Magic Castle Bounce House is a popular inflatable play structure that combines the excitement of jumping and bouncing with the magical theme of a castle. This interactive and vibrant bounce house is designed to provide hours of fun and entertainment for children of all ages. The Magic Castle Bounce House features a spacious jumping area where kids can bounce and leap to their heart's content. The high walls and mesh netting ensure that children can jump safely, while the inflatable bounce floor adds an extra layer of comfort and protection. One of the highlights of the Magic Castle Bounce House is its castle-like design. It features colorful towers, turrets, and flags that give it a whimsical and enchanting appearance.
Photograph of Harry Price, c.1930
Each theme features some of the most important books in the history of magic alongside lesser-known works celebrating a range of genres in magic publishing, including major works from the 18th century, including Henry Dean s much reprinted The Whole Art of Legerdemain, or, Hocus Pocus in Perfection and books that exposed the techniques of the most popular performers of the time, including Comus, Breslaw and Pinetti. Each theme features some of the most important books in the history of magic alongside lesser-known works celebrating a range of genres in magic publishing, including major works from the 18th century, including Henry Dean s much reprinted The Whole Art of Legerdemain, or, Hocus Pocus in Perfection and books that exposed the techniques of the most popular performers of the time, including Comus, Breslaw and Pinetti.
It features colorful towers, turrets, and flags that give it a whimsical and enchanting appearance. The castle theme sparks children's imagination and takes them on a journey to a magical world. The Magic Castle Bounce House is not just about jumping and bouncing.
Sleight of Hand: The Magic of Deception
Ladies and gentleman, I would like for you to close your eyes a moment and try to visualise a pair of ordinary boxes in front you. Whilst we are unable to see inside these boxes, for the sake of this hypothetical exercise allow me to offer a clue by disclosing what is written upon each. Box number one states in bold letters: The Magician’s Box of Tricks, whilst the other is labelled: The Tricks of the Filmmaker.
And now, please keep your undivided attention upon each of these objects as I make two become one right before your very eyes…
Since the advent of commercial cinema at the close of the 19th century, the medium of film has proven instrumental in it’s role as one of the magician’s most trusty assistants. On the other side of the coin, the art of filmmaking would not be where it is today if it weren’t for the modern-day magician, illusionist or spiritualist.
Contemporary society’s fixation with the illusion has certainly bordered on the obsessive over the decades. And if you were to take one look at the demand for magic shows in just about any major city, then it would suggest there to be no immediate sign of slowing down any time soon either. Equally so, with this growing phenomenon of course has come the paradoxical attempts to debunk the magic trick through rational scientific explanation.
It is true that some of the industry’s most revered magicians and illusionists, including the great Harry Houdini himself fiercely opposed the mystical notion of their work being referred to as ‘magic’, and spent much of their lives trying to expose those that felt otherwise as impostors and charlatans.
‘(Houdini) was so full of his subject, and so voluble with his stories of the spook racket, that fascinating incidents and anecdotes kept tumbling out… but he got over his main thesis: that professional mediums who take money for their efforts are chiselers pure and simple’.
-Excerpt from ‘Houdini, the Man Who Walked Through Walls’, by William Lindsay Gresham
Being that the public’s widespread enchantment of, and it’s unrelenting appetite for the paranormal was a surefire money-spinner, it was only natural that magic would see it’s progression through the entertainment industry’s colourful evolution from circuses and sideshows, to the vaudeville theatres and stages, and onto cinema screens the world over.
Early pioneers of the art, like Frenchman Georges Méliès and his Star Film Company, and those also under inventor Thomas Edison’s newly established Edison Manufacturing Company, used the new medium to showcase their greatest illusions through the optical trickery that film now allowed them to exploit. This unlocked a new and exciting world of possibilities for the magician at the time, who used juxtaposed imagery, special effects and revolutionary editing techniques to bring their tricks to life on the big screen, and enabled them to wow more people than their predecessors had ever been able to do prior.
Between them, the pair were responsible for producing upwards of 1700 films (mainly shorts and experimental films, but not excluding feature-length films) within the period of 1894-1913… certainly no small feat by any account. In fact, at the turn of the 20th century in the year of 1900, the Edison Manufacturing Co.’s catalogue alone contained a string of magic-inspired films, including Ching Ling Foo Outdone, The Clown and the Alchemist, Congress of Nations, and Hooligan Assists the Magician.
