Abracadabra! I give you something that you'll love, I hope, maybe... Please?
January 20, 2011 10:30 AM Subscribe
Any suggestions for magic/illusion related gifts for an 11 year old boy that is getting into / slightly interested in magic?
It's my brother in-law's birthday real soon [, this time he goes to 11] and he's been getting interested in magic in recent years so Mrs. ZombieApoc and I think a gift of that nature would be great. Are there any Mefites out there that are into magic and/or have advice on what an 11 year old might be into regarding that, or what are GREAT illusions to begin with that give you a great base to begin to build on?
So far he's basically said "oh that's cool" or "watch this" as he makes a ball disappear or makes one into two, etc... I would like to really give him something that lays the ground work for the theory behind all the fun, whether he knows it or not. Would a set of magic rings be appropriate or will it feel like he just opened up some tube-socks?
i was planning on hitting up a shop today and talking to the owner a bit, but I would like some ideas to go in there with as well.
It's my brother in-law's birthday real soon [, this time he goes to 11] and he's been getting interested in magic in recent years so Mrs. ZombieApoc and I think a gift of that nature would be great. Are there any Mefites out there that are into magic and/or have advice on what an 11 year old might be into regarding that, or what are GREAT illusions to begin with that give you a great base to begin to build on?
So far he's basically said "oh that's cool" or "watch this" as he makes a ball disappear or makes one into two, etc... I would like to really give him something that lays the ground work for the theory behind all the fun, whether he knows it or not. Would a set of magic rings be appropriate or will it feel like he just opened up some tube-socks?
i was planning on hitting up a shop today and talking to the owner a bit, but I would like some ideas to go in there with as well.
The Linking Rings is a pretty trick, but the sleight of hand is pretty specific to just that trick. I'd probably go more towards Cups and Balls. It has vanishes, appearances....requires dexterous fingers and good misdirection. Lots of meat there!
Cards are also good (and my favorite). A stripper deck is fine, but I'd definitely get him a book. The Card College series is set up specifically to go from basics to advanced, so book number 1 would be swell I think. The trouble with self-contained tricks, I think, is that it lets you him do something kind of neat relatively quickly, but don't necessarily give you a foundation.
Speaking of books....a good Cover-All Magic book might be the Mark Wilson course in magic.
If the magic shop is nearby his house, you could also consider giving him lessons. Most offer that. Do talk to the owner though! Support your local shop, it keeps them off the streets!
posted by Wink Ricketts at 10:59 AM on January 20, 2011
Cards are also good (and my favorite). A stripper deck is fine, but I'd definitely get him a book. The Card College series is set up specifically to go from basics to advanced, so book number 1 would be swell I think. The trouble with self-contained tricks, I think, is that it lets you him do something kind of neat relatively quickly, but don't necessarily give you a foundation.
Speaking of books....a good Cover-All Magic book might be the Mark Wilson course in magic.
If the magic shop is nearby his house, you could also consider giving him lessons. Most offer that. Do talk to the owner though! Support your local shop, it keeps them off the streets!
posted by Wink Ricketts at 10:59 AM on January 20, 2011
Best answer: 1. Gimmick decks of cards. These are good to use because the trick is generally built into the deck and doesn't take long to master. A Svengali Deck shows all the cards when flipped one way, and then show only one card when flipped the other. That basic concept allows for lots of variations of the same trick. One of my son's friends pulled out a Svengali Deck at Boy Scouts last week to show me a trick.
2. Gimmick coins. One of my first legitimate tricks was Scotch and Soda. Requires a little setup, and a little practice, but overall a good coin trick. A lot of coin gimmicks are cheaply made (and often high-priced), but easier than straight up coin tricks to start. If he gets into it, the book "Modern Coin Magic" by J.B. Bobo is a great resource (Book, DVD).
3. I never got into cups and balls. You can always have coins in your pocket, or a deck of cards. Cups and balls require an area to set up, props, etc.
*I can't vouch for all of the sites I linked to, and a local magic shop is always a good thing.
