...PENCILIA used to be called TWISTER.
...TRANSPA VISION used to be called ILLUSIONARIUM.
...HANKIE PENETRATION used to be called HANKY PANKY.
...CRYSTAL BOX and BURGLAR-BALL are the same product but different routine.
...CRYSTAL CLEAVER is one of the most popular Tenyo tricks of all time.
...CUBIO is the smallest Tenyo trick released and MAGIC RABBIT is the largest.
...BILLIARD BALLS is the only Tenyo trick made out of wood.
...DYNAMIC COINS is one of the most copied Tenyo tricks around.
...SPONGE BALL was a great success at the time of the first imports to France, because of the new very soft foam by Tenyo (better than the german products, well known at this time).
...CHINESE STICKS was another big success in France.
...FANNING CARDS was called "Funning Cards" on the original English instruction sheet.
...the MAGIC BANK exists as a number of versions. One of them is a "UFO" magic bank (a little alien from space floating in the box). Another one contains a magician's hat and was manufactured by Tenyo for special manifestations (a national magician convention in France). The name of this magic bank was: ART BANK (printed on the side of the box). An illegal copy of the MAGIC BANK was prohibited (it contained a little green cube) however Tenyo did manufacture a green cubed version too.
... that Tenyo created a few tricks especially for Disney: DISNEYLAND MAGIC BANK (an ART BANK with Mickey on a balloon, flying in the saving box), FLOATING MONEY (a bill is floating in front of the magician's hands), MAGIC CUBES (a version of BARE BONES with Mickey), MAGIC CARDS, MAGIC COINS (a versin of DYNAMIC COINS with Mickey and Minnie engraved on the top of the gold boxes), MAGIC BOOK (a version of I'M A MAGICIAN, with drawings of Mickey and Co), FIGHT STARS, MAGIC FINGER and a box with 2 tricks (adapted from CUPS AND BALLS and AGAINST GRAVITY. There are other tricks (discontinued) with "Mickey", but sold in every shop: a version of MIDAS MACHINE (no bill, but a drawing of Mickey), a second version of BARE BONES and a version of RABBIT IN WALLET. Tenyo has a "magic corner" in every big "depato" (near to 10 department stores now) in Tokyo, with a magician-seller from Tenyo.
...during the first production run, FLASH DICE was not provided with the blue tube (case).
...during the first production run, CARD FRAME was provided with two cards: one picture of a monster, and a special card with numbers (in order to force the monster, which appeared in the frame).
...during the first production run, CARD CASE was not ornamented with the sticker that we know today.
...during the first production run, the "plates" of SQUEEZE PLAY were made with a smooth plastic (now it is a granular plastic).
...a few tricks were made in different colours: THE MIDAS MACHINE (brown or pink), GEOMETRICK (white or green) and SUPER PHANTO BLOCK (green or purple).
...there were different versions of the SILK SERANADE record sleeve? One is printed white and blue, while the more common is plain light blue. Also the cartoon Tenyo logo on the records changes, as does the credit to Pavel on the cover of the package.
...the missing tricks between T-48 and T-65 remain a mystery to this day. However some are starting to emerge. See NEWS AND INFO for more details...
...Tenyo made a selection of tricks for Milton Bradley Company's "MAGIC WORKS" series. Some of them were exactly the same products as the original Tenyo versions such as "Dark Dagger" (SUPER SPIKE), but there were interesting adaptations for others. "Severed Skeleton" is a very inventive version of the ZIG ZAG CIG, "The Knight's Tomb" is a new ornamented version of DIABOLICUS and "The Mysterious Queen" is a version of TRANSPA VISION with a box behind the frame.
...the Japanese Word for Magic is tejina, which in turn, is derived from two words, te meaning Hand (as in KaraTE) and jina meaning "things". In ancient China and Japan, Magicians were expected not only to be skillful at legerdmain but in juggling as well. In fact, tejina can also mean juggling. Coincidentally, the characters that make up tejina are also used as part of the famous Tenyo Magic's logo.
...Tenyo's main product line is not magic tricks but jigsaw puzzles.
...well over 200 Tenyo magic tricks have been released so far.
...about 10% of their sales comes from magic items and the remainder comes from games, puzzles and other novelty toys.
...Tenyo items sell the best at the Tokyo International Airport. This means many laymen chiefly support their sales, not magicians.
...the Tenyo company is a relatively small company with around 67 members of staff.
