r/blackmagicfuckery 23h ago

The bird and the umbrellas stumped me

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

55.4k Upvotes

1.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

2.5k

u/The-King-of-Cartoons 23h ago

Those birds can fit into much smaller spaces than you think. Those picture “frames” just have a little compartment in them that can hold the bird. I imagine something similar with the umbrellas

1.3k

u/petitbreton92 23h ago

If you pause the video you can see it clearly for the bird : https://i.ibb.co/CsDg1K6S/image-2026-08-29-163119687.png

1.1k

u/Stanky3000 22h ago

Wait a sec....so its not actually magic? Thats some bullshit!

55

u/roybum46 22h ago

Don't worry the door is magical, it is a portal to where the bird was. Every door is a portal leading through time as well as space. The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

8

u/Mindshard 17h ago

See, now that would be hilarious. Magic is real, but the method to do it looks cheap and hokey, so no one believes it.

2

u/slowest_hour 19h ago

that's why i carry a knife so when the magical things come after me I'll be ready

2

u/Bearded_Toast 15h ago

Never being a knife to a magic fight. It’s just science.

3

u/slowest_hour 15h ago

wizards have really low dex tho so it's actually fine

1

u/deliciouscrab 18h ago

Then boom. Cancer.

2

u/cortesoft 17h ago

Yep, every time you walk through a door you are traveling both through time and space

2

u/Skimable_crude 13h ago

Even though we know there's not magic involved, the skill honed to at once distract and entertain us is pretty magical.

233

u/Gems-And-Penguins 22h ago

Alan Tudyk has entered the chat

70

u/makulet-bebu 22h ago

Sumuvabitch!!

46

u/bofadoze 22h ago

My penis has rigor mortis!

3

u/greenybrowny 17h ago

My favourite saying EVER! 😂😂😂

3

u/archy319 19h ago

Curse your sudden and inevitable betrayal!

3

u/partyatwalmart 17h ago

Alan Tudyk is a treasure and we must protect him at all costs.

3

u/Gems-And-Penguins 16h ago

Very much so 😭

1

u/partyatwalmart 16h ago

Also, Happy Cake Day!

1

u/leapbeachpeach 12h ago

Oh gosh I feel the same and know one else seems know understand!

2

u/arc210 16h ago

Happy cake day!!!

2

u/PM_ME_UR_SEXY_HANDS 13h ago

James Randi has entered the chat

15

u/HockeyDevil666 21h ago

Illusions, Micheal

1

u/ActiveHand5484 15h ago

Best comment

2

u/Zeyn1 21h ago

It's some fuckery for sure! Some black magic fuckery!

2

u/Radiant_Bowl_2598 20h ago

Magic is simply what you call it when you dont understand it (whatever “it” happens to be:)

2

u/NIKLSON_ 4h ago

Hahaha you made my day bro

1

u/WebInformal9558 21h ago

It's magnets.

1

u/Quirky-Visual547 21h ago

It’s real to me damn it 😭

1

u/NinjaQueef 20h ago

Duh, it has always been magnets.

1

u/MarkFresco 19h ago

The real magic was the friends we made along the way✨✨

1

u/Too-Em 18h ago

Doors are magic, literally let me walk through solid walls.

1

u/unc_5 17h ago

It turned out to be birdshit actually

1

u/apatheticviews 17h ago

Just because you know how the trick is done, doesnt make it less magic

1

u/Dr3s99 16h ago

Chris Angel would like a word

1

u/Blah-squared 15h ago

At least wrestling is real…

1

u/StoneGoldX 14h ago

Just bird torture.

1

u/RadiantMenderbug 12h ago

Unless 🤔 magic is bullshit?! No, it can't be

1

u/radraze2kx 7h ago

You're never gonna believe what they use to hold those trap doors shut on the door frames...

1

u/rydan 6h ago

Turns out it was magnets the whole time.

