Daniel Sylvester Battagline, also known as Sylvester The Jester (born 1961), is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 magician

Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...

, best known for playing a cartoon character

Cartoon

A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...

 which comes to life. He has had hundreds of stage and television appearances, including NBC’s "World's Wildest Magic," ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

’s "Champions of Magic III", Jerry Lewis's

Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...

 Muscular Dystrophy Telethon

Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

The MDA Labor Day Telethon is an annual telethon in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association . The first MDA telethon was during the Thanksgiving Day weekend of 1952 and titled Party for MDA. It has been held annually since 1966...

 and The Discovery Channel’s "More Science of Magic." He has performed in multiple Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 shows including opening for The Amazing Johnathan

The Amazing Johnathan

John Edward Szeles , better known by the stage name The Amazing Johnathan, is an American stand-up comedian/magician. His act is mostly composed of hijinks, interaction with one specific audience member and a few legitimate magic tricks. Since 2001, he has been a year-round headliner in Las Vegas...

, and appearing at Caesar’s Magical Empire. He also produces a series of magic products, and has been credited with creating the illustrations for various magic publications, such as the cover for The Amazing Johnathan's Every Trick in the Book, and the poster for John Carney

John Carney (magician)

John Carney is a professional sleight of hand artist, author and comic actor. He has won Hollywood’s Magic Castle award for Magician of the Year seven times. In 1988 and 1991, he was an award winner at the world FISM magic championships...

's "Mr. Mysto" act. In 1996, he also created a prop for the television show, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a teenage fictional character named Sabrina Spellman. The character was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo. The comic's characters have also appeared in various other media...

." He has been featured on the cover of several magic and culture-related magazines, such as the September 1998 issue of Magic.

Biography

Battagline was born in Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

, one of three children to Pat Battagline, a plumber, and Merrie Lou Clark, a homemaker. He grew up in the small town of Berlin Center, Ohio, attending Western Reserve High School

Western Reserve High School (Berlin Center, Ohio)

Western Reserve High School is located on U.S. Route 224 in Berlin Center, Ohio, located in Mahoning County. It has an enrollment of approximately 300 students.-School Background:...

, where he began experimenting with magic at the age of 15, after seeing a televised performance by Doug Henning

Doug Henning

Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...

. He later went on to Youngstown State University

Youngstown State University

Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...

, where he studied Fine Art and Theater Arts, before relocating to Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, where he joined the prestigious Magic Castle community, and performed for the next seven years. He was best known during this time for a unique sleight of hand

Sleight of hand

Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....

 move known as "The Sylvester Pitch." During the 1990s, he created the "Ten Foot Pole" effect which remains popular, most recently as the topic of a 2008 TED Conference presentation about unique inventions. He was also mentored by Larry Jennings

Larry Jennings

Larry Jennings, , was a magician. He is known for his card techniques and has eight books published by him or written about him. He is also known for being close friends with fellow magician, Dai Vernon.-Biography:...

 and Dai Vernon

Dai Vernon

Dai Vernon , aka The Professor, was a Canadian magician. His expert sleight-of-hand technique and extensive knowledge garnered him respect among fellow magicians. His influence was considerable in the magic world, and he was a mentor to numerous famous magicians...

, who referred to Battagline as "a genius".

Battagline's "Sylvester the Jester" character began to emerge in the early 1990s, and over the next several years, he began to tour internationally in over 30 countries. He was also a key performer and creative consultant in the year-long production of "Las Vegas Magic Express" in Seoul, Korea, which was produced by Kevin James

Kevin James (magician)

Kevin James is an award-winning French-born American magician, known for creating several unique magical effects, such as the "Floating Rose" which is performed by David Copperfield....

.

Currently, he lives in Bellflower, California

Bellflower, California

Bellflower is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is a suburb of Los Angeles. It was incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,616, up from 72,878 at the 2000 census....

 and continues to perform close-up, parlor and stage magic. He also functions as a consultant for other magicians and participates regularly in Magic Castle activities.

