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.
Obviously the inspiration for these names is Harry Houdini, 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.
Not to be confused with the 80's rap group.
See also
Small Reference Pools,
Dr. Genericius
Examples:
- This
Sluggy Freelance strip.
- Magician Ricky Jay played magician "The Amazing Maleeni" in The X-Files episode of that name.
- "The Great Bicklini", a.k.a. Mr. Bickles in The Fairly Odd Parents.
- Steve Martin often did tricks for private gatherings involving things coming out of the crotch of his pants. His alias? The Great Flydini.
- On NewsRadio Dave called himself the Great Throwdini for his Knife Throwing Act. He also performed as the Great Ventriloquodini.
- On Home Improvement, 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.
- Ben10 Race Against Time had "The Great Gwendini... and her assistant".
- Johnny Carson was "The Great Carsoni" as a young magician.
- In the Peanuts special "It's Magic, Charlie Brown", Snoopy puts on a magic show as The Great Houndini.
- One episode of MST3K had Crow as an escape artist calling himself "The Great Crowdini".
- Edgar of Edgar & Ellen demonstrated his escape artist skills as "The Amazing Edgarini".
- 8-Bit Theater had 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".
- Invoked by Denis Leary in his stand-up routine, regarding pulling his family dog out of the toilet: "Like I'm some kinda magician, the Great Learitini..."
- Batman TV Series: In the episode Zelda the Great,they really did the research. She has a billboard that boasts: Zelda the Great: World's foremost illusionist and escape artiste, Even Greater than Houdini!.
- Eddy, of Ed Edd N Eddy, became The Great Eddy-dini upon acquiring Edd's hypno-wheel.