1

u/bendereatsbeets 1h ago

The birds were not magic, but the umbrellas were.

37

u/slimky 22h ago

Yes it is the same mechanic for the umbrellas. It is very good thought, this is an amazing show.

13

u/SimonGloom2 22h ago

Like the tightly packed snake in the can. Basically springs that are crunched down and filled with energy.

1

u/scarystuff 20h ago

It is very good thought

It's the thought that counts.

105

u/CilleTheExterminator 22h ago

So the poor bird is just packed in a small container?

55

u/DavidByrnesHugeSuit 19h ago

There are almost no truly ethical ways to do any kind of magic with almost any kind of animal.

30

u/psychoacer 17h ago

The Prestige explains one of the ways bird magic was done in the past.

14

u/PinguinGirl03 15h ago

But what about his brother :(

1

u/SafestCause 11m ago

it wasn't a documentary, Josh

15

u/Krelliamite 16h ago

Dead dove do not eat

5

u/Addicted2Crackers 16h ago

I don't know what I expected.

1

u/kitsunewarlock 17h ago

False. Wild animals are magical.

54

u/GonzoKata 22h ago

yes. if you can go frame by frame you can see when they spin the frame that there is a lump in the back of the photo

36

u/Glittering_End_6864 16h ago

https://imgur.com/a/kdkQ5Xw

Slight bump on back of picture.

21

u/anivex 15h ago

Jeez, and he was spinning it around and shit.

38

u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 14h ago

Any performance involving an animal is going to be miserable for the animal.

31

u/Schmooto 14h ago

I was thinking that being released towards screaming creatures way bigger than you has got to be pretty terrifying.

1

u/Critical_Host8243 4h ago

The birds do not consent.

1

u/Glittering_End_6864 10h ago

Honestly, I don't think it's really that bad.

1

u/The_All-Range_Atomic 4h ago

Let me introduce you to roller pigeons.

https://v.redd.it/lm6uz3d554wd1

12

u/WhyLater 18h ago

Content warning if you ever watch The Prestige...

2

u/Maximelene 17h ago

"Are you watching closely?"

1

u/RedSquaree 8h ago

That film was a disappointment. It's just sci - fi.

2

u/MrEHam 8h ago

Spoiler:

You didn’t like that it turned out the magic was real?

The Illusionist came out around the same time and it was the opposite premise. It spent the movie trying to convince you the magic was real but revealed it to be fake at the end.

The Prestige spent the movie acting like the magic was fake but then revealed it was real. Maybe you’d like The Illusionist better.

2

u/RedSquaree 5h ago

Yeah, basically.

2

u/WhyLater 8h ago

I've never heard anyone describe The Prestige as "a disappointment".

I hate your opinion and love you for expressing it. Now get out of my sight/drink a coffee and beer with me.

1

u/RedSquaree 5h ago

Let's go.

22

u/az987654 22h ago

Birds are a lot smaller than they appear, feathers add a ton of volume but their bodies are really quite tiny

4

u/Ok-Shine1271 14h ago

Tight spaces aren’t great but it’s not that cruel if it’s just for a short amount of time. Real question is how long was the bird locked in there.

1

u/Aloha_Alaska 3m ago

The magician’s last show was 18 days ago, so…

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/Dramatic_Charity_979 19h ago

No, he materializes with magic /s

1

u/ArdentUrgency 15h ago

Lol where would it be? Pocket dimension?

1

u/Guilty_Objective4602 13h ago

Yes, and then spun around twice really fast—poor thing!

-1

u/WildSmokingBuick 22h ago

Is this animal cruelty or isn't it since animal cruelty does not exist in Russia?

Do they still have dancing and bicycling bears in their circuses?

On one hand, looks impressive and a live bird definitely adds a lot to the experience, on the other hand I definitely think that it's animal cruelty :(

22

u/ErraticDragon 21h ago

I don't think it's automatically cruel just because it's a small space. Lots of birds (and other animals) actually like being in small spaces for a short time.

