea, you can have a beard and an elf hat on the inside panel, so the person will represent a midget elf, etc. This way the idea can be used any season of the year. Any character in which the face can be partly disguised as with Santa is suitable to work out.

All in all, you will find that this makes an ideal "Window Stopper" and collects a real large crowd as each has to wait in turn to peek in.

A Christmas window in Chicago had a clown doing the color change silk, with wooden hand that came down over the silk and changed it in the prescribed method. Unfortunately, the action had worn the silk away and only rags remained. Kept in good shape, this is a pretty illusion for a window. Likewise, the dove pan and the cups and balls could stand mechanizing, so that mechanical action would take place both above and below the tricks.

An entire magic show window would be lovely for Christmas with magicians or fairies continually working mechanical tricks. To get the best effect and make the window attractive for a greater length of time, the tricks should work in sequence, one at a time, and not all at once. Even for the purposes laid out in this book, be sure no exposure takes place. The public will enjoy the windows more if they are fooled, as well as "stopped" and amused.

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UNIT NO. 7 – THE GHOST LIGHT Some years ago Gen Grant marketed a trick called the Alter Light Trick, in which a single candle was reflected in two panes of glass, and gave the illusion of three candles burning. The window display illusion here stems from that trick, and will give the illusion that the bulb in the glass of water is lit, although there is no way electricity could reach it.

The illustration shows clearly how it is set up. A light bulb is fixed to a wooden base and has a wire for a plug-in. Across the middle of the wooden base a slot allows a sheet of glass to be placed up-right. Behind the glass is a large glass or plastic tumbler, and in this is put a bulb. Glass also has water in it, and may have gold fish if desired. The area behind the illusion should be dark to give best results.

Now when the bulb in front is connected and lighted, its reflection will show in the glass, and it appears as if the bulb behind the glass (directly in line with the first bulb) were lit.

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UNIT NO. 8 – THE CONTINUOUS POUR This item has long been popular, has appeared in many forms, and still will stop passers-by when placed in a window. In effect, a tea kettle, bottle, or any vessel is hung from a thin cord in a position as shown. From its spout or lip a continuous flow of liquid runs into a basin or vessel below. The detail drawing here shows that in the lower vessel, a pump is sending the liquid back up thru a glass or plastic tube, to be used over and over again. The illusion is just about perfect, even when clear water is used as the liquid.

A small water pump such as this can be secured at a pet shop, where they are sold to be used for fish aquariums. However, for this and other forms of small pumps, you should contact these firms, both of which make every conceivable type of pump: S. Gelber & Son, 5806 N. Lincoln Av. Chicago and EZ Industries, 210 N. Racine, Chicago. These will be electrically operated pumps. There is a battery operated pump which operates a small table fountain, but for long duty in a window, the electric ones will be better.

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UNIT NO. 9 – THE BIRDS AND THE FISH This illusion consists of a large clear round plastic or glass jar, with a second jar, smaller in diameter, inside it. In the space between the walls of the jars, water and goldfish are put, while inside the smaller jar, canaries are flying about. The inner clear jar cannot be seen thru the water, so it seems as if the birds and the fish are all living happily together.

The sketch shows details such as the air hole on top, cover, etc. Also note the sea weed on the floor. To get a perfect illusion, artistic attention must be paid to the floor of both the jars, so that the one under water and the dry one look as much alike as possible, and the sea weed or moss should extend over both.

An illusion using living creatures should be kept going only during business hours. The birds should be taken out and put into proper cages for the night and that part of the day when the display is not being used. Even the fish should be moved to roomier quarters, unless you are using a really big container for them. Be very careful that the birds and fish are kept healthy and should a fish die, let it be removed immediately (or as soon as it can be done). Nothing looks worse than a living window display with a dead fish floating around on top of the water.

Also, keep all plastic or glass in this illusion sparkling clean. For this reason, glass is better than plastic. Stains, scratches, and cloudiness will spoil the illusion.

