MAGIC WORDS
• Allakazoo
-- Patrick Drazen, "Return to the Realm: Ten Years Later" (2005)
• Allakazoo allakazam
-- Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses (1988)
• Allekazu
-- Sorana Salomeia, "Simsalabim" (2004)
A-la Peanut Butter Sandwiches
(see also ala)
I watched with glee as his magic tricks always began with "a la
peanut butter sandwiches."
-- Antoinette C. Nwandu, Fifteen Minutes (2000)
Facts: These are the Amazing Mumford's magic words on the Sesame Street
television series.
The magic phrase appears in a "Rugrats" comic strip (1999).
Variations and Incantations:
• Ala peanut butter sandwiches
"Ala peanut-butter sandwiches! According to these magicians [The Amazing
Gregory (aka Greg Stringer), John Riggs, John Chaney], the tricks
themselves aren't nearly as fun as playing into the psychology of the audi
ence." -- Mike Gibson, "Being a Working Magician Ain't Easy," Weekly
Wire (1997)
• Alla peanut butter sandwiches
"All Munkar has to do is get the warriors into his castle and say 'Alla Peanut
Butter Sandwiches!' and turn them into farm animals!" -- BadMovie-
Planet.com (2005)
• Allah peanut butter sandwiches
"Knock-knock. Who's there? Allah. Allah who? Allah peanut butter
sandwiches!" -- Ben Guaraldi (2002)
• Presto Chango! Ala Peanut Butter Sandwiches! Alakazaam!
-- David E. Bell (2001)
In Literature:
• "The Amazing Mumford knew what he was doing when he chose peanut
butter as the trigger words for his magic tricks. I never cared if his tricks
turned out the proper results, which was lucky for him since they never did!
All he had to do was say 'peanut-butter sandwiches' and I believed, with
all my four-year-old body and soul, that he could do anything! But now
I know better. Mumford's tricks would have been more successful -- and
actually magical -- had he added the words 'and jelly' to his mantra. After