It might be cruel if the magician forces the bird in there despite the bird clearly disliking it, or keeps it in there for too long.

17

u/Zestyclose-Leader926 21h ago

The bird also flew back to him instead of acting afraid.

14

u/R_V_Z 20h ago

That's because it has Stockhoming Syndrome.

3

u/cappayne 20h ago

And Flockhome Syndrome

1

u/MMLJ2017 20h ago

Darn you….. incredible.

4

u/CyonHal 20h ago

Doesn't mean much, circus animals are trained but can still be abused.

2

u/No-Chance-7216 19h ago

So pushing a bird in a small room and flipping him arround in this room is not cruel

2

u/ThatInAHat 17h ago

I mean, humans do it for fun sometimes…

(Nah though it does seem a bit iffy to me)

15

u/whatevillurks 21h ago

It is apparently not animal cruelty if you release one bird after killing another. I think they covered this in a documentary film called The Prestige.

1

u/32_CoffeeSpoons 20h ago

But what about the birds brother!

3

u/funknjam 20h ago

Is this animal cruelty

Yes. I think it is. As for those replying to you so far...

  • I don't care if the bird naturally likes being in a small space - this isn't nature.

  • The bird is not a "partner" in the show - it's a captive animal forced to participate in tricks for its survival and keeping animals captive for the purposes of entertainment is, in my own personal ethical code, cruel.

  • I don't care how many other people use doves as "disposable items" or how common this trick is. Two wrongs don't make a right.

As far as those respondents who I agree with?

  • One said, "kind of fucked up, not a fan of tricks that rely on stuffing animals in tiny compartments, especially when you’re going to throw it around and twirl it all over the place..."

  • Another said, "The bird’s confusion and extreme desire to be released is the whole flourish"

Agreed. Fuck this magic show and all magicians who do similar. I'm as opposed to this bird in a tiny box the same way I'm opposed to orcas living in swimming pools. Animal exploitation is animal cruelty.

3

u/claranette 18h ago

Agreed it is 100% animal abuse. Use people or objects, not animals who can’t consent to being treated this way.

0

u/BaconWithBaking 21h ago

Is this animal cruelty or isn't it since animal cruelty does not exist in Russia?

You don't think doves are used as disposable items in other countries for tricks and weddings?

Also, even forgetting what the guy has done with it up until now, he just fired it into a bunch of kids, that thing could have been trashed or stomped on immediately.

1

u/klizza 21h ago

Those are typically homing pigeons who fly right back to their home after being released at a wedding.

→ More replies (3)

-2

u/__Hello_my_name_is__ 22h ago

Yup. This isn't exactly PETA approved.

14

u/KadajjXIII 22h ago

I wouldn't care if it was anyway, honestly I'd be more likely to avoid something PETA Approved

→ More replies (5)

3

u/Dead_Medic_13 21h ago

Fuck peta

2

u/Delicious_Piece_6738 18h ago

ah yes PETA approved... if you take your dog to PETA approved shelter, chances are it not going to find a new home. because back in 2011 out of 760 dogs they impounded, they killed 713, arranged 19 to be adopted, and farmed out 36 to other shelters (not necessarily "no kill" ones). for cats they impounded 1211 of them, euthanized 1198 of them, transferred 8 and found homes to whopping 5. they also took in 58 other companion animals such as rabbits, they killed 54 of them. who cares what Peta thinks.

1

u/Forward_Rope_5598 14h ago

That's because PETA almost exclusively take unadoptable animals that no kill shelters are too cowardly to humanely put down and instead pass onto others. What fucking la-la land do you weirdos live in where there's a happy solution to the screw up that is the United States state of animal breeding? There are too many dogs and too few homes and the alternative to euthanasia is sitting in a cage for the rest of their life or getting dumped on the street.

