Holiday shopping simplified! Use The Magic Depot’s 2008 Holiday Gift Guide to find the perfect gift for yourself and the people on your list. Make the holidays magical!

Magic Sets for Young Beginners
The magic sets below feature items selected by magicians and approved by parents. You’ll provide hours of fun and a lifetime of magic!

• Kids Complete Magic Set 200 Series!
• Kids Complete Magic Set 250 PLUS DVD!
• Kids Complete Magic Set 300 PLUS DVD!

Attention Magicians! Performing is only one way to share the gift of magic. The sets above include items packaged individually to maximize your holiday budget!

Individual Tricks for Young Beginners
Great stocking stuffers! These items pack flat and play big. This is also a great list of items if your child already has a magic set.

• D’Lite Ball of Light (For Small Thumbs)
• D’Lite Ball of Light (Regular Size)
• D’Lite 2-Pack Combo (Regular Size)
• Svengali Deck
• Svengali Deck DVD
• The Original Flip by Rich Marotta
• Vox Box Rattle Box
• Magic Tricks R 4 Kids DVD #1
• Magic Tricks R 4 Kids DVD #2
• Magic Tricks R 4 Kids DVD #3
• Magic Tricks R 4 Kids DVD #4

Magic Tricks for Ages 12-18
These items are still very basic and easy to do, but are a bit more grown up for older kids!

• Card on Ceiling
• Invisible Thread Nylon
• Magician’s Wax PLUS Free Invisible Thread
• Magic with Markers Two DVD Set
• Lightning Illumination Device
• Putties and Shims PK Kit
• Departure Ring Flight
• Vox Box Rattle Box

Buy a Gift for Yourself with Holiday Cash!
Reward yourself with some awesome new magic!

• The Key Lock Chest PLUS $100 worth of magic FREE!
• Departure Ring Flight
• Cracked Sucker Silk to Egg
• Lightning Illumination Device
• Putties and Shims PK Kit
• Super Sharpie Prediction Device
• Vox Box Rattle Box
• Big Bang Exploding Light Bulb
• FREE Portable MP3/MP4 Player*
• FREE Cocoa Chocolate Truffles*

TIP! Maximize your holiday budget with Our Gifts to You!

The Most Popular Gifts this Year!
The most popular items sent as gifts by our customers!

• Ultimate Prankster Toolbox Combo
• Card on Ceiling
• Putties and Shims PK Kit
• Stocking Stuffer: Poor Boy Billet Knife!
• Lightning Illumination Device
• Super Sharpie Prediction Device
• Vox Box Rattle Box
• Big Bang Exploding Light Bulb
• Cracked Sucker Silk to Egg
• FREE Portable MP3/MP4 Player*
• FREE Cocoa Chocolate Truffles*

Popular Items for Women!
The right gift for everyone on your list!

• Playing Card Combo Kit
• Card on Ceiling
• D’Lite Regular 2 pack with DVD
• Rice’s Silk Encyclopedia Set Combo
• Vox Box Rattle Box
• Lightning Illumination Device
• Big Bang Exploding Light Bulb
• FREE Portable MP3/MP4 Player*
• FREE Cocoa Chocolate Truffles*

Buy a Gift for a Full-Time Magician!
Get the perfect gift for your pro at The Magic Depot! Below is a list of items that professional magicians buy from us throughout the year.

• Behold the Scarabaeus
• Duffie on Disc
• Key Lock Chest with Leather Working Surface
• Putties and Shims PK Kit
• Sands of the Desert
• Lightning Illumination Device
• Super Sharpie Prediction Device
• Vox Box Rattle Box
• Big Bang Exploding Light Bulb
• More Magic for the Pros, Featured Items!

Gift Certificates PLUS Bonus Coupon!
Our gift certificates are available in a number of convenient denominations. This year, a purchase of a gift certificate includes a money saving coupon for the recipient. More bang for your buck at The Magic Depot! Read more about our Gift Certificates…

Watch video and listen to music anywhere, any time! The very smart key and clear 1.8-inch TFT screen makes this the perfect holiday gift for yourself or the people on your list!

It’s a light-weight handheld Portable MP3 (music) and MP4 (video) player. Great for use on long rides in the car, boring classes, waiting rooms, and while you exercise. Watch your favorite magic videos on the crisp, clear LCD screen!

