Bird Arm Illusion by Axtell Expressions

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Axtell's Patented BIRD ARM ILLUSION
By far one of the most exciting Puppet Illusions!

Click photo for secret

In this video of Vern and I, he had just pulled off my other glove. What a silly bird....It's highly recommended to wear both gloves to complete the illusion.

Non-Animated Standard
"BIRD ARM ILLUSION"
just $59.95!
(bird puppet not included)

Specify if you want the LEFT or RIGHT hand
when ordering.

Hint: Choose your dominant or strongest arm unless you need it free for shaking hands or writing on a blackboard while your bird is on the other hand. ORDER HERE

Check out this animated clip of me using Vern. Note how natural the arm looks and what amazing animation it gives the puppet!
Click on "AxTV" above for a video clip of this bit.

This unique third arm gimmick creates the illusion that you are holding one of our bird puppets on your outstretched arm like a bird trainer - and the BIRD PUPPET appears to be alive - totally animated! Thousands of you already use this illusion, and know the POWER and IMPACT it gives your performance!

Order BELOW

The Bird Arm Illusion is fantastic - although, only by buying it, did i discover you have to see it to believe it. In your ads, it looks like a great idea, i mean it tempted me enough to buy it. However, wearing it for the first time and looking at the reflection of me and Douglas (my Dodo) in the mirror, i realised it's a knockout! WOW i said - this is BRILLIANT, such Genius! Karl Jeffery, England

Need Safari Clothes?
Here are some links....1-2-3-4

Takeshi Ikeda - Japan

Kevin Johnson using the Arm & Cockatoo on the
Late Show with David Letterman

New! ANIMATRONICS
takes this illusion to a new level of professionalism!

We now also make a new Animated version

See video below showing the
realistic subtle animated movement.

Now the arm illusion is ANIMATED thanks to the magic of ANIMATRONICS! Just pop in 4 AAA batteries (not included) and the electronic servo animation begins the natural - totally random - movement!

RANDOM MOVEMENT - unlike the little animation above the hand moves randomly thanks to custom chip technology. This is not some silly motor - or a novelty wiggling hand. This is HIGH TECH Electronics!
PLAYS BIG - Packs Small

LIGHTWEIGHT - only 4 oz. added with electronics!
(8 oz. standard Arm plus all electronics and the 4 batteries - only 12 oz. total)

SUPER QUIET OPERATION !

VERSITILE Off -White color!

Animated Arm $299.00. Includes Bird Arm, Glove for your other hand, Instructions & Ideas. Order Below.

Watch Scott Wagstaff with the Arm & Buzzard

What's inside the Animated Arm? There is a circuit board with a custom programmed chip, a servo, battery pack and an on/off switch. There is one servo that moves the index and middle finger up and down.It moves in a random and natural motion controlled by the electronics. We brought in a live parrot and set it on my arm and two technicians watched my hand while I was talking to the bird. They counted the movements of my fingers and noticed that while holding something on your arm, you tend primarily to raise and lower the index finger. So the effect of the Animated Bird Arm Illusion is very realistic. It is subtle, and realistic. It is not going to attract attention, but it is enough movement to further confuse the viewer.

Make sure to...
Specify LEFT or RIGHT arm

Order LARGE if you are over 5' - 5"(167 cm)
Order SMALL if you are under 5' - 5" (167 cm)

Here's what you will receive:
The Bird Arm Illusion FAKE ARM - with wire posable fingers
A glove for your other hand to complete the illusion
Full Instructions and ideas.

$59.95

( Bird puppet not included.)

(Animated Arm) ..It came just in time to let thousands of people see it in use. I had to open for CARMEN in Mississippi last weekend, so I thought why not give it the real try. Steve it was great, people standing as close as two feet from me could not figure how this was working.
Jim Bryson

Order Your Regular or Animated Bird Arm Here!

I fell in love with the arm within a minute of trying it ,the movement is very natural and random, it's very much worth the investment. Dave Hereid

Thought you like to check out the get up I put together with your crow. Here I am dressed as a scarecrow with "Vel" as in "VelCrow". Vel has been telling all that I am truly "outstanding in my field". Also is informing everyone that my field is corn and that I am full of it, this has confirmed by the Kernel himself. Vel is very glad that he is a crow especially around Thanksgiving because most people do not like to eat crow.

Ed Casey, Ventriloquist

Extra Glove Only (No Hole) $15

Why might I need an extra Glove?

If you want to put on 2 regular gloves in front of your audience before you go get your bird, you will need the Extra Glove wihout a gimmick hole in it. Once you are off stage, you would remove it to put on the Bird Arm Illusion and Bird Puppet.

The kit comes with one regular glove for your other hand. Order the Extra Glove only if you want a glove for the hand you will put the Bird Arm Ilusion on.

