Why would a modern Wiccan (witch) buy a broom instead of a vacuum cleaner? Why would she buy a cauldron instead of using a pressure cooker? Why does she wear pentacles and robes for ceremonies instead of jeans and T-shirts? Why does she light candles instead of turning on the light?

If one could travel back in time and meet the most powerful old witches of all time and bring them back to our age, the old timers would be lot more impressed with our modern electronic "magic" than we would be with their "magick" yet Wiccans still insist on doing things the old way - so why would this be?

The answer is simple - it's "Boffo"!

To get a full explanation of exactly what boffo is, you would need to read "Wintersmith" by Terry Pratchett, the third book in the Tiffany Aching series but to summarize:
One of the old witches has earned the fear and respect of the people with the aid of 2 skulls, one on either side of her. Rumors spread about who the skulls originally belonged to, and there are stories about how the skulls speak in the night and help the old witch judge people. As the stories spread, the skulls develop a power of their own which further enhances the old witch's reputation as somebody to be feared and respected.

Young Tiffany Aching, the main character of the story, soon learns that the skulls are just plaster novelties purchased from "Boffo Novelty and Joke Shop, no. 4, Tenth Egg Street, Ankh-Morpork". The reason they are there is to ensure that when people come around looking for advice, they don't see is a tired old woman but what they do see is a terrifying old witch! When the old witch dies and young Annagramma takes her place, Tiffany teaches her the secret of Boffo and convinces her to buy a load of props herself to gain the respect of the people.

So there you have it...Boffo is the props used to help people believe what they already suspect may be true. Nobody would respect a scientist if he didn't have tubes of bubbling green stuff, and you can't take a wiccan seriously without the expected accoutrements. It's just expected. And not only does it make a Wiccan LOOK like a Wiccan, but it also makes her FEEL and BELIEVE more Wiccan!

While it is generally difficult to find shops catering to the ever growing Wiccan market (Wicca is the fastest growing religion in the world) and, sadly, the "Boffo Novelty and Joke Shop" doesn't exist in our universe there are a lot of websites that offer all sorts of products specifically for Wiccans. Most are very amateurish affairs that are hard to navigate or have confusing ordering systems, but http://www.wicca-and-pagan-supplies.com overcomes all these problems for most people while at the same time, indulging in a little Boffo too ;-)