The Afghan Zipper is a topological magic trick that uses the Möbius Strip principle to create the illusion of magic. This trick is the most recent innovation in the Afghan Bands, one of the most well-known magic tricks.

The basic plot of this minor mystery is that the magician cuts a circular strip of paper lengthwise in half. Instead of producing the expected two separate rings, the magical version results in a band twice the size of the original. The magician repeats these actions and creates two linked rings or even a long loop with a knot. Performers initially used paper of cloth bands to perform this trick.

The Afghan Zipper

Using a zipper to create reusable Möbius strips first appeared in the magic literature in 1977 by Ed Eckl in his Gardyloo lecture notes under the name Möby Zip. The trick was briefly marketed in the early 1980s by Phil Wallmart’s and Rick Johnson’s Excelsior Productions. In 1992 Klamm Magic advertised their version as the Afghan Zipper which used Velcro ends. It was accompanied by a gospel script and the well-known circus script. In that same year, Dick Stoner sold this trick under the punny name “Did you ever see an elephant fly?” The puns did not end there. Peter Marucci removed the zipper from an empty jar of Vaseline, saying: “Look! A fly in the ointment!”

The various zipper versions have also led to accusations of plagiarism and piracy in the magic literature. Eckl writes in his lecture notes that he developed the “gag”, as he calls it, in the early 1970s and that he has never seen anyone else performing it. Irrespective of these accusations, using zippers as Möbius strips is not unique to magicians as mathematicians have since long used zippers to play with one-sided geometry.

The internet contains several references to Möbius strip zippers, both as an educational tool and as a form of entertainment. Daniel Morris even patented the Möbius strip zipper in 1985. The patent claim relates to a puzzle made from zippers twisted into a single-sided surface. This puzzle was never commercialised, and the patent expired in 1991 due to a failure to pay the maintenance fee.

f you like to know more about this trick and how to create and perform the Afghan Zipper, then you should read The Möbius Strip in Magic: A Treatise on the Afghan Bands.

Create a Möbius Strip Zipper

How to create a Möbius strip from a zipper. Purchase a zipper an Velcro strips Purchase a bottom-separating zipper from your local haberdashery shop, at least 900mm (36 inches) long. Attach the Velcro tabs

Cut small tabs of the self-adhesive hook-and-fastener tape and stick the loops side of the Velcro to both sides of the bottom tape extension (the start of the zipper). Stick the hook side of strips of Velcro to both sides of the top tape extension (the fabric part of the zipper that extends beyond the teeth). Make sure that there is enough space for the slider to move freely at both ends of the zipper. Let the glue dry for a few minutes before using the zipper. Start playing and performing When unhooking the Velcro strips, it is best to pull them apart vertically to reduce the strain on the glue due to repeated use. If you like to know how to perform this trick deceptively, then purchase the detailed instructions for the Afghan Zipper below.



Posted by Peter Prevos Civil engineer and social scientist. Author of articles and books about data science, culture and theatrical magic.