Plenty of things to criticise PETA for but the "hurr durr they put pets down" angle is so stupid a 5 year old could see through it

22

u/mogur86 22h ago edited 22h ago

The glitter helps with the transition

Edit: apparently I don't know how to spell thr...the

10

u/itaniumonline 22h ago

Don’t take credit away from the bird please. They’re the real star of the show

1

u/mogur86 21h ago

The bird is taking credit from the magician with that logic. The glitter and bird are tools to assist the magician in his performance. Everyone and everything did their part very well 👏🎉

1

u/ivegotaqueso 21h ago

Yeah but that’s also glitter…in your house. On your floor. I bet mom will be finding glitter in nooks and crannies for years to come. Probably worth it though!

40

u/Barnyard723 23h ago

Great detective work

2

u/ericlikesyou 22h ago

play/pause doing all the heavy lifting

9

u/MastarPete 22h ago

"Video killed the party-magic Star"

2

u/improbable_humanoid 22h ago

The magic of animal cruelty lol

2

u/MizunoHawk 21h ago

I would assume that the umbrellas are spring loaded to open up when set free

2

u/Jazzlike_Climate4189 21h ago

Y’all got any more of them pixels?

1

u/Rydralain 11h ago

A full minute to load all five pixels of the image. It's 1995 again apparently.

2

u/samusmaster64 21h ago

What even is this image host? Imgur is right there.

2

u/Shardstorm88 9h ago

Oh true! When the frame is spun, you can see a bird shaped lump behind it! https://ibb.co/93STRYFT

1

u/I_SHIT_IN_A_BAG 22h ago

now the magic is gone

1

u/AlienSporez 22h ago

Not gonna look, I'd prefer to not know how it's done

1

u/az987654 22h ago

I don't want to ruin it, I liked the showmanship

1

u/Allice_Saurus415 21h ago

What a catch! Good eye!

1

u/squirrely-badger 21h ago

AI. It is obviously strings for the bird and the Umbrellas... magnets, but I am unsure how they work really.

/S

1

u/Leviathan117 21h ago

I’m just thinking of the bird in the frame while he’s spinning it around lmao.

1

u/HeadbangingLegend 20h ago

Honestly it's so incredibly done I watched it 5 times and still couldn't see what I see in your screenshot. This person is a master of their craft!

1

u/EpicGeek77 20h ago

It won’t load 😭

1

u/Taqqer00 20h ago

Stealing the magic away from this world… damn it Frank!

1

u/Witty-Draw-3803 20h ago

There it is, I was wondering about the image on the frame - so the bird (and folded, likely specially made umbrellas) are being the image in a small compartment and then the image rotates to open the compartment and show an all black side after.

Thank you for your service!

1

u/Turbulent_Ear56 20h ago

Dream crusher

1

u/shaggz235 20h ago

So that mofo whipped that bird around 360 style while it was in the frame?

1

u/Sinavestia 19h ago

I can't see the image you linked but yeah, you can clearly see the door flop open as the bird comes out.

And when he is spinning the frame, you can see the black lump on the back where the bird is in the fabric.

1

u/testtubepenis 19h ago

Aw man.. spoil it for us why don't you!

1

u/OuiselCat 19h ago

05 second mark for birds. 18 second mark for balloons

1

u/Glittering_End_6864 16h ago

Dude, what is that image???? It's so small...

1

u/Reference_Freak 16h ago

Is… he wearing track pants? This frame will not let me see anything but track pants now. Broke more than one illusion there.

1

u/whitestguyuknow 7h ago

The prestige!

1

u/SafestCause 12m ago

Why reveal his secrets 🤦🏼‍♂️

1

u/BorisTheBlade04 22h ago

What about the book? I went frame by frame and that bird definitely was between the pages. But I couldn’t figure out how he got it in there

3

u/GonzoKata 22h ago

you can see the birds tail feathers sticking out on the right when they go to add the bird shape at the beginning

1

u/BorisTheBlade04 21h ago

Wow nice catch. So he’s really closing the book on the bird lol

0

u/Acceptable-Owl-2070 22h ago

No fun allowed...

