A Mini Poster Mystery Leads to One Heck of a Rabbit Hole.....

One of the things I've been doing to fill the walls of Mini Mountain Magic is hunting for vintage magic posters to shrink down and hang up. There are sooooo many super cool posters out there, it's so hard to decide! 

So I stumbled across one, and it's absolutely gorgeous.A dapper magician in a tuxedo, holding a crystal ball, surrounded by devils, owls, doves and a levitating woman. Very magical imagery indeed. The text at the top read "Forrest & Company: Man of Many Mysteries". And I loved it immediately. It is everything I love about the golden age of magic. 

But I like to know a little bit about the folks being featured in my shop and so I started researching "Forrest & Company" and found.... nothing. Nothing but this poster. It's for sale a lot of places. But nothing about the performance or the magician himself. And while searching around, I found ANOTHER poster... same imagery, different magician. This one is for "Mysterious Ingram, The Entertaining Magician and Illusionist."

Um.... whut? 

So I did what any reasonable person does when confused by the internet: I stayed up all night going down a magic poster research rabbit hole. Of course. And I think it's all rather interesting (and who needs sleep?)

First, something I did not realize was just how popular generic magician art apparently is. You can get this image as a mug, a notebook, a pin, or even a shower curtain. (Really? Who exactly is using this as a shower curtain? I want to know everything about this person, please.) 

These posters were created by the Donaldson Lithograph Company of Newport, Kentucky. They were in the business of creating spectacular magic posters, and they were VERY good at it. The printer would produce the artwork, and then just overprint the performer's name at the top. Same beautiful devils, doves and crystal balls, different name on the marquee. 

The posters themselves were made using stone lithography: an artist would paint the design onto a large slab of limestone, and through a chemical process, ink would transfer to the paper. Every single color required a completely separate slab. It was painstaking, beautiful work. Once the stones were carved, it made perfect economic sense to use them for multiple performers. The art was an investment, and the printers got maximum value from it.

It was practical, it was affordable, and it meant that a smaller touring act could have a genuinely stunning poster without commissioning an entirely original design. 

The Library of Congress magic poster collection even specifically distinguishes between "performer posters" and "stock posters", it was that common a practice. 

But here's the thing. The more I researched this and looked at these posters, I realized that this phenomenon didn't end with the stone lithograph. 

If you've spent any time on social media lately, you may have noticed that a lot of magicians' promotional materials have a certain... sameness to them. The textures, the lighting, same same. And that's because many performers today are using the same AI generative tools to create their posters and flyers. Just like the touring magicians of the Golden Age, they're all pulling from the same catalog of available imagery and putting their own name at the top. 

Oh, the tools have changed dramatically, but the impulse is exactly the same: spectacular, professional-looking promotional material without the cost of a completely custom design. I get it. But where a 1930s magician in Denver and a magician in Boston might never discover they were using identical artwork, today... it takes about five minutes of Instagram scrolling. -shrug-

Anyway.... it will be the Mysterious Ingram version of the poster will be going into my magic shop because I was able to find out a bit about him and the idea of a magical bean-pole hardware salesman who may have trained with Houdini....yeah, he can hang around in my shop. :) 

So, here's what I learned about the Mysterious Ingram:

Everett Edward Ingram, known on stage as "The Mysterious Ingram", was a hardware salesman by day and a magician by night. Standing over six feet tall and weighing less than 140 pounds, he spent his days behind the counter at Willard Hardware in Westerly, Rhode Island, and his evenings baffling scientists with illusions they couldn't explain.

He allegedly trained with Harry Houdini himself between 1925 and 1927, then spent decades touring resort hotels, rural gatherings, and local theaters across New England. His wife Mary, billed as "Madame Murnie," assisted him in every performance, including one illusion where Ingram pulled her, impossibly, from a small empty dollhouse. (Dollhouse!!!)

He performed until at least 1942, and passed away at home on August 29, 1969, remembered as one of the best-known magicians on American stages.

And his poster, printed by the Donaldson Lithograph Company, now lives in a tiny magic shop in Colorado.

Which feels exactly right. :) 

Anyway, thank you for coming with me down this weird rabbit hole  to my TED talk.