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UNIT NO. 10 – THE STAND UP CIGARETTES Several cigarettes are lying haphazardly on a large ash tray, continuously stand upright, and then fall back down. The "ash tray" is a shallow glass dish with a very thin bottom, so as to permit as much power from the electro magnet to penetrate as possible. As shown in the sketch, each cigarette has a metal tip. The tray is non-magnetic and in the box the tray sits on is an electro magnet. It runs on 110 volts. The circuit has a flasher button in it, and as the current goes on and off, the cigarettes stand and drop. It may be found best to eliminate tobacco and have the cigarettes be merely stiff white paper rolled to resemble cigarettes, with the metal tip at one end and a few tobacco flakes glued across the other end. Lightness will be an essential.

As shown in the sketch, the same idea can be worked on a group of light plastic letters. The letters in the drawing have tabs in the lower ends that are magnetic and when the power comes on they stand, otherwise they fall. Several other non-magnetic letters could be present also, if one had sufficient room, and only the significant ones would rise, adding a little additional touch to the idea.

In working out these ideas, it may be found that results will be better if cigarettes or letters fall against the edge of the tray, so they are at an angle to the floor of the tray, and therefore can be pulled up easier.

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UNIT NO. 11 – THE PAINT ROLLER SIGN This is a large model of the Grant Flat Model Money Maker. The roller is wound with two colored paper, light colored on the inside (side where sign appears) and black on the other side. As shown in the drawing, as it rolls across the paper, it prints a sign, and when it rolls back, it erases it.

For a window illusion which would be kept working for hours at a time, some thin plastic material (opaque) or cloth might be substituted for paper, so there would not be any danger of the material wearing out or fraying during the action. If an actual paint roller is used, the roller part should be weighted to make for even performance, or else be fixed in some kind of track. This is not shown in the sketch, but in the pocket model the metal sides of the trick steer the roller.

For more data on the motor, see General Information at end of this book.

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UNIT NO. 12 – THE CHANGING SIGN A sign in a stand, motor operated, which keeps the sign turning, so that each time the sign moves to a vertical position, a flap falls and the message changes. People cannot resist looking at anything that moves, and when they see that the moving object is changing at the same time, they will continue to watch thru the whole sequence. For further motor detail, see General Information at back of this book.

Another idea in this field consists of a book with some half dozen pages. The book is lying on its spine on a slanted platform, so viewers thru the window can read the message. As they watch the pages turn, allowing plenty of time to read the message printed on the page before the next page turns. These are sold already built and ready to use by Maharam & Company, 420 N.Orleans St., Chicago. (This, incidentally, is an excellent source for sparkle cloth of all kinds and colors for backgrounds, curtains, etc. for your window displays.)

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UNIT NO. 13 – "DON'T PEEK" Have a show card fastened to the store window about eye-level with a hole in the center. On the card is printed the warning, as shown in our illustration. Human nature being what it is, as soon as you tell anyone not to peek thru a hole, and then put the hole directly in front of them, they will peek thru it. As soon as they do, however, the light bulb goes out.

The lighted bulb is on a display stand inside the window, and hidden in the stand is an electric eye. On the outside of the store a spotlight shines on the sign, so that when someone peeks thru the hole, they cast a shadow on the eye in the stand, which in turn puts the light bulb out.

Electric eye outfits are manufactured by Zealco, 469 E.Ohio St., Chicago, but doubtless can be obtained locally if you are in a town of any size.

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UNIT NO. 14 – THE MAGIC ROCKING CHAIR Can be worked with an electro magnet under window floor and a steel bar under one rocker, so juice goes on and off and it keeps the rocker going.

The chair would have to be very light and rock very easily. The magnet must be powerful. It would be best to construct this for short rock so that the steel "load" in the rocker of the chair is never more than one half to three quarters of an inch from the floor. This item could be wired with a relay and the action of the chair could make and break the circuit. (not shown in sketch).

Any magician well versed in his art ought to be able to come up with ideas as good or even better than any in this book for making magical tricks into "Stoppers". To encourage such thinking in yourself, imagine first of all which would make YOU stop and look in a window? Something moving, or something you cannot understand at first glance - these are probably the primary stoppers, followed by brilliant display as of light or color. Think of all the tricks you know in magic and ponder which of these might be done mechanically in a window. A mechanical guillotine, head or arm, might be feasible, with a dummy head that moves forward under the blade, a mechanized blade that comes down and seemingly chops thru, then up again to permit the dummy head to raise up unharmed.