Awards

• Baguette d’Or (Golden Wand), 1998, Monte Carlo Magic Stars, awarded by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
  Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
  Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline...
  
   http://www.sylvesterthejester.com/promo/articles_photos.html
• Kid's Choice, 1998, Junior Jury's Grand Prix, Monte Carlo Magic Stars
• Festival Favorite, 1998, International del Humor, Bogotá
  Bogotá
  Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
  
  , Colombia
  Colombia
  Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
  
  
• Gold Medal Champion, 1995, Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM), Santa Clara, California
• Appreciation Award (50th Anniversary Special), 1996, International Brotherhood of Magicians
  International Brotherhood of Magicians
  International Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
  
  
• The S.C.A.M. Annual Comedy Magic Award, 2007, South Carolina Association of Magicians

Notable nominations

The Magic Castle’s Academy of Magical Arts, Los Angeles, California:

• Lecturer of the Year: 2002, 2009
• Parlour Performer of the Year: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
• Comedy Magician of the Year: 2003
• Stage Magician of the Year: 1998, 1999

DVDs/Videos

• Sylvester Pitch ‘98, 2007, Creative Enterprise/Hotrix, DVD
• Sylvester The Jester Performance, 2006, DVD
• Suspended Dimension (The Jacketless Topit), 2001, Kevin James’ Imagination Unlimited, DVD
• Sylvester Pitch ‘98, 1998, Creative Enterprise/Hotrix, VHS

Lecture Notes

• Sylvester The Jester's Creativity Lecture Notes, 2008
• Sylvester Pitch Lecture Notes, 1993
• Hurtling the Moon, Creative Strategy Lecture Notes, 1995

Inventions

Sylvester the Jester has created numerous magic effects and gags, for his own act as well as for other performers. Effects performed in his act are self-fabricated, original designs intended to imitate classic American cartoons. His inventions include:

• Sound Vest, 1989

• Ten Foot Pole, 1989

• Smoke From The Ears, 1994

• Steam From The Ears, 1993

• Suspended Dimension,(suspender topit) 1992

• Bottomless Hat, 1995

• Bug Eyes, 1995

• Binocular Face, 1996

• Filed Away, 1993

• Sly Swivel Shift, 1989

• Hole Through The Body Effect, 1995

• Fly Paper Effect, 1995

• Makin’ Sparks, 1994

• Barefoot Lean, 1997

• Coin Through The Face, 1978

• Sylvester pitch, 1978

• Nine Coin Vanish, 1977

• Exploding Head Effect, 1994

• Porta-Sledge, 1980

• Pulsing Pinky, 1994

• Hideous Grin, 1991

• Stretchy Tongue, 1991

• Anvil From Hat, 1989

Criticism and controversy

Battagline has been criticized for his style, including his exaggerated cartoon-like movements, and provocative humor.

External links

• Official website
• Performance video at youtube.com
• "Creating Success", podcast interview by Mitchell Anthony
• Drake, Simon. "Visit #2: Sylvester the Jester," Bizarre Magazine, 2009
• Imodei, Ivan. "The Plant" story, Magic's Most Amazing Stories; A Collection of Incredible Stories from World Famous Magicians, 2009.
• Wolf, Michael. "Not Just a Weirdo", Magicana magazine, 2003
• Booth, John. Chapter 4: "Sylvester: The Self-Mayhem Principle" http://www.sylvesterthejester.com/media.htmlExtending Magic Beyond Credibility, (Linking Ring reprint, August 1999)
• Booth, John. "Sylvester The Surreal Jester", Linking Ring magazine, August 1999
• Levy, Mark. "The Jester is Sylvester!", Magic Magazine, September 1998
• Pogue, David. Magic For Dummies, 1998
• Booth, John. "Memoirs of a Magician’s Ghost", Linking Ring, August 1999
• Giorgio, Tony. Genii magazine, October 1993
• Brown, Judy. L.A. Weekly, April 13, 1995
• Weber, Ken. "A Personal Entertainment Highlight: Sylvester the Jester," Maximum Entertainmenthttp://www.sylvesterthejester.com/media.html, 2002