You know, all the super cool posters I found... my magic shop is going to need more walls!!! LOL!

- Wendy

Gone With the Wind.... Sneeze Edition.

 

Almost had the full deck of cards displayed in one of these glasses.... and then I sneezed. 

If you need me, I'll be over here crying in a corner. And then picking up the tweezers and picking up cards.... one at a time... so.... tiny.

This was a late night. I predict many of those between now and the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys' Fall Show (September 9-13, 2026, Sheraton Denver West, Lakewood Colorado). I am so excited to be displaying Mini Mountain Magic there. 

Back to making things, or maybe trying to sleep. Either way, off I go. 

- Wendy 

Playing Cards With a Story : Meet Jay B. Smith

Years ago, here in Colorado, there was a magic shop (full sized ;) )  called Mago's. I LOVED Mago's and I spent a lot of time (and money) there. They always had what I wanted, even when I didn't know what that was. :) 

I miss that shop so much, and I think that feeling of wonder it always gave me when I would wander in is a part of what's behind making Mini Mountain Magic. But I digress. 

So Mago's had a GREAT "used" section full of magic books, and props but also playing cards. I LOVE playing cards. I mean it's like a "thing". Do I do any card magic? No, no I do not. Do I have enough decks of playing cards to open my own shop? Absolutely. So I would always look through their used cards, and one day I stumbled across this deck. Custom backs featuring a dapper fellow pulling a stuffed bunny out of a hat. I looked at them, went "Ooh, neat", put them in my playing card stash and immediately forgot about them.

This isn't even all of them.....

Years passed.

Sorting through my stash one day, I found them again. A beautiful custom deck in a velvet box. Gorgeous. But mysterious. Who was this Jay B. Smith, offering "Best Wishes" on the back of every card?

I didn't recall ever hearing his name, so I suspected he might not be local. And I was right. Some investigating on the internet and I found this: 

(Article from the pages of Doug Houser's Maplewood History book, Volume One)

https://40southnews.com/maplewood-history-being-made-or-at-least-re-lived/

Seems that J.B. Smith was an undertaker for the town of Maplewood, Missouri (just a bit outside of St. Louis) in the 1930s, and he was also a magician! 

How a deck of his custom playing cards made it all the way to Colorado, I can't say. They were in terrific shape for their age, and they didn't even feel like they'd been shuffled! 

I reached out to the historian of Maplewood, Missouri, Doug Houser, to see if he'd like me to send him these Jay B. Smith custom backed playing cards and I received an enthusiastic and joyful reply. 

Doug has done a blog entry about the cards arriving and taking their place in the Maplewood history collection. You can read all about it here if you like - https://40southnews.com/maplewood-history-a-historic-deck-of-cards-magically-reappears/

These kinds of cards were quite popular with magicians back in the day (they were plastic coated, making them easy to clean. It was revolutionary at the time!) I imagine that Magician Jay B. Smith was very proud of these beautiful custom cards, and their little velvet box. They really are just gorgeous. And I imagine he'd be happy to  have them back too. :) 

The internet is such a funny thing sometimes. There can be such negativity here, but then you find someone like Doug who just loves his town, writes articles about history, and wrote the blog entry that solved for me the mystery of the magician on the custom cards. From Doug's writings, it sounds like J.B. Smith was quite a guy: much loved, and a very magical fixture of Maplewood. I am so glad these could return and be part of his memory and legacy. 

I thought about making a teeny tiny deck of these cards, and I still might. But for now, I've taken the back and made it into one of the autographed photos hanging around in Mini Mountain Magic. 

And I hope that would make Jay B. Smith happy too. It's an honor to have you hanging around my shop, sir. Thanks for making it just a bit more magical. 

- Wendy 

Books for the Magic Shop: It Begins with Spooky Tricks

As I really get started on this little magic shop, one thing that I know I'm going to be making a LOT of is books. Many, many books. But I knew that there was one in particular that I needed to make right from the start. It was always going to be the case that the very first book on the Mini Mountain Magic shelves would be "Spooky Tricks".

Back when I was in elementary school, there was nothing better than "free book day". Getting to wander into a classroom that was just COVERED in books and getting to pick one out just for you, for FREE? Seriously the best. And that's how "Spooky Tricks" came to be my first ever magic book. I loved this book. I still do. There are some really good tricks in here! (Even though I never could get my little brother into the box for one of them. Alas.)