**On preview, I also had that Mark Wilson book that Wink Ricketts linked. So many hours spent at magic shops.
posted by shinynewnick at 11:09 AM on January 20, 2011
2. Gimmick coins. One of my first legitimate tricks was Scotch and Soda. Requires a little setup, and a little practice, but overall a good coin trick. A lot of coin gimmicks are cheaply made (and often high-priced), but easier than straight up coin tricks to start. If he gets into it, the book "Modern Coin Magic" by J.B. Bobo is a great resource (Book, DVD).
3. I never got into cups and balls. You can always have coins in your pocket, or a deck of cards. Cups and balls require an area to set up, props, etc.
*I can't vouch for all of the sites I linked to, and a local magic shop is always a good thing.
**On preview, I also had that Mark Wilson book that Wink Ricketts linked. So many hours spent at magic shops.
posted by shinynewnick at 11:09 AM on January 20, 2011
True on always having the coins and cards but not so much cups and balls. I was thinking of a classic that also is applicable to other things. Coin Magic is a good choice though. They need the good sleight of hand and management even if you're using a gimmick. I didn't think of that! (obviously I don't do much coins! heh)
posted by Wink Ricketts at 11:16 AM on January 20, 2011
posted by Wink Ricketts at 11:16 AM on January 20, 2011
You could also go for a great biography of Houdini. If he's interesting in magic and 11 years old it's a pretty safe bet that he'll love Houdini.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:19 AM on January 20, 2011
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:19 AM on January 20, 2011
How about a Fushigi Magic Gravity Ball. My children got one for Christmas. Very cool.
posted by Sassyfras at 11:25 AM on January 20, 2011
posted by Sassyfras at 11:25 AM on January 20, 2011
Does he like Harry Potter? If so, show him this magic trick....be prepared for a bit of crying until he figures out how it's done.
posted by sarastro at 11:26 AM on January 20, 2011
posted by sarastro at 11:26 AM on January 20, 2011
If I was 11, I'd want things I could learn to impress people. Take a look at Theory 11, and see if there are any tricks you like the look of that can be ordered as kits.
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:30 PM on January 20, 2011
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:30 PM on January 20, 2011
A lot of it depends on what interests him. There's a bunch of beginner's type magic tricks that are fun.
One that I remember having fun with is Cups and Balls, where balls move from cup to cup.
3-card monte type tricks are fantastic for boys, cause they can amaze and astound and it's a very small packet of cards.
Are his hands big enough to do some slights while handling cards? If so, Daryl's DVD of the Full Monte will provide him with amazing routines.
If not, there's a gimmicked version.
posted by jasper411 at 12:45 PM on January 20, 2011
One that I remember having fun with is Cups and Balls, where balls move from cup to cup.
3-card monte type tricks are fantastic for boys, cause they can amaze and astound and it's a very small packet of cards.
Are his hands big enough to do some slights while handling cards? If so, Daryl's DVD of the Full Monte will provide him with amazing routines.
If not, there's a gimmicked version.
posted by jasper411 at 12:45 PM on January 20, 2011
Response by poster: awesome ideas. Thanks to everyone so far.
I'll be stopping by the Eagle Magic Store later today for some more ideas and to get some good stuff
posted by zombieApoc at 1:02 PM on January 20, 2011
I'll be stopping by the Eagle Magic Store later today for some more ideas and to get some good stuff
posted by zombieApoc at 1:02 PM on January 20, 2011
ThinkGeek has some trick items for sale:
Coin bending
Floating match
Card morphing illusion
There's more if you go to the site and search for "magic" or "illusion."
posted by LaurenIpsum at 1:03 PM on January 20, 2011
Coin bending
Floating match
Card morphing illusion
There's more if you go to the site and search for "magic" or "illusion."
posted by LaurenIpsum at 1:03 PM on January 20, 2011
It depends on how much effort you believe that he will put in.
Rings look good, but they need a lot of practice before they look so. The Ninja ring has a dvd that goes with it. The DVD helps a lot.
At 11, his hands may be a little small for some of the card manipulation, so I would probably not go for any of the fiddly card stuff. The Svengali deck can be very impressive without much practice.
