The Mongolian Pop-Knot by Whit Haydn Whit Haydn’s comedy cut-and-restored rope routine, The Mongolian Pop-Knot, was developed on the streets of New York in the late 1960s and has since become a modern classic of stand-up magic. In this hilarious and mystifying routine, the magician claims to teach the audience the ancient secret of cutting and restoring a rope using a mysterious knot known to magicians for hundreds of years: The Mongolian Pop-Knot. Of course, the more the magician tries to explain, the more impossible everything becomes. The rope is cut in two and tied back together with the secret knot — only for the knot to pop off the rope and fly into the audience. The rope is then cut into three equal pieces, which mysteriously become three different lengths before being magically stretched back to match. Finally, the three ropes are tied together, the knots are popped off and tossed into the audience as souvenirs, and the rope is shown whole once again. Every move has been carefully worked out so the routine feels natural, effortless, funny, and magical. The included book teaches the patter, presentation, psychology, and handling of the routine, with many photos to clearly explain each move. This is a real-world worker. Whit Haydn has used The Mongolian Pop-Knot in trade shows, industrial shows, nightclubs, theaters, cruise ships, and even for audiences of thousands. It plays big, packs small, and can be performed on stage, close-up, or surrounded. Funny, practical, deceptive, and audience-tested, The Mongolian Pop-Knot is one of the strongest comedy rope routines in magic. For close-up magicians looking for a dependable stand-up piece, or stage performers looking for a routine that is easy to follow and gets big reactions, this is hard to beat.
