My 10 year old Grand-daughter has been my assistant for over 3 years now. I even have her performing a few magic tricks herself during my shows. She has also taken an interest in ventriloquism and has started to practice that as well. On a recent conversation with her I mentioned that I might perform magic for about the next 10 years and then turn over everything to my daughter, her mom who also has an interest in magic. She said that she wants me to give it all to her because she wants to be a magician/ventriloquist when she grows up.

I realize that anything can happen over time especially once she becomes a teenager, but at the same time there is that possibility that she just might maintain her interest in magic/ventriloquism.

I wonder how old you female magicians were when you became interested in magic?

I got interested at about 6 and then again at 9 but did not get a Magic set at that important age and when on to drawing, ventriloquism, unicycling and slack rope. It would have been safer to get a Magic Set.

I didn't really get into Magic till my partner/mentor Tom started to teach me Magic when I was around 25.

-Mary Mowder

I have loved magic ever since I can remember. I have always loved the stage and the art of entertaining has been passed down through my family. When my son, Matthew also showed an interest in entertaining (He was a stand up comedian in all of his school talent shows), I began to buy him magic props, write comedy routines and choreograph some shows for him. I eventually decided to work on some of my own effects.

The result was that we both had our own shows developed and never planned on performing together. We were later asked to work something up together for a Christmas show, so we did so as a spoof. The end result was that people loved it and loved the family values it took on, and they wanted to pay us to perform together, so here we are today Shizzle Dizzle Magic LLC, perhaps one of the only or the only mother and son traveling magic acts in the world!

My husband / Matthew's dad has zero interest in performing or being on stage at all, so he is one of our crew occasionally if one of our regular crew guys can't go with us.

For me, I got into magic at age 16. My then boyfriend and now husband introduced me to escapology. He liked Houdini and many of the escapes the modern day escape artists. He worked on duplicating their escapes. When he tried to impress me by showing me some of his escapes, I wanted to try. He was amazed that I could get faster than he could and as he said "I was a lot cuter".

That's great Nanci! I know that is something your son will treasure the rest of his life.

Last week, we live close to New Orleans, my Grand-daughter and I went to a Mardi Gras parade. I brought my puppets. About 15 minutes before the parade I with Taco, my Axtell hands on puppet and my Grand-daughter, Jeannette, with Chico, a bird puppet, walked down the street entertaining people. She was great! I plan on doing the same thing this week as well, but maybe doing it 30 minutes before the start of the parade.

I also plan on giving her more to do in my magic shows as well. I have a great ending to my show which is a production box, a rabbit wringer, and a CIRCUS WAGON, which is used to produce a real rabbit. My supposed dwarf rabbit got big, about 7-8 pounds. I had to build a bigger circus wagon. Anyway, in early March I'm getting a Netherland dwarf bunny. I have already either made or bought everything so that my Grand-daughter can DO AS I DO so that at the end of our show, she produces a small bunny and I the larger one. I will give my already great ending an even better ending while at the same time increasing her interest in magic.

Hopefully, she will not get into unicycling as Mary. HaHa!!!

Posted: Feb 23, 2011 7:07am
Oh by the way, my wife has no interest in magic either.

My first magic memory is seeing Doug Henning performing Metamorphosis on "The Muppet Show" in 1979 or 1980. Around that time, David Copperfield was getting popular, and so I watched his special every year since #4 - The Vanishing Airplane.

I then started getting magic catalogs looking for some of the tricks I'd seen performed on television, like Misled, which I still perform. I read Bobo's book, for one. In 1990 I got Gary Ouellet's Close-Up Illusions, and in 1996 Paul Harris' Art of Astonishment series revolutionized my performances.

Carrie

As far as I remember, always saw magic props at home and I liked it, but I began thinking on magic as a business at thirteen. Before that time I saw it like something fun and just a game.

I didn't get into magic until I was over 30. Id already been performing at kids shows for a couple of years with no magic in the show at all, when a chance meeting brought me to a local magic club. Im now in The Magic Circle and loving it

This year, 25.

Loved magic as a child - absolutely obsessed. I've gone through many 'magic' periods of my life but it's always fallen by the wayside and become overtaken by school or work. It's now that I'm at university studying acting (and I suppose, now that I'm getting a little jaded about the theatre!) that I'm properly persuing it. (And huge credit must go to the lovely magician teaching me.)

So I suppose, like Miss J, this year - at the age of 19/20.

Happy to hear we have 2 new girl enter the magic world. Who inspire you girl? And what trick you can perform now?

I was about 9, (and I turn 50 next week)

there was a talent show at school, I had no talent so I did a Magic Show instead.

Ok, that is my standard line about how I got into magic... Usually gets a good laugh.

Age 9, I checked out every book in the school library on magic, put together a short show for the school talent show, everything I did was home made props. That year my brother got a magic kit for Christmas (go figure) when he got bored with it I took it.

Recently at an auction I found that exact magic kit, it now proudly stands in my display case.

The 25th of this month? I can see you are 15 years old.

I learned some of my favourite card tricks from 12 year-olds. Personally, it wasn't until I was older than that that I even bothered to work with cards.

I was eight years old when my mom bought me my first magic set. and I would put on a show in our carport for all of the neighborhood kids.man that was the 42 years ago. and I have loved it every since.
todd

Hey I noticed that I made this post in 2011. Another 2 years has passed by so quickly.
Just a status report of my now 12 year old Grand-daughter/magician/assistant/ventriloquist.
She is doing more and more as a magician. Just tonight we added something new to our show. It was the head twister illusion. When I originally bought it, I did so thinking I would twist her head. But her hair is actually too long so I had her do it to me. What a great reaction we received from the audience. After placing the illusion over my head she tells the audience; "Do not try this at home." I ask in a loud voice; "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" She then says: "I told them to drive safe on their way home."
She is really turning into a professional.
I'll be buying an Axtell Hands Free Lite system soon, to compliment my Axtell Hands Free Toucan puppet. My Grand-daughter will be debuting a Parrot puppet with this system. This will further heighten her ventriloquism skills which already is pretty good.

Todd! You're female? I never would have known! ROFLMAO! See the OP question.


That made me laugh! Thanks Todd!

Doug