Méliès in particular used the camera as an extension to the stage, where he had perfected such ‘tricks’ as the disappearing act. But the grand illusionist-cum-cinema pioneer and entrepreneur took the art to another level with some of the earliest known examples of multiple exposure, image splicing, dissolves, time-lapse photography and hand-coloured frames. His films produced in the earlier period of his career, including The Magician (1898), The Four Troublesome Heads (1898) and The Magician’s Cavern (1901) are all wonderful examples of using the camera to create the effect of illusion, nowadays easily accessible for viewing through the public domain.
Regarded by many as the father of special effects, Charlie Chaplin once described Méliès as ‘an alchemist of light…’
‘If the Lumiere’s invented cinema, another Frenchman, Georges Méliès invented “the movies”, by using the medium to tell stories…’
-Roger Ebert
Meanwhile, across the channel here in Britain around the same time, a nifty electrician and an amateur magician would team up to produce several innovative short ‘trick films’ from the first London film studio that they set up in Muswell Hill in 1898.
Despite being somewhat lesser known than the aforementioned French and American pioneers, Robert W. Paul and Walter R. Booth’s many early shorts were equally revolutionary for the way in which they utilised jump-cuts, superimposition, scale models and hand-drawn sets to take their illusions from the stage to the screen. The first camera that Georges Méliès used was actually assembled and built by Paul, who coincidentally also invented the modern camera dolly. The pair would also use the medium to reveal to the audience the step-by-step methods behind some of their greatest tricks and illusions.
Most notably, one of the pair’s last collaborations, their 1906 short Is Spiritualism a Fraud? aimed to expose the fake medium of the day by recreating a staged séance and highlighting the way in which the mentalist creates the illusion of reading minds or reaching the deceased.
This month, we’ve compiled a loose list of films throughout cinema history that have depicted the magician, the illusionist, the spiritualist and the mentalist, and we look at how our perception of the magician as mystic spell caster or performance artist has developed and changed over the decades.
But being that this is also our special milestone 50th published Privilege of Legends feature, we’ve reached out to London magician Christopher Howell to get an exclusive peak into the performer’s box of tricks. We put to him some questions on the craft and found out how a new generation is embracing magic, how digital entertainment is helping to reinvigorate the public’s enthusiasm with the live show, and how people still contact him with strange requests for him to perform ‘magic’ on others…
1. Why in your opinion do you think that magic continues to capture our hearts and imagination?
‘I think magic answers to basic desires in the human condition… Imagine how it would be for example to change something in the world with a click of your fingers, to instantly transform something about yourself, to appear somewhere else, to know what people are thinking, be invincible or to escape situations. We’ve all yearned for and imagined these things. Magic’s wonder continues to capture us because it makes all these things appear to be possible. What would you do if you had magical powers for a day? For sure you have some good answers’.
2. Do you believe that the public’s perception of magic has changed over the years, and if so in what way?
‘How the public perceives magic is always a product of the time. We can look at three different periods to see how the public has regarded magic differently. Let’s start in the sixteenth century, when the first magic book, Reginald Scot’s ‘Discoverie of Witchcraft’ (1584) was published. It was an exposé to reveal the tricks behind, and debunk the belief in what many people then considered to be witchcraft. Curiously, the formal study of magic grew out of this book, published to show it’s not real.
Now, let’s skip forward to the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century to the Golden Age of magic. At that time magic was one of the most popular forms of entertainment packing Vaudeville theatres and music halls on both sides of the Atlantic and with shows touring the world over. The public’s imagination was lit up in this tumultuous time of social, industrial and scientific change. There was a visceral excitement about what’s possible, and magic played right into this. Magic’s golden age was brought to an end by cinema when the variety theatres emptied out in favour of a new kind of magic that was found on the silver screen.
Magic has, nonetheless, continued to endure and adapt. Today in the early twenty-first century magic is of course performed not only on stage but it appears in films and other media as well as being a prolific form of close-up entertainment. In our contemporary sceptical age, where people know neither politicians, nor media or advertising can be taken at face value, magic too is embraced as an entertaining diversion. I think live magic is also popular these days in spite of the abundance of digital entertainment precisely because it is not digital’.
