By David Cain
There is an entire category of juggling tricks that I call simple tossing and catching tricks. These include stunts such as the Cups and Saucers Trick, the Candelabra Trick, and The Horn and Rings Trick. A very simple one of these tricks was performed in the 1800s. I call it, for lack of a better term, the Ball in a Cup on the Head Trick. It involves a juggler having a cup strapped to their forehead or top of the head and then tossing a ball high into the air and catching it in the cup.
The juggler most famous for this trick was Old Malabar, born Patrick Feeney in Sligo, Ireland on February 20, 1800. He was the son of a poor farmer. A weak student in school, he longed to travel to see the world. His brothers gave him thirty shillings to start his journey and Feeney left to see the world. He headed to Dublin, where he struggled to find employment and quickly ran low on money. He journeyed to Liverpool, England, where he thought there would be better chances for employment. Shortly after arriving in Liverpool, Feeney saw a performance by a Chinese juggler named either Tusang or Tusany. Fascinated by the performance, Feeney attached himself to the juggler as an apprentice. Tusang / Tusany provided room and board for the boy, who served the Chinese performer faithfully for several years as he also learned the juggler’s tricks and routines. The Chinese performer gave Feeney the stage name of Malabar. Eventually, they formed a two-person act. When he was ready to go solo, Feeney traveled to Scotland, which became his favorite place to perform. Audiences took note of him right away, as he stood 6 feet, 4 inches tall, dressed in exotic Asian clothing, and had very strongly marked facial features. They quickly became admirers of Feeney’s genial personality as well as his great skill. He gave his first performance in Glasgow during the Fair of 1822. Old Malabar passed away on November 6, 1883.
Regarding the trick discussed here, he would catch a small but heavy brass ball that he tossed high into the air in a leather cup that was strapped to his forehead with leather. Malabar was occasionally a heavy drinker, and he once got drunk on whisky before a show. When he went to perform the cup trick, he missed and hit himself in the face, resulting in a large scar and flattened nose. This made him swear off alcohol for a time. This trick was so associated with Malabar that most photos and illustrations of the juggler show him with the cup strapped to his head.
Amazingly, Old Malabar’s brass ball and the cup he wore on his head have not been lost to time. They are currently on display at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, along with his diabolos and some other props.
(Photo courtesy of Lukas Reichenbach)
(Photo courtesy of Lukas Reichenbach)
Old Malabar wasn’t the only juggler of the mid-1800s to perform this trick. Swedish juggling historian Erik Åberg recently found the following image from 1860 showing a juggler doing the same trick.
1860 – Courtesy of Erik Åberg
Erik Åberg also found the following photo of the juggler Robertin that shows the performer with a cup strapped to his head while holding a ball in one hand and a cupstick and ball in the other.
Robertin, courtesy of Erik Åberg
Close up of Robertin, courtesy of Erik Åberg
Brian Koenig is resurrecting the trick today in his Cup Guy act. You can see some of his versions of the trick in the following video.
Brian Koenig
I also perform a version of the trick in my Juggling History Show, sharing about Old Malabar.
If anyone knows of any old school jugglers who performed this trick, please let me know.
David Cain
David Cain is a professional juggler, juggling historian, and the owner of the world's only juggling museum, the Museum of Juggling History. He is a Guinness world record holder and 16 time IJA gold medalist. In addition to his juggling pursuits, David is a successful composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer as well as the author of twenty-six books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).