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As suggested by Mandrake, this is a thread about the Inzani-Henley Magic Company.

They were based in Borehamwood, but I don’t know much more about them than this. I’m sure Dale will offer further details.

I became involved with them in the very early 80s. Somewhere I found out about the young magicians club they ran (I think it might have been a rather nice hardback book Ali Bongo produced). I wrote off with my postal order, or cheque provided by a parent, and joined up.

They used to send round flyers of tricks and I think I ended up buying nearly everything on the ones I saw (early CUPS sufferer).

They also used to produce little packaged tricks and there was a shop near me (sadly long since gone) that had a toy department selling these. They were simple things like ‘Multiplying Doggies’, or the ‘Grandmother’s Necklace’, but they had a few things I haven’t seen elsewhere. They also used these very strange sponge cubes that were made of extremely dense foam.

The mascot was Rudy Rabbit and he featured on the free badge you got when you joined the junior club. They also produced an enamelled badge, which I bought. He also appeared on the packaging of some of the company’s products.

Not long after this, Rudy got his own strip in ‘TV Comic’. They were stories of him and (as I recall) his nephew. There was usually some kind of magic theme.

At the bottom of the page, was a trick or puzzle offering from Ali Bongo.

Then, in about 1983 or 1984, I stopped hearing from the company and, as I had slightly lost interest in magic at that stage (largely because I wasn’t hearing much from them and my CUPS had waned), I never looked into it further. However, Dale might be able to shed more light on this.

All fascinating stuff - thanks!

I had a quick look around for information on the company at the weekend.
Do you know I have some somewhere, but I couldn’t find it.
However, one person that will be worth talking to, is Duncan Trillo, who worked for John Henley in his youth.
I did dig up an Inzani Henley brainwave deck, which was the first trick deck I bought. Its very distinctive black and red Zodiac back makes for a lovely , visual pack of cards.
Despite being far older than I care to think about, it is still in 100% working order. Goodness knows what they used to rough them, but its was good stuff!

Thanks for that, Dale. I think I’ve got one of those Brainwave Decks myself, along with some other gimmicked decks and packet tricks.

That reminds me that IH had a wonderful brand of playing cards. One set was black, with white borders, and a gold border between the white and the black (I think with a thin red stripe) and the signs of the Zodiac in gold arranged in a circle in the centre of the cards.

The red backed ones were similar, but of course substitute red for black and vice versa in that description.

I’m pretty sure they were bridge size.

I still have most of the items I bought from them, including some Chinese Rice Bowls (much nicer than the ones Paul Daniels sold at the same time) and even a ‘Magician’s Autograph Book’, which has been signed by Ali Bongo.

Back in those days I too was a member of "The Mad Hatter Magic Club" as the junior club was called.

I have a picture which I shall route out which was printed in the paper at the time after a competition. The magic poster which was sent to all members is in the background!

One of the first stage effects I purchased from them was the "Crystal Tube" ( three silks knot together in a clear plastic tube).

Their many novelties were available in most toy stores.

These then suddenly faded out, and then came the next phase - the Paul Daniels series of magic!

I came across this forum by chance. Nice to know that Remo and I are still remembered!

Happy to know that someone is still using one of our Zodiac Brainwave decks. Yes, the roughing fluid was good and we didn't use the usual mixture!

I see various questions were being asked, so if you want to know anything, right from the very early days when Remo and I first got together in 1959, please feel free to write/post your queries.

Rudi Rabbit is alive and well!

I realise this is now a very old thread, but I'd love to know more about the history of Mad Hatter and IH. Came to this forum after searching the Internet for details of this company, which seem surprisingly sparce online, considering that MH seemed pretty big at the time! Or at least it seemed that way to my 10 or 12 year old self...

I can't believe that, after starting this thread, I somehow missed a post from Rudi Rabbit himself (and I must apologise for getting his name slightly wrong - it was quite some years ago even when I started this thread). Admittedly, it was over a year after the thread was created, but I would definitely have asked some questions!

I've also remembered that there were actually two enamalled badges made. One was the logo (with Rudi in the middle, holding some cards) and the other was a full length Rudi Rabbit picture. I remember that poster Lee Alex described. Yellow with a red border, I think, and A4 sized.

I hope Rudi is still keeping well.

I seem to remember working svengali decks in Fenwicks of Newcastle years and years and years ago. And Inzani-Henley were there too. They had a stand selling quite a wide range of tricks whereas I only had the one item. I made a lot more noise though. I vaguely remember it was Duncan Trillo working for them there at the time although I may have this wrong.
It was in the days before the cheap oriental svengali decks made their appearance and I had a girl in the back stockroom of the store making the svengali decks up out of regular playing cards. We had a guillotine in the back cutting up the cards and I am sure we made an awful mess. I do remember selling a ton of svengali decks there.

I'm really surprised by the lack of Mad Hatter/I-H images on the net! Think I'd rather taken it for granted that you could find anything...

I remember those MH badges too - and I must still have a lot of this stuff tucked away at my folks' house. Next time, I'm back, there will be excavation...

The entire stock of Inzani Henley was purchased from John Henley in the 70's by David Charles (Hocus Pocus Magic Co., Nottingham)
Dave gave me a box full of their IT for my Floating Ball. I still have one reel left. My son Mike had 4 of the reels off me.

When Marc Oberon came to me for the first time, it was moves with the Ball he was interested in.
Also he loved my IT. Gave him several reels.

A few years later he phoned, urgently. He was going to perform at The Magic Castle with some of the members of the Magic Circle and had run out of that IT.
'When do you go Marc?' 'Tomorrow' he said.!!!!!!!!! So he came round and I gave him another couple of reels.
Whilst he was away I traced a supplier who sold the same stuff.

Dave also gave me the IZ Vanishing Table Lamp. This I later gave to Clive Moore & Jean

Allen Tipton

my mentor has one of the lamps. Strange bit of kit.

Yes Dale--it was a bit Heath Robinson. Especially the light up section!!
The Red cover was lovely but you'd need pretty wide sleeves

Allen Tipton

Since my last post, I've managed to find a Mad Hatter poster, very nice in yellow. That's gone on the wall.

Have also found a whole bunch of instructions for the MH pocket tricks, and a couple of tricks too. The excavation continues!

Thanks for the update, best of luck with your ongoing searches, let us know how you're getting on from time to time please!