Specifications:

• Internal Memory: 2 GB
• Display: 1.8 Inch TFT LCD
• Video Format: AVI
• Conversion formats: AVI, MP4, RM, RMVB, VOB, DAT, WMV
• Video Resolution: 320×240
• Music Format: MP3, WMA, ASF, WAV
• Picture Format: JPEG
• Built in MIC
• Recording Format: WAV
• FM radio: 88.0~108.0MHz 70.0~90.0MHz
• Earphone Jack: 3.5mm
• SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio): 85dB
• USB: 2.0
• System: Windows 98/ME/SE/2000/XP Mac OS9
• Power Source: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• Languages: English, Chinese, French, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, Slovakian, Turkish, Polish, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian.

FREE with orders over $300! Shipping applies. To qualify, add this item to your cart along with any other items equaling $300 or more, choose priority shipping, and get this item FREE! Limit one free item per order. Not valid with any other offer or discount. It’s FREE with orders over $300 while supplies last!

Click here for your FREE Portable MP3/MP4 Player!

Do you already have all your Halloween gigs booked? If you are looking for last-minute shows, you might try the local Zoo. Many zoos have Halloween events the week before and the night of the scary holiday.

I called a few zoos for this newsletter, and obtained an average budget for variety acts such as magic. It seems most will pay up to $250 for the two busiest nights, but only $75 for the rest of the week. They are still accepting proposals!

It might be smart to book the whole week as a package deal, or offer walk-around during the week and parlor shows the night before and the night of Halloween. I’ve done less than a dozen holiday zoo events, but from my limited experience, it’s best to do parlor not stage shows – unless you perform large illusions.

It isn’t vital to theme your show to the holiday. It’s a nice perk, but not a necessity. Unless made mandatory by the venue, don’t dress in costume for the holiday. Your usual magic attire is best, especially for walk-around.

For gospel magicians, or those looking to break into gospel work, some churches have “harvest parties” instead of Halloween events. If you’ve been working on such a show, this might be the time to introduce yourself.

A few years back, my son, Grant did a small Halloween show for his school. He opened with a Clippo Pumpkin – yes, the classic newspaper effect. His patter was based on watching his dad carve the pumpkin and the “magical son” fixing his mistakes. He’s also performed a torn and restored effect ending with the Halloween Mouthcoils. The other effects were not holiday based.

I’d love to hear how your shows go!

In the true spirit of the holiday, here’s a great addition to your Halloween eerie and bizarre! It’s the Floating Skull Invisible Thread Prop FREE with orders over $100!

To Qualify: Add this item to your cart along with any other items equaling $100 or more and choose priority shipping. Limit one free item per order. Not valid with any other offer or discount.

This miniature human skull comes alive in your favorite invisible thread hookup! The Floating Skull Invisible Thread Prop is hollowed out for balance. Made from ultra-light foam with a painted outer covering for durability its reduced weight makes the skull easy to use!

• See the Floating Skull Invisible Thread Prop!

The Floating Skull Invisible Thread Prop includes both Nylon and Kevlar invisible thread. The skull is eight inches at the diagonal; near life-size!

The 2008 Halloween season is really getting off to a scary start with all these new skulls and ghosts we’re seeing here at The Depot!

While most magicians will be using these in their act, I think the new Floating Skull and Dancing Ghost are awesome for just around the house. Maybe scare the pants off trick-or-treaters!If neighbors don’t already know you’re a magician, here’s a great way to network on the eeriest of nights. You can do a show with little effort right on your front lawn!

Of course, such items add value to your act when you’re booking holiday shows. Mention that you offer a themed Halloween act and you’ll find a better foothold over competition.

• See the Dancing Ghost!
• See the Floating Skull!

Both items are seasonal and in limited quantities. We have a few more skulls than ghosts, but they will go fast!

Our original stock of the Poor Boy Billet Knife is gone! We are now working on the second fifty that arrived today and they are selling fast. I’ve ordered more and they should be here in a few weeks, but if you want one you need to order it now!

More Info: The Poor Boy Billet Knife by Street Jack!

Have you seen Bag-O-Lites? It’s very cool! Meant for use with a red D’lite, you produce the light and toss it in this grocery bag. The light trickles down the bag and rests with a glow!

You can produce one light after another, dropping each one in the bag. The lights stay lit and before long the whole bag is bright as sunshine. Making it the ultimate D’lite accessory, the lights go out on your command!

