Line #18 Main/TheGreatWhodini


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4	[[quoteright:297:[[Webcomic/SluggyFreelance https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thegreatriffini.png]]]]
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6	Any character who is not normally a magician, but is putting on a magic show, will use a stage name formed by taking their name and appending "-ini". Often they'll prefix "The Great", as well.
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8	Obviously the inspiration for these names is Creator/HarryHoudini, who himself based his stage name on French magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, or possibly Cardini. Never mind that Houdini considered himself an escape artist, not a magician, and never presented himself as having magical powers rather than exceptional dexterity.
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10	Not to be confused with the 1980s rap group, though they ''were'' great.
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12	See also SmallReferencePools, DrGenericius.
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14	----
15	!!Examples:
16	[[foldercontrol]]
17
18	[[folder:Comedy]]
19	* Creator/SteveMartin often did tricks for private gatherings involving things coming out of the crotch of his pants. His alias? The Great Flydini.
20	* Invoked by Creator/DenisLeary in his stand-up routine, regarding pulling his family dog out of the toilet: "Like I'm some kinda magician, the Great Learitini..."
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
24	* ''Film/Ben10RaceAgainstTime'' has "The Great Gwendini... and her assistant".
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Literature]]
28	* Edgar of ''Literature/EdgarAndEllen'' demonstrated his escape artist skills as "The Amazing Edgarini".
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
32	* Magician Ricky Jay played magician "The Amazing Maleeni" in ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode of that name. Spoofed with The Stupendous Yappi, a celebrity psychic so phony even Mulder doesn't believe he's real.
33	* On ''Series/NewsRadio'' Dave called himself the Great Throwdini for his KnifeThrowingAct. He also performed as the Great Ventriloquodini.
34	* On ''Series/HomeImprovement'', there's an episode where the three sons each want to make a birthday present for their mother, but Randy, the middle son, isn't good with his hands, so he plans a magic show. At the end of the episode, his climactic disappearing box says "The Great Randini" on it.
35	* One episode of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' had Crow as an escape artist calling himself "The Great Crowdini".
36	* ''Series/Batman1966'' TV Series: In the episode "Zelda the Great", [[ShownTheirWork they really did the research]]. She has a billboard that boasts: ''Zelda the Great: World's foremost illusionist and escape artiste, [[BiggerThanJesus Even Greater than Houdini!]]''
37	* An episode ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' had the boys befriend "The Great Doheney".
38	* An episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' has Sam step into the life of the titular professional magician "The Great Spontini". Subverted in that this is the character's real last name, not a stage name.
39	* One {{Whammy}} animation from ''Series/PressYourLuck'' has "the Great Whamini" attempting to fire himself out of a cannon, only for it to explode on him, leaving him charred and the player with nothing.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Toys]]
43	* The unreleased third series of ''WesternAnimation/COPSAnimatedSeries'' action figures would have included an evil StageMagician named "[[PunnyName The Great Felloni]]".
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Webcomics]]
47	* A ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' strip has Riff present himself as [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=070817 "The Great Riffini"]].
48	* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' has Fighter reminisce about the group's (hitherto unknown) plans for a circus act, complete with a poster showing "Fightini", "Thiefini", "Red Magini", "A Cannonball" (Black Mage) and "Fightini again".
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Western Animation]]
52	* ''Series/TheBigGarage'': In the animated mechanic tools segment of "You Better Believe It", the saw does some magic tricks using the ruler as a volunteer, and Pump refers to the saw by the name "The Great Sawdini".
53	* "The Great Bicklini", a.k.a. Mr. Bickles in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''.
54	* In the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' special "It's Magic, Charlie Brown", Snoopy puts on a magic show as The Great Houndini.
55	* Eddy, of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', became The Great Eddy-dini upon acquiring Edd's hypno-wheel.
56	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Equestria has an equivalent to Creator/HarryHoudini in "The Great Hoofdini", who is Trixie's biggest inspiration.
57	* One episode of the ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' had a Houdini look-alike stealing from people (and kidnapping children) while using magic (as a villain). He is known as ''The Great Boldini''. [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KID0SaY_Rd4 Watch the episode here.]]
58	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleRascals'' episode "Alfalfakazam!", Darla opens Spanky's magic show by introducing him as The Great Spankini.
59	* ''[[WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines Magnificent Muttley]]'': "The Marvelous Muttdini" is Muttley's daydream of him being a famous escape artist, precipitated when Dick Dastardly puts him into the brig and says, "You'd have to be an escape artist to get out of there!"
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Real Life]]
63	* Johnny Carson was "The Great Carsoni" as a young magician.
64	[[/folder]]

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