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UNIT NO. 15 – THE GLASS THAT IS FULL AND EMPTY Some years ago Merv Taylor had a lucite glass on the market called the Fl-Mt Glass. A solid block of lucite was within the straight walled glass and rested on a ledge or projection. The glass seemed to be full of liquid and remained so while held upright. When tipped to a drinking position, the block of lucite slipped on the projection, and all the liquid ran to the bottom of the glass. This made the glass appear to be almost empty. However, when the glass was given a shake or a tip, the lucite block would again slip to the bottom, all the liquid would be forced up between the block and the side walls, and the glass seemed to be full again.

Drawing shows how such a glass could fit into a window display. One way the glass would be full, the other way empty. Good for a soft drink ad, "good to the last drop", etc.

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UNIT NO. 16 – THE MAGIC CHEST A square chest with top section also square. The front of the lower section is open, the box lined with black velvet or similar material. A sheet of plain single strength glass runs at a 45 degree angle from top rear to lower front of bottom half of the box.

As shown in the cross section, there is a light behind the glass and one above. These plug into 110 volts circuit and each line has a flasher button. As one flashes the circuit on, the other flashes its circuit off. Thus with the light to the rear of the glass, they see a bottle. Then as the lights flash, the bottle changes to a glass. "When the light goes out at the rear of the glass pane, the one at the front goes on, transforming the glass pane into a "mirror" and they see the reflection of the glass concealed above. The illusion is perfect. Any two items may be made to change.

This is a very strong item for this kind of work. A man could have a half dozen of these operating for him in various business spots around a town, each distinctly different and carrying out the theme of the business involved. They could be sold to bars, etc. as a permanent "Stopper" because the owner could arrange his own items in it as desired.

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UNIT NO. 17 – THE BLACK ART BOX Box is made as in sketch, and lined with black velvet. The object to be advertised should be white, or as bright and shiny as possible for good contrast. A white box of candy, a glass or bottle of milk, a white bowl of eggs, a necklace on a white satin pillow -- these are the kind of things that will look best. The flap, as shown in sketch, is covered with black velvet. The motor causes it to drop, then to be pulled back up again, so that the object being advertised appears and then disappears, only to appear again, etc.

The action of the black flap is made possible thru a special gear which is cut away so that the springs on the flap can pull it down when the teeth of the gear are disengaged. It will take some experimenting to get the action just right, but once fixed up for one box, all others can be the same.

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UNIT NO. 18 – THE HEADLESS ILLUSION AS A WINDOW STOPPER This starts a whole new idea in this field - the use of human being. As shown, the Headless Illusion is a great idea for showing fashions, with the theme that women lose their heads over them! Such a showing would require draw curtains, so that the illusion would be on display at intervals. A sign with "next show time" on it could keep the passing crowd aware that something was about to happen. (The detail for the Headless Illusion can be found in Hilliard's Greater Magic).

Almost any product could be exploited with this illusion, since the girl could have the product in her hands to show, or could work things with her hands, or write slate messages about the product. Her costume could carry out further data relative to the product. "You don't need a head to operate our electric iron!" for example, would show the simplicity of operation of any product.

Carrying this idea still further, the "Head in the Box," "Head on Swords across a Chair" would both be very easy for display. All the old mirror type stunts which demand a fixed set up and therefore are not too popular on the modern stage, would be great for show window use. Head choppers and floating ladies could also be adopted to this end.

The addition of a living person to any window stopper display increases greatly the "stopping ability" of the window. The crowd stops just to look at men fixing up the window; how much more if a lady is in there, minus her head!

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GENERAL INFORMATION The mechanical requirements of the display items in the last half of this book may easily be met by materials from an erector set. Inexpensive electric eye kits are sold by toy shops and by companies like Allied Radio, Jackson and Western Avenues, Chicago. A simple blinker unit is easily made with an ordinary light socket and blinkers sold at Christmas time for tree lights. It would also be well to investigate time switches (sold by Allied) so that the electrical display would go off automatically over the hours during which it would not be watched (midnight till 8 A.M., for instance).

Electro magnets are about the only item which might be a bit costly, but many workers will be able to get materials to wind their own coils. Books on simple electricity will be very useful to anyone going into this business. Or better yet, get the help of an electrically-skilled friend. So many men were given this training in the services that every circle of friends includes at least one who knows all the answers, electrically.

It might be wise to put fuses in all the circuits to prevent any possibility of fire and damage to other items on display.

