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Magician Justin Willman has returned with another mind-bending demonstration of his signature blend of magic and comedy. During a recent appearance on the TODAY Show, he showcased what appeared to be an extraordinary feat of memory — recalling every zip code in America with remarkable precision.
The premise behind Willman’s supposed memorization of all American zip codes raises immediate questions. As with most magical performances, there’s undoubtedly some clever illusion at work beneath the surface.
Willman shared an unusual childhood story to explain his zip code knowledge. He claimed that after breaking both arms one summer, he couldn’t participate in sports camps — a peculiar explanation that seems crafted for the performance rather than reflecting reality.
“While I was stuck with two casts, my parents got me a zip code directory,” Willman explained to the hosts. It’s the kind of backstory that audiences are expected to accept without question, despite the improbability of a child spending a summer memorizing postal codes.
The performance gained momentum as Willman began correctly identifying zip codes from the hosts and even extended his demonstrations to include crew members working behind the scenes. His confidence never wavered throughout the segment.
There must be some systematic approach or clever technique underlying this demonstration. Similar to how highway numbering follows logical patterns (east/west vs. north/south orientations, or two-digit vs. three-digit designations), Willman has likely identified patterns within the American postal code system that make this apparent feat of memory possible.
The alternative — that he actually memorized all 41,683 ZIP codes across the United States — seems implausible and pointless. What benefit would anyone, particularly a child, derive from such an exercise? Perhaps his presentation hints at how certain minds can recognize and leverage patterns that others might miss.
For those intrigued by Willman’s distinctive approach to magic, his new Netflix special Magic Lover offers a fresh collection of performances. It provides further evidence of how he’s carved out a unique niche in contemporary magic — blending humor, psychology, and traditional sleight-of-hand into something entirely his own.