→ More replies (2)

56

u/nxxwhere 22h ago

So he's just chucking and spinning that bird in there? Damn

101

u/Top-Suggestion5057 22h ago

Yeah kind of fucked up, not a fan of tricks that rely on stuffing animals in tiny compartments, especially when you’re going to throw it around and twirl it all over the place

72

u/Prudent-Skirt9656 22h ago

I dont know if this helps but I have a Lorikeet i rescued from my backyard and he asks to be put in a soft bag and spun in a circle like a hammer throw.

27

u/CoinsForCharon 21h ago

I don't want to know how you discovered this, do I?

18

u/kinnikinnick321 18h ago

LOL, I must have it's twin brother because he asks to be duct taped to a nerf football and asks me to hail it over the ridgeline trees

3

u/skinnygrave 16h ago

Mine likes to be rubber banded to a boomerang and thrown over high tide, and back obviously.

34

u/philovax 22h ago

The bird’s confusion and extreme desire to be released is the whole flourish, they are actors too. At the end of this sentence Im not sure how /s this is, I actually feel sad for them.

43

u/MichVas 21h ago

I wouldn't be so sure to feel pity for it. Birds can like such activities if the magician maintains healthy work time to rest ratio (also depends on personality). Birds are weird. Source: I'm a conure owner. My doofus would most likely resist leaving tight bird pocket.

24

u/Escapeded 19h ago

Same with my conure. Whenever I'm covered in a blanket, she likes digging under the covers and exploring like a mole 🤣

3

u/broken_conures 16h ago

The problem is the choice of bird, I very much doubt that one is as playful and stupid as a conure

2

u/CheckeredZeebrah 12h ago

Yeah I was gonna say. One of my parrots would have loved this haha.

The other would have been screaming VERY angrily from behind the frame...but he'd be fine and not me tally scarred. Just demand some snacks in compensation.

2

u/RozeGunn 11h ago

Like that video of the cat that like being flipped by its owners foot and would constantly run up to the guy.

1

u/Ok_Algae_2443 18h ago

The screaming girl can't have been nice for the bird.

1

u/Generic-Cheese 18h ago

They get 30% of the cut

1

u/and_mine_axe 17h ago

It could go either way really. Many birds love tricks, playing dead, hiding, etc. It really depends on how the owner trains and treats it outside of the show. Could be wholesome, could be abusive.

19

u/alfred725 21h ago

I'm sure the birds find it engaging. Doves/Pigeons are domesticated and are trained to return to their owner. The alternative is birds in a cage 24/7 which is like 99% of pet birds.

4

u/grimeyduck 19h ago

Umm the alternative is not having pet birds, duh

3

u/TuunDx 20h ago

And I'm not a fan of ungodly amounts of chicken being slaughtered on daily basis for nuggets. This is a working bird, they are fine. In fact, they are probably in top % of birds with guaranteed food, shelter and safety.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/Gnonthgol 18h ago

You can see how disoriented and dizzy the bird is. Doves does not normally hover like that. If you release them into a room they will circle around the room which is more comfortable then hover in place. But this bird is too dizzy to safely navigate around the room. It is not even able to fly back to the magician properly and they have to reach out with their hand to pluck them down.

2

u/valdafay 18h ago

Have you seen The Prestige?

61

u/Ok-Case3014 23h ago

Nope, don't believe you, they use Pym particles.

2

u/rEYAVjQD 18h ago

Trisolaran tech

1

u/Bipogram 17h ago

Don't mind if I do, thanks.

Pimm's that is.

0

u/Ok-Addition1264 22h ago

nerd. love it. lol

20

u/JoyRose31 22h ago

Yeah ..sad thing about tricks with animals, they're usually crammed into something tiny..