Sponge balls, the rabbit, the cube, the oversized balls are cheap, and fun. The routines range from self working, to impressive with practice.
For coins, if he is unlikely to loose them, Hopping Halves, Unique coin, and Scotch and Soda are good. With each of them, you will be taught a routine, but if he has imagination, then there is a lot he can do with them.
If he does get into coins, then I recommend getting him one of Sankys coin DVDs. These are moves he can do with normal coins, but practice required.
Another option is ‘Banding Around’, a rubber band DVD. Easy to follow, and less effort
If you want more visual and less effort, then the colour changing silks, or silk to rope looks good, and he can show his friends, but you can only show them once.
posted by Sarosmith at 1:19 PM on January 20, 2011
Rings look good, but they need a lot of practice before they look so. The Ninja ring has a dvd that goes with it. The DVD helps a lot.
At 11, his hands may be a little small for some of the card manipulation, so I would probably not go for any of the fiddly card stuff. The Svengali deck can be very impressive without much practice.
Sponge balls, the rabbit, the cube, the oversized balls are cheap, and fun. The routines range from self working, to impressive with practice.
For coins, if he is unlikely to loose them, Hopping Halves, Unique coin, and Scotch and Soda are good. With each of them, you will be taught a routine, but if he has imagination, then there is a lot he can do with them.
If he does get into coins, then I recommend getting him one of Sankys coin DVDs. These are moves he can do with normal coins, but practice required.
Another option is ‘Banding Around’, a rubber band DVD. Easy to follow, and less effort
If you want more visual and less effort, then the colour changing silks, or silk to rope looks good, and he can show his friends, but you can only show them once.
posted by Sarosmith at 1:19 PM on January 20, 2011
This book is amazing. My kids love it and I loved it until my four-year-old loved it a bit too roughly... *sad*
As you read the book, the magic tricks perform themselves for you. At the end, there is a choice: you can read how the tricks were done OR you can reset the tricks without peeking and stay mystified.
HIGHLY recommended.
posted by tacodave at 2:30 PM on January 20, 2011
As you read the book, the magic tricks perform themselves for you. At the end, there is a choice: you can read how the tricks were done OR you can reset the tricks without peeking and stay mystified.
HIGHLY recommended.
posted by tacodave at 2:30 PM on January 20, 2011
I got this magic set from Melissa and Doug for my son for Christmas and was very impressed by it. The quality is very good and the tricks fairly complex, mirrors and some sleight of hand.
posted by saffry at 2:56 PM on January 20, 2011
posted by saffry at 2:56 PM on January 20, 2011
Another vote for Mark Wilson's Course in Magic. I spent a lot of time with that book when I was 11 and, for $12, it's a much better investment than a gimmicky trick you'll find at a magic shop for the same price. (Which I also had a lot of when I was 11.)
posted by soonertbone at 7:29 PM on January 20, 2011
posted by soonertbone at 7:29 PM on January 20, 2011
Ah, magic. A big hobby of mine as a kid, and then again when I was in my thirties. I acquired quite the magical library and a large box full of apparatus. Every so often I look at this box and wonder if I should get back into it again.
When i was learning, way back in the mists of time, you could get magic sets of varying quality. This is always a good way to start but I'd recommend not getting a cheap one. It's worth paying for a good set that actually has some decent tricks and not just crappy old playground favourites that everybody knows. I highly recommend visiting a magic specialist store if you can get to one. The people there are enthusiasts and they will be able to recommend a decent set, or a handful of good tricks to get the lad going.
Be aware that magical gear can be quite pricey. You're sort of paying for the secret as well as the stuff itself.
Definitely get him a good quality pack of cards - here in Europe we tend to go for Piatnik Classic bridge-sized cards; I believe American magicians favour Bicycle or Bee. Don't get him poker-size; they're larger than the more slimline bridge decks and will be more of a struggle for small hands. To go with the cards, get him a classic work on card magic. You can't do much better than the good old Royal Road To Card Magic by Hugard and Braue. This starts with the basics and moves on to moderately advanced stuff.