The Hankscraft Company, Reedsburg, Wisconsin, make battery operated display motors. They make them up for specific uses and once you have such a motor, you would be ready for spots where electricity was not available. On request, they will send you a brochure, but they have a local agent who would handle any need.

Mr.Grant had an idea that the arm of such a motor could keep opening and closing a cardboard folder like a book. On the outside would be the title: "HOW TO WIN AT BRIDGE". Then on the inside was the word "CHEAT!" and on the page opposite it some message about: "You don't have to cheat to win with our product, etc." Or, on the cover: "WHAT I KNOW ABOUT WOMEN", then when the cover opens the pages are blank.

George Coon, 4111 W. Monroe St. Chicago makes a light bulb sitting on a plate with no visible connection with electricity, yet it remains lighted.

The Alsto Co., 4007 Detroit Av. Cleveland, 13, Ohio sells an electric eye outfit for $14.95.

Mohawk Business Machines Co., 944 Halsey St., Brooklyn 33, NY will send you (on request) a brochure of their Message Repeater (plus accessories and special attachments). Just inside a store, a Talking Skull could be set up, fixed to talk to the public as they entered the store. This firm also makes a mat that turns lights and other mechanical things on as people enter. The field of sound can add to your business of displays, and this firm seems to have the things you need.

Maharam's, mentioned before, carry a rod which taps on the inside of the window and attracts attention.

Trippe Mfg. Co. 133 N. Jefferson, Chicago will send you a free catalogue of their 360 degree multi color revolving lights for animating displays in color.

And in closing, what ever happened to that "window stopper" of our childhood, the man who advertised clothing by standing so perfectly still, eyes unblinking, seemingly not even breathing, for long periods of time - so you never knew if he was a dummy or not. Then he finally moved!

One of the greatest of all stoppers, and one which has been used many times is the "Girl in the Fishbowl". Bimbo's Night Club in San Francisco had one of these built into a special polished wood pillar in the center of their bar room floor. A fish bowl stood on the pillar, and when a spectator came up close and looked in among the fish and seawood, he saw an open oyster-shell. And seated in the

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shell, playing with her pearls, and with long yellow hair streaming down over her shoulders, was a mermaid. She was only two inches high, but perfect in every detail, and alive. Clothing didn't encumber her, and she moved around on her silk cushioned shell so that everyone knew she was living. People told people, and everybody stopped in at Bimbo's to see this wonderful little creature.

This illusion depended on the fact that the pillar contained special (and very expensive) reflecting and diminishing mirrors. The real woman lay on a big plastic oyster shell on the floor below, and from there her every action was transmitted up to the tiny mirror fixed in the water in; the fish bowl.

The Oriental Theatre in Chicago used the same illusion with Santa Claus one Christmas, in their lobby. They had kids backed up for blocks, waiting to see it.

With expense and effort, you might be able to get the parts together for such an illusion, keeping in mind the fact that it is a good deal of trouble to install, even after you have the mirrors, etc. But the idea is too good to forget. Here is a way you can achieve a "Girl in Fishbowl" with very little effort or expense.

A large screen is folded in U shape, and a small two way screen (about half as high) is push against the back of the large screen at 45 degree angles (see sketch which shows setup from the top, looking down.) The small screen's panels are mirrors, which reflect the panels of the big screen. The large screen is a framework covered with white sheeting. The small screen has a top with a half circle hole cut in it, so the girl can be hidden behind the small screen with her head coming out the top of it. Her head comes up thru the board and into a glass fishbowl (a bottomless one). Clear plastic has been put around inside to form an outer wall where water, fish and seaweed can be put.

Three lights surround the outside of the big screen at equal distances apart. With these three lights on from the front, the mirrors reflect the lights as they shine thru the white sheeting sides of the big screen, giving the illusion that you are seeing right thru the back part of the big screen and to the light in the rear of it.

For further information on WINDOW STOPPERS refer to the books on store window decoration in your local library. For parts, materials and the animation devices consult The Yellow Pages of your telephone book under the general heading of: DISPLAY. For other items see sections on: Sales, Novelties, Advertising, Promotion, & Presentation.

Illustrations for this enlarged edition of Grant's WINDOW STOPPERS were made by Neil Foster, Jay Marshall and Dr. Eugene Gloye.

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