"Brilliant! This is excellent!"
- Jeff McBride

Did I cannibalize a G.I Joe?

Awhile back I found myself in the company of a bunch of wonderfully strange wonder-workers at Poe's Magic Conference in Baltimore. It was great fun and I got to see old friends that I haven't seen in years as well as meet brand new friends. It was a fabulous time.

I also lectured and performed on the Parlor Show. It all went quite well and seemed to be well received.

One item that I did in my lecture was particularly well received. It was a very unique little utility device. All that I did was demonstrate it and discuss a couple possibilities, and I got an unending series of comments about it for the remainder of the conference.

The device is called The Spirit Pointer.

I've used it in its basic form for a few years now, and it has proven to be a marvelous accoutrement to a great many presentations for me. But, back to the conference in Baltimore, and all of the resulting discussion after showing it.

One of those comments was from my friend Rick Green, an accomplished performer and all around great guy. He made a simple observation about The Spirit Pointer that nearly caused my head to explode. I immediately knew that if I could make Rick's suggestion happen, that the Spirit Pointer was going to make a quantum leap forward from being a fascinating spirit novelty of sorts, to being a full-fledged, interest-generating tool that virtually any performer could use.

You see, the new goodie that I am bringing to you today is one that I had been planning on releasing for a few months now. It was going to be exactly what I showed At Poe's, which, like I said, was incredibly well received. I just hadn't had the time to really devote to it just yet. But when Rick dropped that amazing jewel of an idea in my lap in Baltimore, The Spirit Pointer moved to the front of the line. But first, it needed an overhaul from what I had been using.

Upon my return to Denver after the convention, there were a couple of high intensity days of trying to work out a way to make this little project happen. I'll be honest, it wasn't looking good. And then, out of nowhere, the stars aligned and the perfect solution was placed before me. I couldn't be more thrilled with the results of everything that transpired in the space of just 48 hours. So much so, that I have decided to take the plunge and make this available to all of you as quickly as humanly possible.

It's simple and highly versatile, not to mention a ton of fun just to do.

So what is it?

For some, it will be a means of having the spirits communicate during a program. For others it will be a means of finding lost objects or locating specific information. For still others it will be a conduit for a novel revelation.

Enough generalities. Allow me to introduce you to...

The Spirit Pointer by Mark Strivings

Here is a wonderfully simple device that can be used in a multitude of ways.

As you can see in the pic below, the Spirit Pointer consists of a disembodied arm with the forefinger of the hand extended. This is not just a doll's arm that has been repurposed. It has been created from the ground up specifically for this effect. It is tied to the center of a length of cord.

The Pointer is held by the ends of the cord, one in each hand as shown below. There is no direct contact by the performer with either the arm or the hand.

The hand can point in any direction, both horizontally as well as vertically. And it can be used in so many ways. In fact, how you will use it is entirely up to you!

It can be used to locate the dead name in a Living and Dead test.

It can be used to point at a person in a lineup for a Kurotsuke type of presentation.

It can be used as a dowsing rod of sorts.

It can point to the location of the money in a bank night presentation.

Speaking of money, it can be used to locate your check, a la Kreskin.

And yes, you can even find a chosen playing card with it.

And so much more! The ideas above are barely the tip of the iceberg!

But that is all entirely up to you! Use it in any way that you wish.

Here are some close up pictures of the arm/hand itself.

The arm is just barely over three inches in length and made of an incredibly strong resin. As you can see, it's a rather muscular arm. In fact, when Jeff McBride saw it, he remarked...

"And what a great arm. Did you cannibalize a G.I. Joe?"

That made me laugh out loud, for sure.

This is a quality prop made to the highest standards, and with just the barest modicum of care, it will easily last you forever. It's like nothing your audiences have ever seen. It's unique, it's novel, it's creepy and it's weird.

It's whatever you want it to be!

It's also 100% under your control at all times! AND, it is 100% self-contained!

This comes with the arm itself, tied on the cord, ready to work straight out of the package. It also includes a manuscript of instructions and routine ideas.

This is a 'take it out of your case and do it' piece of mystery entertainment. There is literally no reset of any kind and it is perpetually ready to go. You can even carry it in your pocket and use it strolling if you'd like. It's a worker. You're going to love it!