Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the new "Pizza to Go". In 1987 we put out the original version of this trick and it was an instant hit with comedy magicians. Over ten years several clever folks have contributed behind the scenes with ideas and improvements of this radically new trick. Special thanks and credit go to Chuck Field, Ken Carman, Mark Trimble, Hugues Tolstonog and Mike Gazzaway. Believe me this trick is much improved thanks to their creative input. Enjoy your new high tech Pizza To Go!

WARNING! Do not attempt to fold up the pizza until you have read and followed the instructions carefully. If you bend the spring wire and kink it you will ruin the nice shape it has and you will void your warranty. This product is guaranteed to be free from defects and will be replaced free if returned within 2 weeks. For your safety: If the spring wire should ever break inside the fabric, do not attempt to repair it or operate it. Contact us for a replacement.

Warranty

Your satisfaction is guaranteed with this and any Axtell Expressions product. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with the Pizza To Go trick return it to your place of purchase within 2 weeks for a full refund of your purchase price. Our liability is limited to the replacement of the parts as described and no other warranty is expressed or implied.

All the Ingredients for a great routine!

Examine the workings, take time to gently break-in the box and the rest is presentation. You get a lot of trick for your "dough". It should contain:

1 Pizza Box

1 Instant Pizza Mix Bag

1 Fabric Spring Pizza

1 Wand to Spoon trick

1 Chef's hat

1 Instruction set

Given the nature of the materials we have to use to make the trick convincing, you can expect some wear and tear over the years. The bag and box are paper products and will wear quicker than the other items, but then if we built them to last forever who would believe a wooden pizza box was real? All of the items can be purchased separately at reasonable prices so you won't have to buy the entire trick over again just


to replace one item. Please feel free to write or email us with any fun routine ideas and we might put them up on the internet webpage dedicated to Pizza To Go.

The web address is www.axtell.com/pizza.html

THE BOX

While we have shipped everything to you in the pizza box, it is recommended that you don't continuously store them in the box as it may bend the flaps over time. Inside the box is a false bottom. The top of the flap has a white dot of hook velcro on it to hold the folded pizza in place. There is a small hole on the bottom of the box that matches the cutout of the flap above it. This is for your finger to control the flap by holding on or by releasing it.

The box is a utility prop, as you can produce the pizza from an empty box, vanish the pizza, or change it to a light load such as spring flowers. As you read thru the routine ideas that follow, you can be thinking of new ideas and different ways to use this prop that will be unique to your own style.

ADJUSTING THE BOX

To customize the box to fit your hands, hold it in the open position with the back of the box resting against your body (chest/ belly area) with the front opening away from you. Insert your left index finger into the bottom hole of the box and wedge your finger tip in front of the flap cut out. This flap cut-out can be enlarged if you have a big fingertip; just cut it back with some scissors. Do not cut it too big that you loose control or you may need to order a new box.

OPERATING THE BOX

With your hands in position, your finger will act as a suspension devise for the left side of the flap. The right side of the flap has a foot that keeps the flap from setting on the bottom of the box. Equalize the height of the flap so it looks level to your audience.

FLAP DOWN POSITION

Standing in front of a mirror, hold the box open toward your "audience". You will notice that with the flap down in position the box looks fairly normal. If you move the box from left to right it makes it more difficult to examine and perceive that there is a short depth to the bottom. If you tip it too low you will notice that you will expose your finger tip and the front cut out of the flap. This is the position that finally reveals the small (folded) pizza which has appeared in the box.

FLAP UP POSITION

Watch your angles! Now, close the box and move your left index fingertip out of the cutout and below the flap. Push up on the flap when slightly opening the lid about 1". At the same time, slide your RIGHT HAND pinky finger under the right front corner of the box and underneath the "foot" of the flap. Now open the box NOT MORE THAN 10-12 inches. If you open the box too much you will reveal the flap up in the lid of the box, and there are gaps on the sides and a large one in the front with the cut out in it. This will be even more noticeable with the folded
Tilt Down to avoid exposing Gaps
pizza up in between the lid and the flap. However by watching your angles and keeping the lid tilted downward with the front text "Fast Pizza to Go" pointed toward them you won't be revealing the gaps around the flap in the lid. Also by keeping it moving it will make it more difficult to see. Also you can cover the hole in the bottom by covering it with your hand when you show the inside of the box. This is the position to reveal that there is no pizza in the empty box.

PRACTICE THE BOX MOVES

Now that you know the two flap positions, practice them several times so they are effortless to do.

1. FLAP UP (Left finger pushes up on flap while right hand supports foot now in lid)

2. FLAP DOWN (left finger holds flap level in bottom of the box)

WAND TO SPOON

This trick is also very fun to perform and will add quite a bit of surprise to your routine. Feel free to use it with other baking or mixing tricks like baking a cake in a hat etc. Palm the body of the spoon in your hand revealing the taped area of the spoon handle so it appears like a magic wand to your audience. With a simple rotation either wrist or entire arm as shown, your spoon instantly changes into a wooden spoon.

