Penn Jillette and his partner, Teller, are master magicians. They also excel at inventing pranks to do in public places, such as restaurants, airports, and movie theaters. They must have been bored while waiting for a movie to begin when they thought up this trick. It takes a little work to set up, but the reaction you get is guaranteed to be more entertaining than whatever movie you’re watching. (For another brilliant prank from this duo, see page 110.)
what you need
* A large tub or bag of popcorn
* A pen or pencil
what you do
THE SETUP
1 Buy a tub or bag of popcorn before the movie begins.
2 You need to tear a hole the size of your fist in the side of the tub or bag without your victim noticing. You can do it in the seat while waiting for the movie to start. Chat with your victim to keep him distracted from what you are doing. The hole should be just big enough for your fist to fit through, but no bigger.
* If you have a tub, hold it on your lap and use a pen or pencil to poke a hole through the side, close to the bottom. That will help you get the hole started. Then use your hand to finish tearing a hole.
* If you have a bag of popcorn, you won’t need a pen to get the hole started.
3 Once you have made the fist-size hole, stick one arm through it so your hand sticks up into the tub but is hidden by the popcorn. Having your arm in the hole will keep the popcorn from spilling out.
PULL THE PRANK
1 While watching the movie, use your free hand to eat some popcorn yourself. Then offer some to your victim.
2 When your victim sticks his hand in the tub, grab it with your hand that’s hidden in the popcorn. Hopefully you are at a scary movie and your victim’s scream won’t seem too out of place.