Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Discovery Magic Set

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I gave this to my 6 year old for his birthday and he loves it. The tricks are very simple to learn and perform. The product description says that it has multiplying coins and a secret change bag, but it doesn't.

The set includes the following 4 tricks:
1- a "sword in the stone" trick where the child uses a secret ring to get the sword out of the stone.
2- a trick where the child can change the color of a string from white to red by pulling it through a wooden box/gadget.
3- an illusion box where items "disappear" when they are dropped inside
4- a trick with a box and a dice where the child can guess the side/color of the dice that an audience member has chosen.

Anyway, even though the tricks don't match the product description, I think the set is perfect for a 5-7 year old. (Any older, it may not be so great.) The set is wooden which is nice for durability.

We bought this set for my seven year old boy and we were a bit dissapointed. There are better magic kits out there for the price for older children. (Look at the Marshal Broden Kits by Cadaco). If you have a young child is is four and five though this is a great set. The tricks are easy to work and they are big for small hands. Anyone who has any magic sets or tricks though will find this too simplistic and not as exciting as many of the other kits.

I have always found Melissa and Doug products to be exceptional and well thought out creatively. This magic set is a perfect beginning for a child who wants to "do some magic". My [...] granddaughter has played with it and entertained family and friends. She is ready for another level which I will look for soon. I feel confident when I buy a Melissa and Doug toy item for its good value and the consistent quality of the product. Very child friendly!

I was looking for something easy that my 9 year old could do that wasn't too complicated. This claims to be for over age 6, however, the 'tricks' are WAY to easy. Seriously, a four year old could do these with no prob. Also, the quality is terrible. The first time we used the sword in the stone the wood piece that holds the metal piece inside (that releases the sword) came off! Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this at all, too cheap.

My [..] and [..] love this magic set! The 12 yr old taught the 5 yr old how to do the simpler tricks. After she got over the shock that magic tricks are really just slight of hand and not real magic, she enjoyed doing the tricks to others. Some of the tricks are a little more complex, so she has something to grow into. We even did a few of the tricks for our neighbor, and she was amazed! She couldn't figure out the secret! Of course, the [...] gave it away!

I really had not thought about the 5 yr old losing her innocence about magic when I bought the kit. I just remember having fun with these kits when I was a kid. So I pass on this piece of advice if you are concidering this for a younger child. She was upset for about a day, because she thought we were all trying to cheat her with tricks instead of using real magic. It took quite a bit of explaining.

I got this for a friend's son and he loves it! He started playing with it immediately and is now planning a magic show for friends and neighbors. It's great to be able to spark that type of interest in a child!

I bought this set as an introduction to magic for my 6 year old. Although the tricks are very elementary, it turned out to be a good way to introduce him into the concept of magic tricks. It's helped him think in terms of magic and now he's trying his own tricks. If your child is already familiar with magic tricks or has practiced their own tricks, this kit is not for you. If your unsure if your child understands or will like magic, this is a great investment in an educational and a well made toy (not the plastic "junk" type).

Very simple set for a six year old - maybe too simple. The trick with the box and string that "changes" colors is pretty lame, since both string colors are visible at the start and end of the trick. The sword in the stone can be pulled out by a determined child without the "magic" ring. The other two tricks are better - very simple illusion tricks. My 6 and 8 year old love the set and are delighted to perform the tricks for anyone who will watch. I suspect they will quickly grow bored with it though as it is quite simple. I am more impressed with the magic set they make for 8+.

The decorating on the set is cute. Except for the sword in the stone, I think it will last well. The box isn't useful for storing everything as it is open on the top and back.

My 7 year old son really enjoyed it when he got it; but it has broken apart and he's lost some of the pieces. In general it was fun while it lasted, but once you do the tricks several times they start to get old. Worth it for an introductory to magic and limited time of usefulness.

I bought this set for my 4 year old and my 5.5 year old children. Overall, it's okay. They enjoyed the tricks for the first few hours and then they lost interest due to the following:
1. Sword In The Stone: the ring is too big to be any "secret" for small hands. There's no way a small hand can hide this big ring - or even wear it on the small finger. The metal inside the box fell off within the first 10 performances and then it's useless. The "stone" is sealed and I was not able to open it to fix the metal problem.
2. Color Changing String: The string is too tight to pull, even for adults. It took my 5 year boy (who can lift and pull heavy objects) great effort to pull the string from one end of the box. It's very discouraging.
3. Chamber of Illusion - this box should be better designed by covering up the top opening with a cap which has a slit to drop in small objects such as coins and paper clips. When dropping an object in the opening, which is wide open and the kids can see from the top that the objects are still in the box. Also, the kids can touch the mirror where the illusion takes place. This side should be covered by a see-through plastic of some sort. My kids lost interests in this trick quickly because they found nothing magical about it.