FOLDING THE PIZZA

Note there is a small pin hole in the center of each Pizza.  It is not a defect. It is made by the cutting machine that cuts out the circle of fabric.

This may be challenging for you to get at first but soon it will become very natural. Products such as automobile window shades and band saw blades use this technique. Also check our website for a video clip showing this folding technique.

1. Hold the pizza on the sides with the black velcro away from you.

2. Slowly twist your left hand away from you and your right hand toward you in opposite directions.

3. Continue to twist while bringing your hands closer together.

4. Collapse the Pizza

5. Finished Pizza is 1/3 smaller than it was!

When not in use store the Pizza in the Large open position

Download or watch a video clip of this fold by clicking here. (Be patient it's a 2 min. download!)

The Pizza photograph will be facing away from you. Turn it over to see the top. The Velcro should be on the uppermost spring section. Smooth out all the wrinkles and tuck excess fabric between the wire springs.

SMOOTHING OUT THE FABRIC

Make sure the black velcro is located on the top spring of the folded pizza. If it's in the middle or lower spring (with the colorful image facing upward) it's not folded correctly. Again, make sure that the velcro is on the uppermost spring section. This will be the hold down that fastens to the white velcro hook dot on the box. Because it is on the top spring it will hold the pizza in place and will not allow it to release and spring up when you open the box. If it's on the middle or lower spring section it could spring out when your box opens up. Smooth out the top layer of fabric so that there are no wrinkles in it. Tuck excess fabric in between the springs. You can reach under the springs and pull outward to widen them - trapping the tucked in fabric between the springs. When you have it all smooth and tucked in, it will look like a little pan sized pizza. It even has 3 dimensional quality of being fat about 1" thick. Remember that you will be producing this pizza but your reaction to seeing it will be surprised and funny! It is much smaller than you expected!

PLACING THE PIZZA IN THE BOX

On the top flap of the box there is a white dot of hook. Simply place the pizza down on the top of the flap securing the black velcro to the white velcro. Close the box and you are ready to produce or vanish the small pizza at will simply by raising or lowering the flap.

ROUTINE IDEAS

THE DELIVERY MAN SET UP
To set up the routine it is fun to have a volunteer dressed in a casual jacket ready to deliver the pizza in the back of the room. During your show before you introduce this trick, mention how hungry you are. Especially if you can smell food being cooked at a banquet, or at a birthday party with cake soon to be served. Finally you ask your audience to excuse you for a minute and take out a small plastic toy phone and order a pizza. It could sound something like this:

"Hello, is this the (name of popular shop) pizza shop? Good, I need to order a pizza. What? No I can't hold I'm doing a show......(pause and smile at the audience pointing on the phone)...I'm on hold. Yes, okay I want to order a really LARGE pizza with everything on it. Do you deliver? Okay I'm at (give your location - if you don't know the address ask your audience or client....even get directions from your audience but don't waste a lot of time...only for a laugh.) How long will it be? You have the world's fastest Pizza to Go? Great! How much? (reach in your pocket and jingle some change - or hold up a $20 bill that you just borrowed from an audience member for the trick you were doing!) No problem. My name is (your name) ....I'll be the one up front pulling a rabbit out of the hat. Don't ask. Thanks goodbye.

After a while on cue have your "delivery man" volunteer walk up the isle and ask someone in the audience where you are. It will cause quite a laugh especially if they are noisy and jingling their car keys. After he hands the pizza to you, pay him and say thanks. It would be very funny to have him hang around waiting for a tip, toss him some change and have him leave mumbling something funny looking at a few pennies in his hand. At this point you could either continue with the trick he interrupted, or go right into the Pizza routine.

SHORTER SET UP

Tell your audience that before you came to the show, you bought a pizza which you will eat after the show. As a running gag, you keep checking on it, smelling the box and licking your lips until finally you ask them if they want to see the pizza....going right into the routine.

Ask your audience if they would like to see the pizza. By now you will have built up much curiosity and excitement. Smell the box. Looking at the box, say this isn't a very big box! Open the box with the flap up inside the lid and show the empty box to your audience. They will laugh and say it's empty! You haven't seen inside yet so watching your angles you look into the box and see it for yourself. "The man said it was the world's fastest Pizza to GO! He was right! It's GONE!"

Close the box and hold it as if it were empty down at your side. Acting quite disappointed and hungry, ask if someone would like to volunteer to help you bake a pizza right there on stage. Have them stand next to you holding the box. For best presentation if they hold it at an angle tilted downward the audience will be able to see the top of the box like in the picture here.