The bag is a self-contained, but inspectable with a variation of handling. You’ll need a red D’lite and then you can perform the Bag-O-Lites signature routine. Watch the demo video!

There are other props on the market similar to Bag-O-Lites, but they sell for hundreds of dollars more than Bag-O-Lites. Now this underground favorite is on the market at an amazing price!

Click here to read more about Bag-O-Lites!

Levitating objects with invisible thread looks magical with or without patter. Even from across the room, people can watch the show!

In a reel or wrapped around your body in a loop, invisible thread provides hours of walk-around material that spectator’s will remember forever. And when you think about it, that makes sense. Floating something in the air is instantly recognizable as good magic!

Magicians are attracted to the “simplicity” of invisible thread. That’s why it’s such a popular entry-level trick in our industry and you can watch these effects demonstrated on the streets of Las Vegas every day.

Suspensions and levitations are, however, but a small part of PK magic. While synonymous with magnets, PK magic’s favorite method is invisible thread. PK effects use thread to manipulate cards, bugs, things in the room, even people!

Of course, once you’ve decided to add Invisible Thread to your act, how is one to decide what thread to use?

There are a variety of different threads on the market. In this article, we’ll discuss two of them. The most basic invisible thread, made from Nylon, and the first premium thread offered commercially, Kevlar.

These threads aren’t interchangeable for one another. There is overlap in suggested use, but you need both to perform the largest array of levitations and PK effects. Invisibility is about the same.

Nylon invisible thread shouldn’t be labeled as the weaker thread, despite tradition. Kevlar is more expensive, but that’s because of the manufacturing process. Both compounds, created by DuPont, have exclusive uses based on their individual construction.

While Kevlar thread ultimately suspends the most weight, it does not have the movement of regular IT because of its molecular structure. Each strand is a series of bonds, attracted to each other from top to bottom.

On the other hand, Nylon is stretchy. Full of movement! Stretching is important when you’re floating a dollar bill with the thread anchored to your body at one end and to the wall at the other end.

That same stretchiness, however, is less efficient than Kevlar in a thread reel. It makes the reel work harder and wears the thread faster. Kevlar doesn’t stretch at all, acting more like cable and less like rope.

Use Kevlar’s tensile strength to your advantage. You want its stability when suspending a large item on stage. It will break without warning, but it will take a lot of weight first (predictably).

Nylon thread is better for full-body loops or anchored setups, where slack is in the line under weight.

Both threads are equally important to PK magic, but you might find that one works better for you. Of course, you can try both with very little investment!

1. Kevlar Invisible Thread PLUS Wax Taqs!
2. Nylon Invisible Thread PLUS Wax Taqs!

Navigate the links above to explore and study both types of invisible thread for yourself. Each of these products includes a sample-size pack of Wax Taqs Invisible Thread Anchors. If you haven’t used them before, they make invisible thread easier to enjoy!

Make no bones about it, the Bone Daddy Hand Stander prop and gimmick lends itself well to bizarre magic and Halloween events! Simply place the Bone Daddy Hand Stander on your hand or the included black crushed velvet bag. On your command, the skeleton sits up, slowly stands, and even takes a bow!

PLUS a small device is included for making a creaking noise. Use this as a gag at the start of the effect for added scare, or during the routine for the shock of the show!

Read more about The Bone Daddy Hand Stander!

It’s my Putties and Shims plus PK Ring special offer made even better! Now you can get the whole kit absolutely 100% FREE with orders over $100!

The perfect PK kit for magicians that love impromptu magic. Putties and Shims PK Kit includes everything you need to demonstrate your psychokinetic powers on the fly!

Click here for details!

The Wax Pack Full Size Sampler Kit saves you money and lets you experience a variety of magician’s waxes available on the market today!

For the first time ever, you can purchase these five amazing magician’s waxes in a combo pack at one low price. PLUS, with your purchase of the Wax Pack Full Size Sampler Kit, you’ll also receive 30 feet of premium Kevlar Invisible Thread absolutely FREE!

Read more about the Wax Pack Full Size Sampler Kit!

If you’re unfamiliar with PK magic, this is a great starter kit. Magicians advanced with PK magic will find the Putties and Shims PK Kit a valuable refill pack for their favorite shimming waxes and cards!

Plus, with this package deal, you get a PK Ring free with your purchase! Read more about the Putties and Shims PK Kit PLUS Free PK Ring!

