Children's Magic Kits

[Brett H]

It's the holidays and I've been looking at magic kits for my daughter. And I noticed something:
There's a LITTLE bit of good tricks in each of them, but A LOT of iffy/bad tricks that aren't exactly the best 'springboard' into further magic and its principles.

While I'm looking at these kits, I'm also trying to construct a hospital show with the oddball challenge of doing a show that can only be done from one magic kit.

So I pose this:

If you were to buy a beginner magic kit, what would you want in it?

So far, I'd want:
Crazy Cube
Coin Clide/Coin Case
Ye Old traditional Cup & Balls
Card Case

[JohnM]

Dime and Penny - very versatile
http://www.penguinmagic.com/search.php?q=dime+and+penny

Svengali Deck - very versatile
http://www.penguinmagic.com/search.php?q=svengali+deck

Spiked Coin - replace the plastic coin with a real half dollar. You can paint it too to make it look really cool.
http://www.penguinmagic.com/search.php?q=spiked+coin

Here are some other good ones.
http://funstuffonly.com/tenyoforum/view ... iked#p4198

[David DeTenyo]

Clean Cut (or a quality knock off) - watch Paul Daniels perform it (start at 16:50) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC2EAnTA-Gc .
Shows how a simple trick with a good routine can be great.

[SimonC]

I grew up on Paul Daniels,love him actually that's a lie, I ever grew up.

[gazpratley]

Crazy cube is a great lil pocket trick Brett, i had a copy in an old marvins magic set many years ago,its a real fooler and so easy to learn i would def recomend it!.

[gazpratley]

Brett you can buy a girls magic set called Mizz Magic ,it has a spiked coin in pink,cups n balls in pink and a few other tricks in pink lol,i think that set is by marvins magic,they should carry it in the u s.

[Rob Rand]

Haha don't get me started about children's magic sets!
I even buy the biggest crap sets in the world, and am sometimes surprised about items I had never seen before...
A regular set would be OK, especially when the booklet not only contains trick descriptions of items in the box but many more.
Actually when the booklet in the set is good, than it is a good magic set.

[Rob Rand]

Hete is an example of a crappy magic set.
Price : 1 euro.
There are about 5 different sets.
Not for sale at toy shops but shops like Zeeman and Wibra.

rps20141220_133217.jpg

[kellebotond]

This is a good magic kit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV5jqxWLNhk

I do not really like Criss Angel, but this set looks very good.

[Rob Rand]

This is another really not bad cheap tricks set for 1 euro.
The paddle has a moving part!

Cheaptricks.jpg

[gazpratley]

ah yes a cheapo traffic light paddle lol and a coin case in there. not bad for a euro lol.

[David DeTenyo]

Yesterday I went shopping and found some what seem to be great magic sets by Djeco, a French company I believe. I didn't buy it but it looks great quality. I believe some members here already have one or several tricks from them. They contain the classic children magic with nice, colorful themes/gimmicks and they are good quality - reminds me a bit of Melissa & Doug's magic sets but I don't think they are made from wood.

Here's a link: http://www.lepingouindelespace.com/coff ... J09970.cfm

I don't know if these are available in the USA.

[VictorS]

I tried to customize my own Children Magic Set for my son. I luckily found a wood box used for cutlery and I thought it would be great to store all my old magic toys there. I added some additional props like deck of playing cards, sponge ball, coins, etc. I think it would be a great starter set to learn the basic level of magic and even until the advance and expert close up sleight of hand routine. All I need to do is to collect all the instructions and bind it as a book. Still need time to do that.

[SimonC]

what a lucky boy! a wooden case is always going to trump a cardboard box I'm putting a set together for the mystic ruby too, but I've got a few more years to go

[VictorS]

what a lucky boy! a wooden case is always going to trump a cardboard box I'm putting a set together for the mystic ruby too, but I've got a few more years to go

Do it..do it...do it...!!
Simon...if you find similar box, it could be great also to put a close up mat with the similar size of the lid and put it on the top of the box and the set is ready to perform anywhere, anytime.

[John B.]

I posted on here about magic sets a while back- maybe someone can merge these threads- I wrote about how wonderful the wooden sets from Melissa and Doug are- they are worth looking into.

[SimonC]

Melissa and Doug toys are starting to pop up in uk stores more and more. I've only seen the mag sets in the Covent garden toy shop (I was with John b at the time oddly!) wish I'd got one now.
I bought the mystic ruby an M&D house this Xmas, it's a wooden house and each side wall has a different door with a real lock and key and a different doorbell. Each house has a person in it too. It's really cool and actually looks/feels like a magic trick, I'm sure there's a way to use it as one

[Rob Rand]

This surely looks like a magic house Simon! With mirrors inside it could be changed in a magic trick! I believe...

Anyway, what a wonderful present for your son! This looks way better and more intriguing than Playmobil for instance!

[David DeTenyo]

My wife bought this one as a small present for me: 1 meter of magic! .

Here she is holding the box:




And here's a link to the inside (talking about a waste of space and material ) of the box: http://www.tenyo.be/images/january2015/1mmagie1.JPG


You really can't complain for only 7 EURO. There are a few litle tricks like the cutting lady in 3 illusion (in the middle) that is pretty good. The materials used are cheap of course, but all the tricks work, very fluently actually (even the Tenyo knock off Clean Cut). The trick with the top is also interesting - it basically is a top with numbers and a well hidden gimmick you can turn so when someone spins it, the thing stops at a given/forced number. I once saw it at a German shop but never bought it, and this one works fine too

[VictorS]

My wife bought this one as a small present for me: 1 meter of magic! .

Really nice to see David and very tricky marketing strategy but I believe it is not so environmental friendly. But thanks for sharing And.... hope you will not face any storage problem just to keep that box. If I were you, I would prefer to take the content and give back the packaging to the seller. Sorry, but I have storage problem here

[SimonC]

That would be an awesome box to get on Christmas day, a metre of magic!
It looks like the white hands belong to your wife and she's doing 'jazz hands'!
Have fun

[David DeTenyo]

Box has already been thrown away, indeed a good marketing strategy to persuade kids to ask mom or dad to buy this big box Victor Too litle storage space here too!
Yes Simon, I've asked her to buy a couple more for the litle nieces! When she was holding the box it was an illusion buy itself

[SimonC]

I wouldn't be happy about my wife holding it facing the other way though, those hads look a bit gropy!