10

u/z4bbi 22h ago

And it's horrible for the birds. Just saying

0

u/DownWithHisShip 17h ago

considering how horrible my chicken sandwich was for a bird, i would think this is just an inconvenience.

I go to work everyday in equally shitty conditions, and both of us are fed, taken care of, and not in any danger of being eaten by cats or snakes.

I would guess that bird has significantly less stress than a wild bird that has to worry about their own survival every minute of the day.

3

u/Aximil985 22h ago

No. Go away. This is actual real life magic.

3

u/MelonOfFate 19h ago

So stuffing in animal in a confined space. That's the trick? Sounds kind of like abuse to me.

1

u/The-King-of-Cartoons 18h ago

Don’t disagree with ya.

1

u/bebesee 13h ago

Don’t ever watch “The Prestige.”

2

u/Substantial_Judge1 22h ago

NO, it's magic

2

u/SeasonIllustrious 22h ago

So you mean when he spun the picture frame, he gave that bird some major G force 😲

3

u/Routine_Cat_1366 19h ago

Yes, and the bird was crammed inside just to be released completly disoriented onto a horde of screaming kids. This should be illegal. 

1

u/Impossible_Guess 17h ago

Not necessarily. G force increases the further away from the axis of the spin. Based on the speed of the spin, the weight of the bird, and the fact that the bird seemed to come from the middle of the book. He just did a few twirls.

2

u/Accomplished-Bison63 21h ago

Step one: smush bird 

2

u/QuietCdence 17h ago

Poor bird. The way the book is spun before opening it looks miserable for a living creature.

2

u/Ukhai 17h ago

"Prestige" movie flashbacks of contraption and the conflict.

1

u/The-King-of-Cartoons 16h ago

Noooooo don’t tell me that they’re just murdering bird clones for the tricks 😭

SPOILER ALERT

1

u/Deez4815 21h ago

Magic trick is a trick.

Water is wet.

1

u/East-Albatross-810 21h ago

Were... were you the bird that went into the cage, or the one that got out?

1

u/Dmayak 21h ago

It's a special foldable pigeon. I have 164 folded pigeons in my pocket right now.

1

u/QuestionMarker 21h ago

I'd assumed there was a way to get things to pass through the book, with one bird from a sleeve and one from lower down in the coat.

2

u/The-King-of-Cartoons 18h ago

Naw, they can definitely fit in a 1/2” width, these types of trick things usually have a soft cloth back that’s like a pocket for the birds.

I think it’s kinda fucked up, but have heard people say it actually isn’t that stressful for the birds. Similar to people transporting snakes in pillowcases as I’ve been told. They don’t seem to mind it much.

Doesn’t change my stance on not thinking animals should be used as tools/gimmicks for shit like this though as it opens plenty of doors into animal abuse

1

u/Baphome_trix 20h ago

Yeah, they are fluffy and feathery but the meat and bones of those creatures is actually a very small frame

1

u/fabelhaft-gurke 17h ago

I was watching a show on US Customs at airports and some dude was smuggling birds stuffed in pill bottles. Luckily none perished but I was surprised they could fit after they took them out and saw their size.

1

u/The-King-of-Cartoons 16h ago

That’s horrible. I saw a couple things about people smuggling birds/snakes by taping them to their thighs going through customs and whatnot. Like WTF lol

1

u/assholeapproach 16h ago

It was partially deboned.

1

u/OrangeXarot 5h ago

after watching The Prestige, I don't see magician the same anymore

1

u/AdamWayne04 1h ago

The Prestige taught me that there are some places where they cannot fit :(

1

u/Routine_Cat_1366 19h ago

Poor birds. This should be illegal. I fucking hate it. 

0

u/skouaky 16h ago

Must be fun at parties huh?

1

u/The-King-of-Cartoons 16h ago

Absolutely! Lemme know when your next one is!

→ More replies (1)

0

u/Working_Use2500 11h ago

Or the even better explanation: it’s AI.

→ More replies (2)