Comedy Card in Balloon by Mephisto-Huis

Milbourne Christopher conceived of the Comedy Card in Balloon premise and Warren Stephens was successful in marketing a number of versions starting with Carnival balloons c. 1963 and followed up by the modern standard using a tray and three balloons: Comedy Card in Balloon c. 1975. After Warren Stephens’ creation the floodgates opened with all sorts of variations culminating with Collectors’ Workshop’s P.T. Barnum’s Delight.

This version from Mephisto-Huis in Belgium is basically the same routine as the tray released by Ron Macmillan with the target feature. This was made from plastic and not wood like Ron’s one and I believe that Ron’s was the better made of the two. 

Effect: It differs from Warren Stephen’s version because instead of the chosen card appearing in the center balloon, an extra section is added where a gun (blank gun or comedy bang gun) is given to the spectator to shoot at the target – which just happens to be in the bottom of the tray – and the hope would be that the card would arrive impaled by the bulled in the center of the target. But this fails too, and then the target swings down with a clatter and the performer’s face is revealed smiling through the hole left by the target and securely position on the end of his nose is their chosen card. It is a great piece of solid entertainment.

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