The Banana Buster Is an Easy Magic Trick

Written by
Wayne Kawamoto
Wayne is a full-time professional magician and the author of "Picture Yourself As a Magician," a beginner's book on magic.
Learn about The Spruce Crafts' Editorial Process
Wayne Kawamoto
Updated 04/02/20
Happy boy holding a banana
Marta Nardini / Getty Images
Overview
  • Total Time: 5 hrs
  • Skill Level: Kid-friendly

By executing an ultra-secret ninja move, you magically cause a banana to separate into pieces while it's still inside the peel. This magic trick is an easy one that's great for kids and only requires a little preparation. Be sure that you're hungry, so you can eat the banana when you're done.

1:19

Watch Now: Learn the Magic Banana Trick

Tip

For really young kids, an adult should help to prepare the trick, although it's fine for a kid to actually perform the effect. It's the preparation that may require supervision.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Straight pin

Materials

  • Banana

Instructions

  1. Preparation

    Stick the pin into the banana where you want the banana to "break." Move the pin in a horizontal plane to effectively separate the banana into two pieces. Repeat the process if you want to cut the banana into multiple pieces. Simply use the pin in each location where you want it to break.

    The trick is to use the pin to cut the banana without causing any visible damage to the banana peel. At the end of the preparation, the banana will appear to be normal. The spectators will not notice the tiny pinholes that are a result of the preparation that breaks up the internal banana.

    banana magic trick pin
    Wayne Kawamoto

  2. Show the Banana

    Bring out and show the banana to your spectators.

    Execute any magical moves to apparently split into parts the banana inside its peel, or simply stare at the banana to cause it to "separate" using the power of your mind. This is the show part. Don't be afraid to play it up and have some fun.

    showing banana trick
    Wayne Kawamoto

    Tip

    If you're performing this trick in a casual setting, it's probably a great idea to pull the banana from a place where it would normally reside. This can include a lunch sack or perhaps a fruit bowl. By pulling the banana from a place where it would normally be, this makes the banana to appear to be ungimmicked. Spectators will be far less likely to think that the banana is suspicious or prepared in any way. If you were to pull a banana out of an unlikely place, such as your jacket pocket or out of the blue from a briefcase, it would probably be suspect.

  3. Peel the Banana

    With your "showy" part done, you're ready for the big unveil. You've suggested to spectators that you have apparently caused the banana to break into pieces inside its skin. You've told spectators this but they won't believe you.

    Slowly unpeel the banana to show that the banana is already cut inside of its peel.

    peel banana trick
    Wayne Kawamoto

Variation

There is another way to prepare the banana using needle and thread.

  • Thread the needle and push the needle through the side of the banana but parallel the skin of the banana.
  • Wherever the needle emerges, you reinsert the needle and continue along the perimeter of the banana skin. What you essentially are doing is wrapping the banana inside of its skin so there's thread surrounding it.
  • At the end of the preparation process, you pull the thread to cut through the flesh of the banana, thus cutting it in half.