Piff the Magic Book by Piff the Magic Dragon

This is Piff the Magic Dragon’s first book. It contains the magic he used to get where he is today (a headliner in Las Vegas.) His dry humor and sequined dragon onesie make him instantly recognizable. The size is very nice. It’s a square book with 431 thick, full-color pages, a green cloth cover, and a simple dragonized “P” on the front. It’s superb quality, and the layout is stunning throughout. VI is still in the best of the best when it comes to designing and producing a book.

Foreword by Penn Jillette 

Preface - The book sets the tone by asking, “Why are you reading this?” It makes it clear that the point of writing this book is not to dress like a dragon and steal his act (although you wouldn’t be the first to do that.) Instead, the point of writing the book is for you to look at the structure of the effects and use that to inspire your own work. 

How I Became Piff the Magic Dragon - This is essentially Piff the Magic Dragon’s entire history laid out before you. It details his beginnings, the first time he wore a dragon costume, getting Mr. Piffles, his appearances on Penn and Teller’s Fool Us, his AGT appearances, all the way to where he is today.

Admittedly, it was clearly not an easy journey, and I appreciated his honesty in detailing not only his successes but also his miserable failures and his low points along the way. I wouldn’t exactly call it “encouraging.” It is a frank portrayal of what being in a gigging business is like. You have beautiful highs and terrible lows. Piff experienced these throughout his career. I do have one weird complaint. There is a page that is repeated in this chapter. The photo and layout are different, but Page 27 has the same three paragraphs that are on page 18. It jumps back in time randomly. This type of mistake is unusual for VI, but I guess it even happens to the best in the biz.

Piff’s Triple-Reveal Dog Food - Piff steals a card from someone’s wallet, borrows a $20 bill, has it signed, and transforms it into a voucher for a magic trick. He has a card selected, signed, lost back in the deck, and brings out Mr. Piffles (his long-haired chihuahua) to find the card. After the dog throws the entire deck out of the case, Piff attempts to catch the signed card but fails. The dog says he’s on a hunger strike; no food, no card. So Piff pulls out a can of dog food and opens it. After digging around inside the dog food, he removes the signed card, followed by the card from the wallet, his middle finger, and eventually the signed $20 bill.

This is as bare-bones a description as possible because the trick isn’t the important part of Piff’s work. The real “magic” is in what is said and done between the moments of magic that lead to big laughs. This entire routine is choked full of dry humor (and wet dog food,) but the value in this book is not in learning how to do the tricks because you’ll never perform the trick. The value is in seeing how the trick came to be. Piff walks you through his entire process for creating this routine. It details the minor improvements that have been made along the way thanks to years of performing it. Everything from making his table to the building of a card fountain; it’s all there. The explanation for this is perhaps the most entertaining explanation I’ve ever read in any magic book. It’s full of laugh-out-loud funny lines with footnotes that become arguments between the editor (John Lovick) and Piff. It’s also refreshing to see the evolution of the trick through the pages. Throughout the explanation, there are also essays on working with a camera on stage, how he trained Mr. Piffles, and a reflection on the elements of the routine that he doesn’t like in hindsight. Despite his appearance as a character, Piff is actually highly self-aware, or at least, he has become self-aware over the years. This ability to reflect on what you didn’t like in the past is the only way you can grow as a performer.

Why Good Bits Are Bad - Piff recounts the time he spent watching Penn and Teller rehearse. What he learned from them is that they don’t stop when something is “good.” They keep pushing and rehearsing until it’s “great.” Piff feels that in many of his tricks, he found a good trick and was satisfied. We are also treated to a fun comic depicting Piff and Al Koran discussing “The Gold Medallion” effect. Well.. discussing is a loose term. It’s basically Piff telling Koran how dumb he is while eating a banana (Piff is the one eating the banana–not Al.)

Happy Birthday Mr. Piffles - This is Piff’s take on John Archer’s “Collard.” The audience chooses a random name for Mr. Piffles and sings “Happy Birthday” to him. Piff removes a present he got for Mr. Piffles. The spectator undoes the box on the box and opens it to find a brand-new collar for Mr. Piffles. Engraved on a tag on the collar is the name chosen by the audience.

