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Topsy Soda

This is a great version of the Topsy Turvey bottles. I’ve enjoyed using it many times this past summer. The use of cola bottles makes the trick appear more impromptu, you can be drinking from the bottle during your show until you get to the effect, call a child up and use the bottle you were drinking from. When the trick is done you can give the child the bottle he was handling, or finish drinking from your bottle and move into another effect utilizing the bottle ( cap in bottle, coin in bottle, ect.) The cola bottles also look more appropriate then the "black cherry soda" version. No matter how often I’d reinforce the bottles are "black cherry SODA’ Every so often a child will call out that I’m using beer bottles. Another bonus to using the bottles is they are unbreakable when they hit the floor, and you can go to the local variety store to buy a replacement.

There are a few challenges with this prop. Being from Canada, I can’t go to the local store to buy a replacement bottle as they are different sizes up here! Also you can’t show the magicians tube empty. During a carefully crafted routine this is not a problem, but I could not continue to use a finale I usually perform with a normal tube anymore ( I’d dip the tube behind a table and reach through the top for another bottle) the "gimmick" in the tube prevented this. Other than these small challenges this is a great prop and is recommended!

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PB and J

This is a great effect, that I’ve been using in my magic shows for younger children for years! It’s well built and can get great reactions depending on how you routine the effect.

A very simple effect with a peanut butter jar and a jelly jar that changes places underneath a couple of black covers. The covers are strong, flexible, and after using my set for years seem to show no sign of wear. the peanut butter jars look great and they look like glass jars thanks to the perspex, they are plastic though and very solid. You must supply your own jelly jars. I went with glass jars so I have to be careful, but if you are rough with your props you may want to find some nice plastic jars of jam.

Two challenges with this effect. First off, it’s a piece that requires a good routine to get a good reaction. I’ve seen a standing ovation for this effect ( really, no kidding! ) and I’ve seen this done terribly More often then not it gets a good reaction, but please give it some thought, throw away the included routine and create a good original routine and you’ll be surprised how well you can do. The second point, and it could almost be seen as funny. a few times it’s been mentioned to me and once a lady came running up to me in the middle of my show concerned because a child in the audience had peanut allergies. We know the peanut butter jars are props, but our audiences don’t and it could cause problems if the children are close up. Before every show like that I always mention to the staff that the pb jars are fake.

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Spelling bee board

This is a great versatile effect that can be used for a variety of shows. Well built and customizable, the board shows a word spelled with separate letters, you turn the board around, remove the letters, shuffle them face down and either you or a volunteer randomly puts them back into the board. when the board is turned around again to face the audience, the original (or a different) word has been spelled perfectly. Great effect, seemingly impossible, and it works just as well for adults as it does for a family or children’s audience.

A great prop that I use often. especially when I’m asked to perform at a themed show and I need a custom trick quick. Superhero show? have the word spell a hero’s name. Corporate show? have the company’s name or their product written on the board. Recycling show, have the letters spell recycle. Child’s birthday? have the letters spell the child’s name!

You are limited to words with the same number of letters in it than your board can hold. Smaller words will work also. Sometimes the bottom of the prop will separate a bit causing the letters to fall through the crack, but a bit of tape or glue and it’s an easy fix. this is a well built solid prop (block of wood and plexiglass) that will last a long time. the letters may need replacing after a few years though.

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Treasure Box

I’ve had this treasure chest for a few years now. I can recall using it maybe two times. This is an item that looks good in the pictures, but is just not practical for a performing magician. A hobbyist may like it for his shelves though.

I have three main challenges with this item. A -it’s very small and the load chamber is even smaller with restrictive sides B- It’s very fragile C Can’t be viewed from below and needs to be lifted carefully. D- it’s a little pricey.

The size of this item is good for fitting into your magic case, but it’s too small to produce much more than loose coins or necklaces from. I tried to get jumbo coins in there, but they just wont fit. the load chamber has restrictive sides. Not like a normal "tip over" The sides help to hold things in and the angle of the sides make the audience viewing angles better ( people sitting beside you won’t be able to view the load when the box is tipped over ) but the price of a tiny load chamber was too high a cost for the better viewing angles if you know what I mean.

This is one prop you do not want banging around in your magic case. A special foam lined box is what you need. It’s a very thin walled chest and fragile. In the past few years I’ve only used it carefully in a couple of shows, and It already has scratches on the finished sides.

This chest is built in such a way that you can not just pick it up. As soon as you pick it up off the table the load chamber drops out if you are not careful. Everytime you lift it off your table you need to tilt it forward a bit and slip your pinky finger under the chest to hold the load chamber in place. it looks awkward.

From the bottom looking up you can also see the load chamber and two large holes into the chest. Your audience must be seated on chairs. Kids on the floor will see everything.


I think this was poorly thought out and not representative of most of the Mikame products. Definitely something I wish I passed on. It would look good on a shelf somewhere, but it’s not a performer.

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Acrobatic Fish

This is a wonderful "sucker" type of an effect. I’ve been using it to open my "pirate" themed shows for years, but it works well for all my shows. The effect has you show a fish on a pole that is dangling from a rope, and two other ropes are dangling from the pole as well. You state the fish will jump to another rope and you do it the first couple times by turning the pole around behind your back. the audience sees what your are doing and they go wild. The final time, when everyone thinks they know how it’s done, the fish "jumps" to the middle fishing line. Just when everyone is reacting to the "sucker" moment the kicker ending has 3 fish appear each on the end of each string. This effect is a version of the "monkey bar" trick and is also available with silks.

The Acrobatic Fish is a well built prop. the fish are bright and shiny and the tube is strong and has a shiny reflective strip on it. I’ve performed it for very large groups and everyone has a clear view of the fish and the pole. Many other effects of this nature are not so visible. After touring with this prop I’ve found keeping a role of double sided sticky tape handy is helpful. After a few heavy summers of 2-3 shows a day sometimes the fish’s googly eyes fall off, or the plugs at the end of the tubes come unstuck. This is from heavy use though, and is not a reflection of the well built prop itself.

Very bright, visible prop
Well built, and easily repaired if necessary
Fish theme makes patter lines easy

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