This clever cartoon of our Bird Arm Illusion appeared in "Dialogue" a Ventriloquist Magazine Winter 1997

The cartoonist Alex Howell can be contacted at 11 Keats Drive Derry, NH 03038 (603) 437-2405
© 1997 Axtell Expressions, Inc.

Carl Davis looking for double trouble!

I received the Bird Arm Illusion today and fell in love with it. It is going to be a pleasure working with this. Thank You very much for a great job!
Mike Weyermiller
Kids Korner Krusaders
Tulsa, OK

Instructional videos

"Adusting Bird Arm"

Lou Hilario with his Bird Arm Illusion! Can you guess which one is the talking bird?

TIPS TO USING YOUR BIRD ARM!

When using your bird arm it's important that it looks and behaves like a real arm that your bird is sitting on. Here are some tips....

Avoid making super quick movements which will cause the arm to bounce.

Always make sure the bendable arm is shaped well before presenting it to the audience. Look it over good before bringing it out of a case or from behind the curtain. The most natural open hand position seems to be the index finger extended straight out and the other fingers fanning downward more relaxed. It has to do with the way the arm supports something sitting on it (like a bird) the tendon of the index finger is usually stiff. If you bend the glove into a fist (to hold a leash etc) make sure you take the time to create bends where real knuckles should be. Put the other glove on your other hand and study it's shape in the glove, match it and then show it to someone else for comments.

Adjust the stuffing in the fingers if needed. Not everyone's hand is the same size so we put a medium amount of stuffing in the fingers. Look at your real hand in the empty glove and match the look of the fake hand to it. You can remove stuffing with a hooked wire, or with long needle nose pliers.

The arm should never be tilted down toward the floor as it makes your elbow look broken. Often this happens when you tilt the bird out away from you. To help you with this, bend the brass tubing angle the arm upwards a bit. Then you can perform the illusion and the arm will not go down in a bent backwards position.

Remember to set the length of the arm to match your other real arm. Once you have the length set crimp the brass tubing onto the wire so it is locked. Even thought it's in the instructions, some performers skip this step and are working with a loose set up.

When we started out building the Bird Arm Illusion over 20 years ago we made it with a shorter glove. This meant that the hole your arm came up thru into the puppet needed to be cut into a shirt or jacket sleeve. Around 10 years ago we started making a longer gauntlet on the glove and the hole is now in the glove. If you have one of the older shorter Bird Arm Illusions you may want to switch to the new version. You do not need to wear a jacket, or long sleeve shirt with the illusion now, as your arm comes up thru the hole in the gauntlet.

If you have discovered more tips please feel free to email them to me. Thanks.

AxThe Bird Arm Illusion by Axtell Expressions is perfect for magicians or puppeteers or clowns!

I have one of AXTELL's "Vern" birds, with the "arm device"... Something I can always count on to be a "WOWser" is "Vern"... right out of the box, when folks first see the effect, it's one of those wonderous moments that we all yearn for. You can just feel the excitement as the audience wonders "How does he DO that? The bird seems ALIVE!"

Well, here's something I've found to be very effective in BUILDING the anticipation before "Vern" first makes his appearance, and I've found It ALWAYS gets laughs, especially from kids. What I do is play appropriate, funny music while I'm putting ON the device; I use the "can" concept Steve has come up with, which just takes a few seconds to put on, but when I'm using the music, I milk it for a couple of minutes; I have the lid to my figure case up, so the audience can't see what I'm doing; I have a little battery fan in there too (you can get them at most Drug Stores during the summer for about $5), and some some loose bright colored feathers (available at most craft stores for a couple of dollars a bagful)... timed with the music, I'll put a few feathers in front of the fan, and it blows them up in the air.... I look surprised, like "what's happening" etc.). My favorite music for this is the 60's "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen (which is funnier than the original "The Bird is the Word" by The Rivingtons).

Other times, I'll be out of sight (behind stage, behind a door, etc.), start "Surfin' Bird" music, and then run around amongst the audience while the music plays... this is especially effective if this will be the first time the particular audience will have seen one of the "birds"....

Thanks Steve! Just like your Drawing Board, I recommend "Vern" (or any of your "birds") as a MUST HAVE for every Vent. Ed Dotson, Pensacola, Florida

EASY ON - EASY OFF - Normally, to wear the illusion you put your arm into the Bird Arm support, wrap the velcro around your arm and then slip the bird puppet onto your arm and adjust. It takes about 20-30 seconds.
But take a look at this! In order to slip into BOTH the Bird and the Arm in about 2 seconds,mount it all to a can first!

You can also make the Arm and Puppet very easy to slip into by setting it up in the following manner: Mount the Bird Arm to a coffee can (with both ends cut out) or similar rigid tube. After the Velcro has been attached around the can, put the bird puppet on over the can and the Bird Arm strap. Your bird is now one unit with the can and arm. You can slip into the can quite quickly this way.

"Quick-Change" Instructions Video.

Wanlu with his parrot using a birdarm illusion