The item below comes from the 1981 book “Ali Bongo’s Book of Magic.” In it, Ali Bongo gives us a brief history of Doug’s life up to that point through some eye catching cartoon art. It’s a neat little piece released at the peak of Doug’s fame!

While the character of Ali Bongo wouldn’t be considered appropriate in modern times, he was the creation of English magician William Oliver Wallace. Wallace had a long and storied career which spanned stage, television, and consulting with many modern magicians on their own illusions. 

Eventually, Wallace would retire the Ali Bongo character. Towards the end of his career, he enjoyed being an elder statesman of magic, and president of Britain’s Magic Circle before his death in 2009.

Special Thanks to Sham Bhat