THE BASIC ROUTINE


After finding out their name be it Bobby or Sally, put the chef hat on your volunteer and give them a funny Italian sounding name with an exaggerated Italian accent for a laugh. For example Bobby becomes "Bobbyerto.. the world famous Italian Chef! And since you are a chef you need a special chef's hat!" (Put hat on their head - first too large so it falls down over their eyes, then fix it right). "Since you are now a famous Italian pizza chef I need to ask you some questions. How long do you bake a pizza? How much yeast do you put in the dough? Should you use tomato sauce or tomato paste? Do you slice mushrooms on a 35 or 45 degree angle? Should you grease the bottom of the pizza before or after you bake it? You're not really an expert are you? Well that's okay I'll help you out with some special baking magic."

"First of all we need the Instant Pizza Mix...you did bring the Instant Pizza Mix....didn't you Bobbyerto?
No? Well lucky for you I just happen to have one right here". (Get the bag).

Prepare the bag with the top edge bent over if you like and put some flour in the bag - or glitter to add some "pizaz" to your pizza magic.

Tell your audience to think of their favorite topping and when you count to 3 yell it out. Ready 1-2-3! As they scream pretend to pluck items out of the air and toss them into the bag while you call them out.....Pepperoni! Sausage! Mushrooms! Bell Pepper! Black Olives! Cheese....lots of cheese! Then grab one and look at it closely. Make a weird face and yell "Anchovies?" Yuck! Who said anchovies? Throw it over your shoulder and say that should do it. Look into the bag and say now I need to mix up the mix until the mix is mixed.....I think I'm mixed up now!"

"Well, Bobbyerto, did you bring a mixing spoon with you? No? Well let's see what can I use? Hey I could use a magic wand!" Pick up your Wand to Spoon trick. Start to stir the mix with the wand but then stop and say, "Hey I better not stir this with my magic wand because if I do a rabbit may appear in here and we don't want a hare in our pizza! (Pause a beat for them to get the pun) Everyone say the magic words "Mama Mia" when I count to 3. Turn the wand around to transform the wand into the spoon and after a slight pause plunge it into the bag (careful not to reveal the sides of the spoon to the audience) and stir up the mix, then pull out the spoon and put it away in your prop box out of sight. Now that it is all mixed up you reach into the bag and pull out a handful of flour or glitter and toss it toward or over the pizza box....being careful not to get any in the face of the kid. At this point you take the box from the child and
hold it in your own hands. Okay now Bobbyerto, I need for you to say Mama Mia really loud for me. Remember the louder you say it the bigger the pizza will be. No matter how loud the volunteer shouts Mama Mia...act disappointed. Finally start to open the box, but then close it. Do this a few times and say I can't look. Tell me if it's in there. Open the box with the flap in the down position revealing the small pizza. After the audience reacts to it you could ask for applause for your assistant. Take a look at the pizza and then look at the assistant...back and forth a few times to get a laugh. You call that a large Pizza?

Take the pizza out of the box with one hand pulling it off the velcro and then closing the box and setting it down. Hold the pizza in your hand and milk the moment for a few more laughs. So this is your large pizza huh Bobbyerto? Some world famous Italian Chef! I told you that you had to yell Mama Mia really loud to get a really big pizza and you say "moma mia" (say it kind of sissy or tiny like a mouse). Well maybe of you get your friends in the audience to yet it with you we can turn this into a LARGE pizza.

RELEASING THE PIZZA

Hold the pizza in one hand on the black velcro. With that hand let go of only the other sections of the spring and let the pizza pop out. You can do this with a flair that make it look like you've tossed it into the air but don't let go. Keep the photographed side of the pizza toward your audience. Once it pops out hold it like

it is heavy and at a 45 degree angle to your audience to make

it look natural. It will not appear real if you hold it like a wheel,

the sauce, cheese and ingredients would end up all over the floor.

THE END

You may choose to end it right here as if you produced a really large pizza. This will be better pulled off on stage a ways back from your audience, but it greatly depends on how well you handle the pizza once it's produced.

COMEDY FINISH

You could also choose to go the comedy route by making fun of the pizza. Hold it up in front of your face as if you are looking at the edge of it. It will be funny because it's so thin. Say something like "now that's a thin crust pizza if I've ever seen one!". You can also bend it into a taco shape, squeeze it in the middle and make a bow tie or Mickey Mouse ears etc.

DOUBLE DEAL

You can also nest 2 pizzas together and bend them down into one small pizza! Then after you produce the one LARGE pizza, you can pull it apart into 2 LARGE PIZZAS! As you pull them apart say - WOW! It's a two for one special today! It will get you big applause. The extra pizza can be ordered for $39.95 plus $6 shipping.


ENJOY YOUR PIZZA!

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