I have noticed that a lot of those sets are impossible for a kid to understand, besides being too expensive and sometimes very low quality products.

If you were asked to come up with a perfect magic set for a beginner, what (10) effects would you include in the box?

Mago Mai

Greetings and Salutations Mago,

I would say start with tricks similar to what you find in the Klutz Book of Magic. I believe the book comes with a silk, TT, ring, heavy string, and one or two other items that are not coming to mind.

Those seem ideal. Then maybe add the Professor's Nightmare (with permission, of course), a booklet with a half-dozen self-working card tricks and a deck of cards, and maybe a Svengali or Stripper deck of cards.

This way you have a few rope (string) tricks, some ring and rope tricks, some silk effects, some card tricks, and if you toss in a coin routine or two, you've got a complete parlour/small stage, walk-around show.

Keep it to a total of a couple of dozen routines, with three of four of each variety -- rope, silk, rope-and-ring, TT, card and coins.

That's my $.02 (USD), YMMV.

Joe in KC

Live a great adventure, make magic happen!

The older magic sets (Mysto,etc.) seem to have had a lot more tricks that were actually useful or "performable" than do the new sets. As a matter of fact, the new sets all seem to be the same set, re-badged for the magician du jour.

As a small collector of magic sets, I have seen a couple of modern sets that seem to have some pretty good tricks. I was impressed with Marvin's Executive magic sets. They are pricey (about $50), but they seem to come up fairly often on eBay.

As for tricks, I agree with Joe. I would like to see Professor's Nightmare, a ring and rope/ribbon, a coin shell, a thumb tip, three or four 18 inch silks, and two quality, ungimmicked decks of cards. Also included would be a good, general book on magic with various combinations of the above items. With these things you could perform all night.

Amos McCormick

Thanks for those suggestions. I like the idea of the Klutz books. I love those books.

Mago Mai

Not to get too far off topic - but, I have to mention this, it's something I just could NEVER understand. As a performing magician why would you ever want a layman to know about a TT ?

Everyone recommends them as one of the first things a newbie should be introduced to. WHY?, they're NOT easy to use CORRECTLY and their use can be so powerful!

If I were King of Magicland- TT's would be one of the secrets that would be taught LAST!

No, no better yet I would keep them for myself!

Just a little Rant
Dennis

:bluebikes:

I think that the biggest thing for the magic kit is the instructions. I also have a small collection or kids magic sets, and many of them come with cheap plastic versions of great effects. The thing that is messed up is the box says “7 years of age and up” but the instructions need a PHD to decipher them, or at least someone with knowledge in the magical arts.

Just as an example, my cousins (7 and 10) received a magic set for Christmas. When I went to their house, they were able to do the little half circle optical illusion and the coin spike box the rest was Greek to them.

Just looking at the magic kit they had some cool stuff to play with for a cheap magic kit. There was a penetration frame that didn’t have instructions. They also had cups and puffballs, levitating can and transforming peanut butter jar to juice can.

Good stuff if the instructions would have been more clear!

Mark:
I have noticed that instructions are very vague in most of those sets. One reason might be that they come with 100 to 150 tricks.

Dennis: I wouldn't include a TT, either.
What I am asking you all is to name 10 to 15 effects you will include in a set.

Better instructions?
Video?
Web site for more info?
Easy to do magic?
A deck of cards? ropes?.....

Thanks to all of you,

Mago Mai

Good, clear instructions are always a great start. The Klutz Book of Magic is probably a better magic set than many of the boxed sets out there. (And it has good clear instructions!)

Effect-wise, I'd like to at least see:

:D Cups and balls (because it's a classic and a basic routine is easy to do and can be built upon)
:D A good deck of cards with good, clear instructions on a dozen or so easy effects (including at least one easy force)
Ring and rope a la Klutz book.
Several easy plastic effects like ball and vase, bill changing drawer, and nail through coin.

The set should be easy enough that beginners and younger children can have fun with it, but should also enable them to build on it when their skill level rises. That's where cups and balls and a deck of cards come in.

Just my 0.02 here.

I think that a magic set should be age appropriate and also recognize that the purchasing motivation is primarily to obtain tricks, not a book (or even a magic education). The current crop of magic sets often suffer from the “more is better” mentality, offering “100 tricks,” “150 tricks” or more. This is appealing to the adult making the purchase decision, but the result is often about five cheap plastic tricks and a cheaply written and printed book (and I use the term very loosely) with 148 tricks in it.

A cheap pamphlet with 148 tricks poorly written and poorly illustrated is so much trash to a seven-year-old.

I think I would create a magic set targeted to the youngest children exclusively with self-working tricks (like the Tenyo material). I would include the coin slide, spikes thru coin, drawer box, zig-zag pencil, color vision, prayer vase, imp bottle, devil’s hook (balancing belt hook), the magnetic mummy effect, red snapper and maybe the ball vase. That’s all.

The a set targeted to the next level would introduce some sleights. It might include a paddle effect, sponge rabbits (or sponge balls), a handkerchief pull, a simple C&R rope effect (maybe the one with the extra loop of rope as the gimmick), some trick knots, simple cups and balls, maybe a shell coin (probably a quarter) for a coins through the table effect. This set would need more explicit instructions, and could refer the serious hobbyist to the library or general bookstore for additional reading.

I think design would also be important, and all of the tricks in the set should be designed consistently. The set should not look like the manufacturer called Royal or Robbins and threw together whatever was available.

Just my thoughts.

I agree with Opus about having different levels of sets... Maybe Beginner and Intermediate...

I agree with all of the effects Opus said except the shell coin. I think that would have to be in a higher level set. All of the listed effects are in most sets now, there would be no extra exposure of magic. Just my two cents!

Thanks again for your comments.

If any of you could add just an effect to a magic set, which one would you include?

Mago Mai

I would include a decent stripper deck with instructions on how to use it and 4 or 5 tricks for it, complete with patter.


Williams Magic in Tucson, Arizona has a really good set for adult beginners. I just can't remember what they had in it now - perhaps a web search would do it.

A Small Egg bag
A penny to dime
Cup's & Balls
A Deck of Cards With 101 tricks
Sponge Rabits
A 50c Pice or 2 and some tricks to do
Jumping match 2 in each hand Then 3in 1
A Hot Rod
A wand "with flowers" "broken"
A coin box

But not the cheep Tricks that you find in The kids stuff . Nice Tricks That will last . To show that you care and that magic is not a joke with cheep stuff .

Just an Idea Off the top of my head

I'd add instructions for a simple torn and restored napkin. This one has a lot to be learned from...

Cups and Balls
Klutz book of Magic (Including all the accessories)
Proffessors Nightmare
Svengali Deck of cards