It feels like yesterday that I bought my first Nielsen Vanishing Bottle from Midwest Magic in Chicago. If you saw an empty Coke, beer, champagne, wine, or ketchup bottle on the street, you might not think twice about it. But when those same objects are displayed on a magic shop counter, among countless ornate and unique props, your eyes are drawn to them. You can’t help but wonder if they’re out of place—and if they aren’t, that’s even more wondrous. I sold many Vanishing Bottles working behind that same counter about a decade later, which somehow also feels like yesterday.
Most magicians are familiar with Norm Nielsen; he was a world-class performer,
expert craftsman, and leading collector of vintage magic posters. He started Nielsen Magic in the 1950s after returning from U.S. military service in Japan, and with the help of a few partners, the business has endured for nearly 70 years. From the late 1990s onward, it was run by Norm and his wife, Lupe—also a skilled magician and craftswoman. Sadly, Norm passed away in 2020, and since then, Lupe has been the sole force behind the business.
Today, Nielsen Magic produces small batches of parlor-sized props from its workshop in Las Vegas, Nevada. If you visit during the spring or fall, you might catch Lupe fabricating a batch of Living Latex Doves. (Las Vegas winters are cold enough to freeze latex during shipment, and in the summer, triple-digit temperatures cause it to cure too quickly.)
