Zig Zag Illusion by GEM Magic

Robert Harbin was probably most responsible for me getting into magic at a young age. Every time I saw this illusion performed growing up I was just amazed by it. Harbin created this beautiful illusion c. 1965 and it is probably the most copied stage illusion of all time.

It turns out that just because your wife can jump into a Zig Zag box 16 years ago, doesn’t mean she can do it again today without some practice.  So although my wife was almost able to demonstrate the full illusion when I was taking photos she could not quite make the full zag this time around.   Next time we try she’ll be more prepared, but in the meantime what a beautiful version of Robert Harbin’s finest hour this Zig Zag is.

Built by the perfectionist John Pomeroy in the 1970’s, it stands 69″ high and breaks down into two fiber cases.  John Pomeroy was a prolific Builder, Inventor & Performer as well as owner of GEM Magic Manufacturing.  His quality was equal to Owen magic and many other fine builders.  This beautiful custom built Zig Zag Illusion by John Pomeroy is one of the best versions of this stellar illusion I’ve seen and is a typical example of John’s fine craftsmanship. John was so inspired by Harbin’s Zig-Zag Illusion that he suggested 35 improvements for its construction all of which were endorsed by Harbin and the two corresponded up until Robert Harbin’s death in 1978.

Effect: The Zig-Zag Girl illusion is a stage illusion akin to the more famous sawing a woman in half illusion. In the Zig-Zag illusion, a magician divides an assistant into thirds, only to have them emerge from the illusion at the end of the performance completely unharmed.

Since its invention in 1965 by magician Robert Harbin,[1] it has been hailed as one of the greatest illusions ever invented due to both the apparent impossibility of the trick and the fact that, unlike many illusions, it can be performed while surrounded by spectators and withstand the scrutiny of audience members.

Harbin was frustrated by his illusions being pirated by other magicians, and this inspired him to publish the method in his book The Magic of Robert Harbin (1970). The book was limited to 500 copies,[2] and owners of the book were granted permission to build or have built the Zig Zag Girl (or indeed any other of the items in the book). The rights to the book and the Zig Zag illusion were then in time passed to The Magic Circle in the wake of Harbin’s death. The concept of dividing a lady assistant into two or three parts was something that Harbin experimented with throughout his career before creating his ultimate divide, the Zig Zag Girl. Evidence of his fascination with this concept of dividing an assistant can be found in his earlier publications; the closest relative to the Zig Zag is the “Little by Little” illusion, which was also explained in The Magic of Robert Harbin.

Harbin’s original Zig Zag Girl illusion is currently on display in The Magic Circle museum.

Text Source: en.wikipedia.org – click for details

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