About Us

Magic that's meant to be played with.

For over fifty years, Ickle Pickle has made colorful, durable, small-batch props for kids' shows, family entertainers, clowns, and parlor magicians. From our famous change bags to crystal silk cylinders and cups and balls, our tricks have helped launch a generation of performers. Now, under new ownership in Columbus, Indiana, we're back to keep the fun going.

Our Story

Ickle Pickle started with a little mischief. In the 1970s, a college student named Steve Bender wrecked his car and needed cash fast, so he answered an ad for a magician to perform shows for a shoe company. The catch: he'd never done a magic trick in his life. Steve talked his way in, taught himself just enough to pull it off, and somewhere along the way the trickster fell head over heels for the art. Down the line, Steve was in high demand for magic performances at birthday parties and community events. On a fateful day when Steve was booked out and came down with the flu, his wife, who had never done magic or clowning either, stepped in. Steve coached her through the show and gave her a character to go with it: a green-overalled clown called Ickle Pickle. The name stuck, and so did the magic.

Steve went on to make his own props, load up the car, and drive from magic shop to magic shop. Over the decades, Ickle Pickle became a name a whole generation of magicians and clowns grew up with. The change bags, cups and balls, silk cylinders, and squeakers were built to be played with, and they became the backbone of countless birthday-party shows, parlor acts, and first-ever performances. Plenty of working magicians will tell you an Ickle Pickle set was where it all began. Steve, known everywhere as "Mr. Pickle" in his signature green shirt, was as beloved as his props: generous, honest, and always happy to talk shop.

In the modern era of Ickle Pickle, owner Adam Schill carries the torch. Adam has been an entertainer since he became a clown at 11. He went on to serve as president of Clowns of America International, and he still performs comedy magic and balloon twisting across the Midwest. Now he's brought Ickle Pickle home to Columbus, Indiana, with a brand-new magic shop where kids can wander in, meet a real magician behind the counter, and catch the bug. Our props are still made in small batches with care, with new tricks and revived classics on the way. Ickle Pickle is back and better than ever, and it's still all about the joy of making people smile.