How to Do the iPod Cord Cut Magic Trick

Here’s a cool trick you can do to a friend’s iPod. You will interrupt someone listening to their iPod, then “cut” their ear bud cord. While they’re busy yelling at you, you magically put it back together with a simple gesture. The secret to this trick is in what you are cutting. You will have a secret loop of cord in your hand, with which you will sneakily replace the other cord.

Steps

1. Cut a loop of white wire approximately 6–8 inches in length. Hold this in your right hand with the ends pointing towards your fingertips so that no one can see it.
2. Hold a pair of scissors under your left arm.
3. Walk up to your friend and tell them about a new iPod feature: it can now regenerate! You can skip the story if you just want to surprise them, but a good magician always has a mystical story to back up the trick.



4. Simultaneously stuff the ends of your secret loop into your left hand, which is now holding your victim’s real cord. Make the fake loop stick out and tuck the real loop in so that it looks like you’re holding their cord, but you’re really holding the secret cord.



5. Take the broken cord back into your right hand as you pretend to “fix” the cord. Make a show of it so that they don’t notice you make any kind of transfer. Explain to them that they’ve now developed self-sealing electromagnetic particles that react and fuse from the pressure and heat of being held tightly in your fists.



6. Put the broken cord into your pocket or other hiding place. Just don’t let them see it.
7. Take the broken cord back into your right hand as you pretend to “fix” the cord. Make a show of it so that they don’t notice you make any kind of transfer. Explain to them that they’ve now developed self-sealing electromagnetic particles that react and fuse from the pressure and heat of being held tightly in your fists.
8. Pull your hands apart, holding their unharmed cord taut, and show them that it has mysteriously put itself back together. The secret cord (now cut) should be tucked away in your right hand again.
9. Put the broken cord into your pocket or other hiding place. Just don’t let them see it.

Tips

• Practice makes perfect! As with all magic tricks, practice them by yourself, with a friend or family member, in front of a mirror, and any other way you can. You may want to practice with different colored wire so you don’t accidentaly ruin perfectly good earbuds.
• Be sure that the friend can take a joke, you don’t want to make anyone cry.

Warnings

• Don’t let them see the ends of the secret cord at any time.
• Be very careful with scissors. Don’t, under any circumstances, run with them.
• Whatever you do, do not cut the real cord! If you do, be prepared to deal with a very angry friend.
• Don’t do this trick while they are listening, because their music will not turn off. Or tell them that their iPod is now “wireless”.
• This trick won’t be much of a trick if they have a different color cord, (obviously) so make sure that the fake cord is the same color as theirs.

Things You’ll Need

• A pair of sharp scissors
• 6–8 inches white wire
• A friend with an iPod

Sources and Citations

• Shock Magic – Original trick by magician, Andrew Mayne. Thanks to shockmagic.com for sharing the pictures and instructions used in this article.

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Tagged as: Broken Cord, Ear Bud, Fingertips, Fists, Hiding Place, Ipod, Left Arm, Left Hand, Magic Trick, Magician, Mystical Story, Pair Of Scissors, Particles, Simple Gesture, Stuff