Magic Trick Thumb Through Ear

Effect
You push your thumb through your ear, and show it going through. You then remove
the thumb and show the ear unharmed.
You can then repeat the trick on the spectator’s ear!!!
History
This effect was an old Japanese schoolyard trick. Harry Anderson has been known to
have this effect in his impromptu repertoire. Previous explanations of this effect have
been difficult to understand, and none of them had photographs to explain the set-up.
After experimenting, I came up with the following presentation of achieving the
effect.
What really sells the trick though is performing the trick on the spectator, which is a
great edition to this trick.
Method
The secret lies in the flesh of the ear, it can be manoeuvred and manipulated to go
around the thumb, yet still look normal.
Performance
Pull on the ear and show it to the spectator. Then turn your head, so the ear is out of
sight of the spectator, behind the head.

Place your hand above the ear against the side of the head, with the palm facing
outwards. The thumb should be in front of the ear, with the knuckle joint resting in it.

Clip the top flesh part of the ear between the thumb and forefinger. Keep it in this
position throughout the trick.

Rotate your palm downwards so that it is parallel with your face. Bring your index
finger down and use it to pull up the bottom flesh part of the ear and wrap it around
the thumb.

Use the finger to cover the small gap between the two parts of the flesh, and where the
thumb enters.
It should look like the thumb has penetrated the ear.

With practice, you can manoeuvre your hand to create some different, more visual
presentations.

Wiggle the thumb to show it is real.

When ready to remove the thumb, snap your hand backwards behind the ear, and
make sure the fingers are out of the way, and the thumb is practically pressing against
the back. It will look to have exited the ear, and restored it simultaneously.

Tips
Use your left hand on your left ear, or right hand on right ear.
When practicing, you can use the other hand to help manoeuvre the flesh into
position. In time, it will become easier for you to do it with just one hand.
Practice in front of a mirror until you have the right hand positioning.
Variations
Some people have very large thumbs which make this trick difficult, therefore
included below is the finger through ear trick..
Spectator’s Version
When performing the trick on a spectator, the technique is the same. Keep your right
hand to their right ear etc.
Ensure you know the moves fluently and try not to cause them any pain.
If you have a Polaroid camera available take a picture for the spectator to keep, or
have a mirror nearby.
Also, check that the spectator is not wearing a hearing aid first as they are expensive

to get fixed!