3. Do you think there is an ethical line that should not be crossed when concerning the magic trick or illusion?
‘It can be very easy to convince some people that magic is real. I’m still impressed when I receive occasional emails from some person (usually in a faraway country) who found me online, requesting me to ‘do magic on someone’. I can explain point-blank to these people that what I do is a deception of their senses intended for entertainment and they will choose not to believe me. Their desire for real magic short-circuits sound logic. One of the most likely areas of magic for the question of ethics to arise is mentalism, where it can be quite easy to convince someone that you’ve gotten into their head… so there are certainly ethical lines that should not be crossed in regard to this’.
4. Generally speaking, what, if anything would you most like your audience to go away with at the end of your act?
‘Sleepless nights maybe? (Just kidding…)
That’s an important question for a magician because it directly informs the material you choose to perform and the way you perform it. My answer varies depending on the show I’m doing. When I perform my ‘Parlour Show’ which is a contemporary take on a classic format of magic performance, I’d like to give the audience a sense of wonder and possibility. My act ‘Norvil & Josephine’ is a sort of reinvented Vaudeville style show, and with this show I’d love my audience to leave with a sense of happiness and escape into their imagination. Totally different still, the intention built into my theatrical ‘Séance’ show is to give the audience an awareness of how easily we deceive ourselves. Some magicians just set out to ‘fool’ the audience in some strange battle of wits, but for me it’s much more interesting if other intentions are at play instead’.
Despite the rise of YouTube as the primary way of learning how to do most things these days, books about magic are how most magicians first learned their craft, and it was Reginald Scot’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) that got the ball rolling as the first printed book in English to describe a magic trick.
It also includes interactive elements, such as obstacle courses and climbing walls. These additional features provide children with a variety of activities to engage in, making the bounce house even more exciting and engaging. Safety is of utmost importance with any inflatable play structure, and the Magic Castle Bounce House is no exception. It is made from durable and high-quality materials that ensure its stability and resistance to wear and tear. Additionally, it is designed with safety features such as reinforced stitching, secure anchor points, and safety netting to prevent accidents and injuries. Parents and event organizers love the Magic Castle Bounce House for its versatility and ease of use. It can be set up quickly and easily, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor events. Whether it's a birthday party, a family gathering, or a community event, the Magic Castle Bounce House is a surefire way to keep children entertained and engaged. In conclusion, the Magic Castle Bounce House is a magical and exciting inflatable play structure that offers endless hours of fun and entertainment. Its castle theme, interactive elements, and safety features make it a top choice for children of all ages. Whether it's for a special occasion or just a day of play, the Magic Castle Bounce House is guaranteed to bring joy and laughter to children's faces..
Reviews for "How to Set Up and Safely Enjoy a Magic Castle Bounce House"
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the Magic Castle bounce house. When I rented it for my daughter's birthday party, I expected it to be a fun and exciting attraction for the kids. However, the bounce house was dirty and poorly maintained. The inflatable walls had holes in them, which made it less safe for the children to play in. Additionally, the staff was not very friendly or helpful during the setup process. Overall, I would not recommend the Magic Castle bounce house.
2. Emily - 1 star - I had a terrible experience with the Magic Castle bounce house. The inflatable structure itself was flimsy and unstable, causing it to collapse multiple times during my son's birthday party. This not only interrupted the kids' fun but also posed a safety hazard. Furthermore, the bounce house was not as advertised, as it looked much smaller and less colorful in person. The customer service was also lacking, as I had difficulty reaching the company and they were unresponsive to my concerns. Save yourself the disappointment and find a better bounce house rental.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - I regret renting the Magic Castle bounce house for my nephew's birthday party. The price was way too high for the quality of the product we received. The bounce house was dirty and had a strange odor, which was very off-putting. The inflatable walls also seemed worn out and weak, making me doubt the safety of the kids playing inside. Additionally, the customer service was lacking as they did not deliver the bounce house on time and were not very accommodating when we requested changes. I would not recommend this rental company for bounce houses.