This trick is highlighting the point made in the above essay. It is a good trick, one that he used for years, but he doesn’t consider it “great.” Two versions are taught. One for the solo performer, and one with an assistant. Piff’s goal was to have a version of Koran’s Medallion that actually had an engraved medallion instead of resorting to dual reality. The solo version has a unique method for doing real-time “engraving.” It’s clever, easy, and cheap. I can see performers running with that idea. The second method is much more expensive and will cost thousands to get the required materials, but you are left with a genuinely engraved collar. Again, this explanation is a fun read with comedic callbacks and arguments in the footnotes. Again, I took great enjoyment out of seeing how Piff problem-solved his way through this effect. He started with a good effect and made it even better, but he still doesn’t consider it “great” in hindsight, which leads us to the next chapter.

How I Make Great Things - Here, Piff breaks down what he wishes his process for creation was and then breaks down what his process really is. Again, the honesty here is refreshing.

Ring in Egg - This is a routine Piff considers “great.” A ring is borrowed, Mr. Piffles eats the ring, Piff gives the dog a laxative, the dog poops out an egg, and inside the egg is the ring.

It feels ridiculous writing that out. Piff is so fond of this because the premise is naturally funny, the magic is strong, the plot is easy to follow, and the balance of jokes and magic is spot on. For a trick that seems so simple when you watch it, there is a lot of work going on to make it happen. It’s a joy to see how it all comes together, and there are some fantastic tips that many performers could use. There’s even a complete method for creating an egg bag from a dog poop bag. That’s pretty specific to this trick, but the concept could be applied to a small trash bag that leaves the door open for inspiration to strike. I think it’s a fun effect, and there is much to learn from how Piff simplified the method over time.

Bill in Banana - No need to describe this one–the name says it all.

This is an easy and effective way to get a signed bill in a banana, but you’ll need an assistant (a Vegas showgirl is preferred.) There is a ton of comedic byplay and fun interaction between Piff and an audience member, which I imagine will be remembered long after the trick is forgotten. Piff also teaches how to load a card in a banana so that you can do the trick solo. It’s probably how you would think the card/bill is loaded in a banana, but the plot makes perfect sense when you’re a banana-eating dragon.

Coffee Break - Here, Piff walks through the nine iterations of his dragon costume, from the one his sister stole from college to the one he performs in nightly in Vegas now. 

The Great Chicago Fire - Piff’s dragonistic take on the Chicago Opener meant for publicity appearances. He takes a mug, has two cards selected, puts the deck in the mug, blows his dragon breath on the mug, and smoke begins to rise. He spreads through the deck, and one card is scorched on the back. It is the first selected card. He puts the scorched card in the mug and puts the rest of the deck in a different mug. He blows his dragon breath at the deck, but nothing happens. He tries again, but smoke rises from the mug holding the already scorched card. The card is removed and is shown to have changed into the second selection.

This is a great effect that Piff has made fit his character perfectly. The real value here is in how he prepares for the early morning appearances so that he can just grab a Tupperware and throw it in the car on the way to the studio. I also think it’s a great example of tweaking an existing routine to fit your character. Use this as inspiration.

David Copperfish - A goldfish talks and reads minds.

This is a fun routine with wonderful built-in comedy. The best bit is when a spectator sticks their tongue into the fish’s water. It’s wild that Piff actually convinces someone to do that, and yet it’s clear that he does. At its core, it’s a presentation for the Mother of All Book Tests, but that’s a dull description of a funny routine. This is one of the few routines in the book that doesn't revolve around being a dragon, so I guess technically anyone could do it (but don’t!) It even includes a full transcript with every single joke.

David Copperfish: The Extended Cut  - As a follow-up to the last bit, the fish accidentally gets blended. The orange water is poured into a small glass and fills it completely. This is poured into a larger glass and somehow fills it completely. This is repeated with two even larger glasses. Finally, the liquid is shaken in a cocktail shaker and poured into a large cocktail glass. Amazingly, four live goldfish are poured from the shaker and into the glass instead of orange liquid.

This is a dark humor use for Multum in Parvo. Piff is skilled at taking classic tricks and using them for different purposes. Even if that purpose is to suggest he blended a goldfish by mistake. The logic of the liquid continuing to fill the larger glasses makes about as much sense as it did in the original Multum in Parvo. Still, the visuals are unique enough to warrant its use as a follow-up to the previous routine–especially as a middle routine. 

Card is Straw - Piff drinks from a fast food cup. At the front of the stage is a large prediction envelope. Piff shines his light on an audience member. They name any card, and when they look in the envelope, a straw is in it instead of a card. The straw in the drink Piff has been sipping on is now seen to be a rolled-up card–the very card named.