Rope and coin magic is also a handy tool in the conjuring armoury and has the great advantage of generally not requiring expensive props. I would recommend some books that deal exclusively with these fields but on reflection the lad will probably be better off with a more general, introductory book that covers a variety of magical sub-fields. (I do still think it's worth getting a book specifically for card magic, though.) Mark Wilson's book has been mentioned and while I personally found it a bit of a curate's egg there are definitely some good beginner's tricks in there. It would do nicely. A guy called Harry Lorayne has also done some decent introductory books, particularly "The Magic Book".
Individual tricks? Yeah, give the linking rings a miss: it's really a stage stunt and a very specific sort of routine. The cups and balls are good and allow for a variety of routines but while it's a perennial favourite in beginner's sets you need to be pretty good to make a really good job of it. It's a trick that illustrates the importance of misdirection. You absolutely need to develop that to really pull off a decent performance.
The Dynamic Coins is a good one and can be thoroughly baffling if done right.
The Svengali deck has been mentioned and is a delightfully cunning thing, but it is rather over-exposed and there is a tendency - particularly with youngsters - to overuse it and in doing so pretty much give away the trick ("They're all the same! Now they're all different!" "Dude. That's obviously a trick deck".) It's much better used subtly, interchanging it with a matching regular deck to make forcing a card a foolproof and thoroughly convincing business.
This is a lovely little trick if you can still find it. Not at all difficult, either. Used to be made by a company called Tenyo.
posted by Decani at 5:49 AM on January 21, 2011
When i was learning, way back in the mists of time, you could get magic sets of varying quality. This is always a good way to start but I'd recommend not getting a cheap one. It's worth paying for a good set that actually has some decent tricks and not just crappy old playground favourites that everybody knows. I highly recommend visiting a magic specialist store if you can get to one. The people there are enthusiasts and they will be able to recommend a decent set, or a handful of good tricks to get the lad going.
Be aware that magical gear can be quite pricey. You're sort of paying for the secret as well as the stuff itself.
Definitely get him a good quality pack of cards - here in Europe we tend to go for Piatnik Classic bridge-sized cards; I believe American magicians favour Bicycle or Bee. Don't get him poker-size; they're larger than the more slimline bridge decks and will be more of a struggle for small hands. To go with the cards, get him a classic work on card magic. You can't do much better than the good old Royal Road To Card Magic by Hugard and Braue. This starts with the basics and moves on to moderately advanced stuff.
Rope and coin magic is also a handy tool in the conjuring armoury and has the great advantage of generally not requiring expensive props. I would recommend some books that deal exclusively with these fields but on reflection the lad will probably be better off with a more general, introductory book that covers a variety of magical sub-fields. (I do still think it's worth getting a book specifically for card magic, though.) Mark Wilson's book has been mentioned and while I personally found it a bit of a curate's egg there are definitely some good beginner's tricks in there. It would do nicely. A guy called Harry Lorayne has also done some decent introductory books, particularly "The Magic Book".
Individual tricks? Yeah, give the linking rings a miss: it's really a stage stunt and a very specific sort of routine. The cups and balls are good and allow for a variety of routines but while it's a perennial favourite in beginner's sets you need to be pretty good to make a really good job of it. It's a trick that illustrates the importance of misdirection. You absolutely need to develop that to really pull off a decent performance.
The Dynamic Coins is a good one and can be thoroughly baffling if done right.
The Svengali deck has been mentioned and is a delightfully cunning thing, but it is rather over-exposed and there is a tendency - particularly with youngsters - to overuse it and in doing so pretty much give away the trick ("They're all the same! Now they're all different!" "Dude. That's obviously a trick deck".) It's much better used subtly, interchanging it with a matching regular deck to make forcing a card a foolproof and thoroughly convincing business.
This is a lovely little trick if you can still find it. Not at all difficult, either. Used to be made by a company called Tenyo.
posted by Decani at 5:49 AM on January 21, 2011
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posted by zombieApoc at 10:38 AM on January 20, 2011