The Detachable Thumb is a very simple close-up illusion

Illusion

An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people....

.

Effect

The performer appears to remove the end of his own thumb

Thumb

The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...

; moving it back and forth along his hand or lifting it up.

Method

There is no particular secret to this illusion: the performer simply holds out one hand sideways with the palm out and the tip of the thumb folded down behind the hand. Then he places his other thumb bent so that the tip appears to be connected to the folded-down thumb with the forefinger bent to cover the joint.

Credits

There is no known originator of this trick, and it is likely to be among the oldest tricks in the world.

Known variations

• Meir Yedid (USA) has created "Finger Fantasies", a multitude of variations in which his fingers disappear and reappear in odd ways.