Anyway, all that to say there will be MANY books filling Mini Mountain Magic, and they won't all be real books like this one (I would love it if they were, but I just do not have time before the show).

But this one had to be real. It had to be first. It was never going to be any other way.

Wishing you a magical Tuesday full of wonderful books in whatever scale you prefer.

- Wendy 

Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! Happy May!

 

Years ago, a magical friend introduced me to the idea that when you wake up on the 1st of the month, the very first words out of your mouth should be "Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!" (or "White Rabbit! White Rabbit! White Rabbit!") and it will bring you good luck for the entire month. 

Dunno if that's true or not, but it is a superstition I practice. Hopefully it brings me luck. :) 

He taught me a few practices like that. Because of him, I drink the moon every month too. But that's a different story.  :) 

Wishing you a Magical May! 

- Wendy

Two Magical Miniaturists are Better Than One!

It didn't take me long to realize there was no way I was going to have as much fun making this tiny magic shop without my bestie and fellow magic-loving miniaturist, David of David's Dollhouse.

I've known David an awfully long time, and I honestly don't know why he still puts up with me (but I'm really glad he does). He's a master miniaturist AND a magic lover, so OF COURSE this project is going to be so much better with him involved.

Today we tackled some planning and put in new lighting. Did I think to get a picture of the old lighting before we started? No. No I did not. -facepalm-

But here's what the shop looked like when I first got it....

And here's what it looks like NOW with spiffy new LED lighting!

People might actually be able to see what's on those back shelves now! I am so excited! It looks amazing (though, WOW do I need to dust! D'oh!)

David already has some fantastic ideas for filling the shop, and now that the structure and lighting are sorted, we get to move on to the REALLY fun part: filling it with nifty, magical things. 

Stay tuned for more updates. I cannot wait to see how this all comes together. And David... thank you. It's always the best getting to work on something with you.

— Wendy

Where it Began - The Zig Zag

I think the moment I saw this 3D print file, this tiny magic shop was destined to happen.

The file is for a miniature Zig-Zag illusion, one of the most iconic props in stage magic, scaled down to 1:12ish. 

If you're a 3d printing type, they're available on Penguin Magic here - Creativity Lab 3d Print Files. I have all of them, and I've been very pleased with the ones I've printed out so far. But it was the Zig-Zag that first caught my eye and won my heart. 

The pieces are easy to print and the directions are super clear about how to put it all together. And it goes together VERY nicely, I think.

So yeah, the Zig Zag was probably what set this whole thing off, and it'll be the cornerstone of the whole shop (even though I think for display it'll be tucked off in a corner).

Just wait until I get the rest of the little illusions done. A few of them can be performed (and I will. With tweezers. :) This is going to be fun.) 

I'm so lucky to get to work on a project like this: combining magic and miniatures together. 

Back to the mini mines! Wishing you a very happy and magical Sunday! 

- Wendy  

Mini Mountain Magic - The Beginning

 

Hello! Welcome to the Mini Mountain Magic Blog!

My name is Wendy Wylde, and if you're here, you're probably someone who appreciates a little wonder. And that means you're in exactly the right place.

Two of my greatest loves are 1:12 scale miniatures and magic. I used to perform magic professionally, and I still make miniatures for a living. It's rare that these two worlds collide, but this little shop is bringing them together at last.

In September 2026, I'll have a sales table at the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys' annual Fall Show  and for the very first time, I'm also bringing something for the exhibit room! The show's theme is "150 Reasons to Love Colorado," celebrating the 150th anniversary of Colorado's statehood. Colorado has a rich and fascinating history of magic, with many beloved magic shops over the years, and I wanted to honor that legacy.

So I'm creating a 1:12 scale magic shop Mini Mountain Magic and filling it with all kinds of tiny magical things.

This blog is where I'll share what I'm making and why, and document the whole journey right up to show day. And honestly? Who knows what happens after that.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, welcome! I am so glad you stopped by. And now....the tiny curtain is about to rise. Find your tiny seat! The show is about to begin!

— Wendy