This draws inspiration from Derren Brown’s “Smoke,” but doesn’t require the use of cigarettes. It also can be any card named. I really like this routine. It’s fun, easy enough to do, has a memorable, weird plot, and seems to “make sense” in some odd way. Piff’s presentation also revolves around the named card being the “most difficult card in magic,” providing some great comedic moments with the spectator. It’s the first routine in the book that would work for my performing character.

Thing in a thing in a thing in a thing in a thing in a thing in a thing - Nice title, Piff. An item is found in a capsule in a wooden box in a ribbon in an acrylic box in a canister in a chest.

Two effects are described. The one Piff does in his show that you aren’t allowed to do and a version with a different object that you are allowed to do. Like most routines in the book, you won’t do it exactly as written because it would take thousands of dollars to get everything custom-made for it, but there are some excellent gags and bits of business that you may be able to adapt for your own use.

Flap Cards - A preteen is brought on stage to assist Piff. To test if he’s old enough to help, Piff has him read a word written on an index card. The kid profusely protests that he can’t read multiple times before finally giving his opinion about a fellow Las Vegas headliner.

That’s a bit vague, but the value in this routine is in what the kid says and what is written on the cards. It has a 100 Monkeys feel to it but without the strange-looking cards. You’ll never guess the method used here… despite the uncreative name, it is a hilarious bit to add in before a routine, and virtually any performer could add this directly into their act–especially if your character likes to obviously poke fun at teens/preteens. There’s a lot of great comedic byplay, and the kicker punchline at the end could be adapted to better suit your needs. I could see David Williamson absolutely kill with this type of routine. I guess I can also see Piff the Magic Dragon killing with it since it’s his routine.

The Greatest GD Mother Fluffin’ Card Trick of All Time - This is the routine Piff used to close his shows. It’s a twenty-minute Multiple Selection routine that ends with one of his signature pieces. Three cards are selected and shuffled into the deck. A fourth card is selected and signed. For the first card, Piff removes the incorrect card and changes it into the correct one. A packet of cards is passed around the room, and Piff names each card the people hold. The second card is found between two slices of bread as Piff takes a bite out of a sandwich. The third card is revealed by springing the deck at a photo of a castle. One card sticks to the photo, but the card can’t be removed. Piff runs off stage, and we see Piff appear in the “photo” (actually a video), run up to the camera, peel the card off the screen, and turn it around to reveal the selected card. Real-life Piff then runs back on stage holding the selected card he just removed from the screen in the video. He now shakes that card, turning it into the fourth and final card–the signed card. Piff then explains that he predicted the last card before the show began. The prediction is unfurled, and it’s not the right card. The signed card is then changed one quarter at a time into the predicted card–with the prediction still intact! The crowd goes wild, and that ends the show.

Wow, that was a lot to type, and honestly, it’s still pretty vague compared to what is involved in the routine. It has a tremendous dramatic build, plenty of comedy, and excellent audience interaction. It is one of the most entertaining multiple-selection routines I’ve read. Several things could be pulled out of this routine and used for your own work. The entire routine ends with his signature piece-by-piece change of a signed card (VDP) that has been performed on Fool Us and America’s Got Talent. He clearly loves the trick and considers it one of his best creations. This is obvious from the fact that the last 133 pages of the book are full-color, full-page photographs of this one trick. That’s a third of the book devoted to this one trick. It shows you the method step-by-step. I like the idea there, and it looks great, but devoting 133 pages to it seems a bit ludicrous to me. It looks like they wanted to take a 293-page book and turn it into a 427-page book. It’s a unique concept in a magic book that I’ve never seen done before, and I guess it doesn’t matter, but you end up getting through the book much faster than you may think because of those last 133 pages.

Acknowledgments - Thanking the MANY people who have helped Piff get where he is today.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is very entertaining to read, and the writing is genuinely funny. It definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy seeing the thought process behind the magic and the work that goes into developing a unique routine, this book is for you. You won’t perform any of the routines in the book, but Piff’s journey will inspire you; there’s a lot to learn here. My honest opinion is that it was a little over-hyped. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic book and well worth the read, but the extraordinary fanfare is a bit much. Then again, I imagine a Magic Dragon wouldn’t have it any other way, so who am I to judge?