As soon as it arrived at The Madhouse, I knew that Drumond Park's Gee Whizz would be a big hit with Pierre. He's suddenly taken an interest in performing magic tricks but finds most of them too hard to master so I loved the fact that this box clearly states that it is a "Magical Box of Tricks For Kids". That didn't stop the grown-ups having a play too though !
Inside the box, you get an interesting array of props that had Pierre's eyes coming out on stalks ! As a grown-up, I instantly recognised some of them - good old fashioned party tricks that I remember from my own childhood - but Pierre had never seen them before so I knew he'd be impressed !
He was initially a bit intimidated by the magic wand which made me laugh !
As I explained the simple instructions to him from the enclosed leaflet, he soon got into the swing of things though.
He concentrated really hard and was mightily pleased when he managed to pull off each trick, such as making a feathery bush magically appear in an empty flower pot.
It was great to see him trying to understand how the tricks worked, using his observation and logic skills to uncover the secrets.
Some of them took a bit of practice because you need to be nimble fingered, but they're all very simple and child-friendly.
He was soon ready to call in other family members for an impromptu magic show. Here he is, showing off his latest trick to Madhouse Grandad, who even got invited to partake in some audience participation.
And it had us all in stitches when things didn't quite go to plan. As Madhouse Grandad said, sometimes it was more like the Ken Dodd School of Magic, with everything going pear-shaped. I think it was even more entertaining when things went a bit wrong though ! We had tears of laughter rolling down our cheeks at one point, when Pierre kept getting the 'colour changing dice' trick wrong, pushing it through the tunnel while declaring "look, it was yellow and now it's ... yellow" ! Make sure you have your phone ready to immortalise the moment !
Some of the contents are more like fun accessories than magic tricks, such as the 3D "firework" glasses, the optical illusions and the colour-changing spinning wheels. For slightly older children, you can try to explain the science behind the "magic".
The kit is designed for children aged 5+ and 6-year-old Pierre was in his element, but that didn't stop his big sisters having a play too !
Some of the sleight-of-hand tricks were a bit tricky, such as magically pouring coins out of a dish, but practice makes perfect.
Other tricks had Pierre looking totally baffled himself, which was hilarious too !
Pierre did get better and, after a bit of practice, he was ready to show off three of his tricks on camera. I love the way he impressed himself in the last trick !
Gee Whizz contains everything you need for 12 classic tricks, including Magic Wand with flowers, Colour changing string trick, Super Die tunnel with coloured die, a pair of glasses with 'Firework Lens', Wizard optical illusion cards, Magic coin saucer with 3 golden coins, 3 double-sided optical illusion discs, Shadow cards, Owl in the bird cage trick and Cutting Rope Trick.
It's a great family activity that everyone can get involved in, either as magicians or audience members. This would be absolutely perfect for pulling out on Christmas Day afternoon when the whole family are digesting their turkey and Christmas pud ! It's also a great activity for a wet weekend, either alone, mastering each trick, or as a family, putting on a show.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP: £19.99
For stockists and to play games online visit www.drumondpark.com
Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.
This looks like an amazing set, perfect for all the budding young magicians out there. I'm sure my 5 year old son would love to have a go at some of the tricks.
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