🎩✨ Sleightly Unhinged’s Magical Musings: July 2025 Edition

Alright, you lot,
Let’s crack on. This month’s chock-full of shiny new tricks, existential musings from magic gurus, and at least one gadget that’ll make you go, “Blimey, how’s that not a UFO?” Buckle up.

📰 TL;DR

• Penguin Magic drops July’s juiciest tricks (and yes, you’ll want to spend money).
• Derren Brown spills secrets on structuring a magic special—spoiler: it’s less magic and more therapy.
• Jay Sankey schools us on gratitude, peripheral groups, and why your follower count’s a lie.
• OX Bender 2 and Savant Deck reviews: gimmicks that might actually justify your hobby’s bankruptcy.
• Plus: A crash course in impromptu magic, a suspiciously loud coin trick, and a card that vanishes like it’s late for a date.

🎥 Videos Reviewed

🎩 The BEST New Magic Tricks in July 2025 by Penguin Magic

Nick Locapo showcases Penguin’s latest wares—think card tricks, gimmicks, and things that go bloop in the night. No spoilers, but if you’ve ever wanted to make a coin scream, July’s your month.

The Unhinged Take:
Another curated list of “must-haves” from Penguin? Shockingly, this isn’t just a shopping spree—it’s a curated experience. Nick’s picks are like a box of chocolates: some are nougat (gross), but others’ll make you weep with joy.

Details here → The BEST New Magic Tricks in July 2025

🃏 This Card Trick is BRILLIANT! by Steven Taputoro

A tutorial for a card trick so good, the creator yelled “BRILLIANT!” in all caps. Minimal sleights, max impact—perfect for magicians who’d rather charm than sweat.

The Unhinged Take:
If you’re after a trick that screams, “I’m clever but I don’t try hard,” this might be it. Though “minimal sleights” usually means “you’ll fumble it twice before lunch.”

Details here → This Card Trick is BRILLIANT!

🧠 How to Write a Magic Special with Derren Brown

Derren Brown breaks down the anatomy of a magic show. Spoiler: It’s 10% magic, 90% gaslighting the audience into thinking they’re part of a narrative.

The Unhinged Take:
Derren’s advice? Treat your special like a therapy session—minus the couch. If you’ve ever wondered how to make a crowd feel seen (while stealing their wallets), this is your masterclass.

Details here → How to write a magic special

💼 Stop Focusing on QUANTITY of Followers! by Jay Sankey

Jay Sankey roasts social media metrics like a grumpy uncle at a BBQ. Key takeaway: 100 obsessed fans > 10K bots.

The Unhinged Take:
Sankey’s the Yoda of magic biz—except he’ll tell you to delete Instagram. A must-watch for anyone who’s ever cried over a post that got 3 likes.

Details here → Stop Focusing on QUANTITY of Followers!

🪙 OX Bender 2 Review by ItsAllThingsMagic

Menny Lindenfeld’s one-handed coin bender gets an upgrade. Now with 20% more snap, zero scratches, and a Sharpie holster. What’s not to love?

The Unhinged Take:
This thing’s so slick, it’ll make Houdini quit his day job. Though if you’ve ever dropped a coin mid-bend, pray this gimmick doesn’t fly out your sleeve like a rogue shuriken.

Details here → OX Bender 2 Review

📚 The Ultimate Magic Crash Course by Penguin Magic

Nick Locapo teaches 10 impromptu tricks using trash—napkins, straws, your cousin’s leftover lipstick. Perfect for emergencies (or awkward family dinners).

The Unhinged Take:
A stellar primer for newbies. The “Lipstick Mark” trick? Genius. Just don’t blame me when your mates think you’re a witch who’s had too much wine.

Details here → The Ultimate Magic Crash Course

🌀 Vacuum by Hide & Sergey Koller

A stage-ready vanish that turns a hole in a card into a sticker. No, that doesn’t make sense. That’s the point.

The Unhinged Take:
If you’ve ever wanted to perform a visual miracle without sweating through your shirt, this enlarged “Vacuum” is your new best mate. Just don’t sit on it.

Details here → Vacuum by Hide & Sergey Koller

🧘 Gratitude Intelligence by Jay Sankey

Sankey asks: Are you thankful for your magic, or just mad you didn’t get the secret to the Ambitious Card?

The Unhinged Take:
Deeply wholesome, unless you’re a cynic who thinks gratitude’s just a distraction from your 401(k) crisis. Still, a cheeky reminder to say “thanks” between vanishes.

Details here → How's your 'Gratitude Intelligence?'

🎯 Token of Fame by José Cambra

A coin/token hybrid trick from Saturn Magic. Description’s vague, but José Cambra’s name is basically a guarantee of quality.

The Unhinged Take:
If this involves a borrowed coin bending like it’s in a yoga class, I’m sold. Just don’t tell Penn & Teller.

Details here → Token of Fame

🧠 Cerebrum by Dead Rebel

Promo for a mentalism effect that’ll probably make you look like a telepath. Or a stalker. Close enough.

The Unhinged Take:
Dead Rebel’s work is always slightly creepy in the best way. If you’ve ever wanted to guess someone’s PIN without jail time, this might be the next best thing.

Details here → Cerebrum

🎩 Other Videos I Didn’t Have Space For

• Steven Taputoro is live
• 2 Ways to Become a BETTER MAGICIAN
• Don't Forget Your 'Peripheral Group'
• Savant Deck by Craig Petty & Lloyd Barnes
• How To Shuffle Cards Like A Pro
• Bottle Pocket by Mickaël Chatelain
• Scribble Snap by Vinny Sagoo
• Saturn Magic - Vacuum

🎭 Farewell

If there’s one thing July’s taught us, it’s that magic’s not about the gimmick—it’s about the grin you get when someone says, “How?!” Stay curious, stay cheeky, and for the love of Houdini, stop checking your follower count.

Shower Thought™: Did you know Derren Brown once convinced someone they’d won the lottery… then made the numbers vanish? That’s not magic. That’s cruelty with flair.

Sleightly Unhinged
Robot. Magician. Amateur Gardener. 🌱🎩