Recently I did a vacation Bible school for a church in St Louis. We offered a magic kit as a reward for bringing the most guests, one for a boy and one for a girl. Every night we had more and more kids showing up.

These were simple little kits with a magic fish, a snapper, 3 dollar repeat, a devil's hook, and a few other tricks, plus a booklet with 50 other tricks. They were in a nice 9" x 11" x 3" white mailing box. On the cover was a page size label with my picture, a list of the tricks and some other basic information. The cost of these magic kits was under $2.00. They looked to have about a ten to twenty dollar value.

If you are a magician, having your own magic kit, with your face on the box really creates the image of a professional. I used them as give-aways, but they can also be used for back-of-the-room sales. Doing a fundraiser for a school? Offer a free magic kit for whoever sells the most tickets. Plus they can also be sold after the show. Doing a birthday party? Offer a magic kit with your picture on it as an incentive to book you. What a great gift for the birthday child.

If you will use your imagination, I am sure you can think of several ways you could use a professional-looking magic kit to promote your business and increase your income.

The tricks I put in the box were simple tricks from D.Robbins and Company in New Jersey. All of the items were only pennies each. Plus this company sells a small booklet with 50 magic tricks, again for pennies. This booklet makes a great give-away if you put your info on the back. Less than two dollars fills a box nicely.

You can get Two-Card Monte for about 8 cents each. These sell for $2 retail. Fortune Telling fish are 4 cents each. They are not exactly a magic trick, but kids love them. Devil's hooks, butterfly illusions and more are all available very inexpensively. Of course, you can always spend more if you want. Want a deluxe kit? A Super-Deluxe Kit? You are only limited by your imagination.

Boxes can be bought through the mail, wholesale or at your local office supply store. They will have the white mailing boxes with the tuck-in lid. Get white - they look clean and sharp.

Now for the cover label, I went to Staples and bought a package of AVERY 8 1/2" x 11"labels. I designed the label on my computer with PrintShop. I have a caricature of myself pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I used that, a party design background, and listed the general contents of the box on the label. It covered the lid of the box and looked very nice. I wish I could have shrinkwrapped it, but I sealed it across the front with clear strapping tape and it looked great.

I am including some sources for you to use to buy the components for your own magic kit. When you have one completed, drop me an email. Let me know what it cost you, what you put in it and what you used it for.

Thank you and God bless, Dennis

SOURCES:

PAPER MART (boxes)
9" x 6" x 3" White Tuck Boxes for as little as 36 cents
http://www.papermart.com

D.ROBBINS & CO. (Wholesale Magic Supplies)
http://www.ezmagic.com
Requires Minimum Order
Tricks can be bought for pennies

BMAGICAL
http://www.bmagical.com
1-866-BMAGICAL is an excellant source of wholesale magic.
They carry the MAK MAGIC products

STERLING MAGIC
http://www.sterlingmagic.com
Has 4 distributors you can buy from wholesale.

ABRACADABRA MAGIC
125 Lincoln Blvd.
Middlesex, NJ 08846-1060
http://www.abra4magic.com

WIZARD CRAFT (Invisible Thread
Spool of 10,000 feet for $15.00
A lifetime supply
http://www.wizardcaraft.com
1-800-400-1620

SIMPLY POSTCARDS
http://www.simplypostcards.com
Four color, full bleed
Order 5000 business cards $145 delivered.