How to Do the Rubber Band Up the Nose Illusion

The Rubber Band Up the Nose trick is a fun piece of magic to use on kids or your friends when no one is expecting a magic trick. Say you're going to shoot the rubber band up your nose--you can pass the trick off as a cure for the sniffles if you like--and simply let the rubber band shoot back down onto your wrist instead.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Carry one or several rubber bands on your wrist. The best kind of rubber band to use for this trick is one that will fit comfortably and loosely around your wrist and is pretty thin.

2. Pull a rubber band out with your other hand. Give it one twist so that it forms a figure eight, and then pin the intersection of the two halves of the rubber band down with the middle finger of the hand that the rubber band is on. It should appear that you are holding the rubber band with your middle fingers, but in fact it is still around your wrist.

3. Hold the end of the rubber band up to your nose with the other hand. Try to get your fingers very close to the nostril so that it looks as if the rubber band actually goes into your nose.

4. Sniff a little bit in preparation for the rubber band going up your nose. Explain that you're going to shoot the rubber band into your nose using its elastic force.

5. Let go of the rubber band with both hands at once. Sniff loudly and shake your head as soon as you do to distract your friends and make it appear as if the rubber band went up your nose. Either let the rubber band blend in with the others on your wrist, or slip it off when no one is looking.