If you perform Silk Magic, then no doubt you’re familiar with Rice’s Encyclopedias of Silk Magic. These books are an amazing collection of ideas, routines, tips, and tricks!

Instead of lugging around four huge books, you can actually get this amazing four-volume set all on one compact disc!

It’s never been easier to add silk magic to your act. And for a limited time only, we’re including an assortment of silks with your purchase of this disc, absolutely free!

Read more about Rice’s Silk Encyclopedia Set PLUS Free Silks!

Magic is a matter of taste, and there’s no better display of flavor than with Taster’s Choice. A new summer release that’s sure to be in season!

Taster’s Choice is a unique new product that gives you the power to alter your audience’s taste buds! Perform it as a comedy routine, a dramatic hypnotic routine, or even a deep subconscious ESP experiment. There’s something for everyone to chew on!

In my favorite Taster’s Choice routine, you invite a spectator on stage and ask her to peel an orange and lay out four random slices. She eats the first slice and it’s the best orange she’s ever tasted. But with the next slice, you suggest her tastes have changed.

Sending a new flavor with your ESP powers, she tastes cinnamon! The next slice she tastes mint! And on the last slice, it tastes so much like coconut she can feel the ocean breeze! You have control of the spectator’s taste buds!

Your favorite might be the grape routine, where several spectators invited on stage each pick a grape from the bunch. You hand each spectator a sealed envelope. Now, though a hypnotic trance they each taste a flavor other than grape. It matches the predictions in the envelopes!

Taster’s Choice official release date is still a few months away, but I wanted to get your mouth watering early!

The Magic Depot recently _moved_ to a new _location_, outside of Tulsa. It’s our biggest _adventure_ yet, with exciting details coming soon!

In the meantime, here’s an interesting contest. All you have to do is fill in the blanks by submitting your answers as a response to this blog post. The first five people to get all three right will win a prize pack worth $20, FREE with your next order!

Bonus Blanks solved by Don Hoyt! “I used 386 tons of _gravel_ to build a _road_, and I’ll need 100 more tons before it’s finished.” Be the first to answer these two blanks correctly and I’ll double your prize!

What happened to old-fashioned big ‘ole long titles? My Key Lock Chest with Leather Working Surface and BloodLine Warranty title is no match for the greatest movie of 1991, “Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Alien, Flesh Eating, Hell Bound, Zombified Living Dead Part 2!”

For a limited time only, purchase a Key Lock Chest and we’ll include $100 worth of magic FREE! Pre-chosen items are perfect to display on this amazing leather surface! That makes it your Key Lock Chest with Leather Working Surface and Bloodline Warranty PLUS $100 worth of magic FREE!

My famous “Free Shipping Worldwide” is going through some changes. Shipping companies and couriers are passing on the high gas prices to us all, but together I think we can weather the storm.

Earlier this year, we introduced a cap on the free shipping offer up to three pounds, in response to a USPS rate increase. Packages weighing more than three pounds have to go Priority Mail, which doubles the cost of shipping.

Since then, the Post Office has updated twice more due to the rising cost of fuel. The Magic Depot absorbs a large portion of these increases by subsidizing the cost of shipping at checkout.

I believe The Depot should continue offering Free Shipping Worldwide, but it needs a slight adjustment. The new offer, starting July 1, 2008, is free shipping worldwide on all orders over $60, up to three pounds!

If your package weighs more than three pounds, we’ll cover the first class rate and ask that you pay the difference. You’ll always get the best deal at The Magic Depot… Thank you very much for your business!

The easiest way to win ANY contest is to cheat. Well, I’m giving you permission. I’m making it easy! CHEAT The Depot and WIN up to $100 in FREE GAS!

Go ahead CHEAT! Buy as much as you want, EVERY ITEM gives you another entry into the drawing. I’m giving away four $25 fuel cards and you can win ALL FOUR!

Simply write “FREE FUEL” in the order comments box during the checkout process to be entered into the drawing for up to four FREE $25 pre-paid debit cards, good anywhere Visa and MasterCard are accepted!

Buy magic and win FREE FUEL! If you can’t place an order right now, call our order line and leave a single entry by phone. Winnings may also be redeemed as store credit!

PLUS SAVINGS! My Cheat The Depot and Win Free Fuel Giveaway is valid with all other sales and discounts!