Response to Penguin Magic
Hey Friends,
Here will you find my follow-up to the Penguin Magic post to my videos.
This may read a bit long, but this may reshape the ethics of magic.
A few years ago Penguin Magic knocked-off my Loops, back in 2021, and I notified them of the issue multiple times with the specifics, and they are still selling it. And I stayed publicly silent. What escalated things recently, weren’t just the knockoffs, but the public shaming Penguin did with Craig Petty, and defamation of character against me – that crossed a line.
Because of that, Penguin is now facing the consequences – no more knockoffs, and legal action is already in motion.
Below each paragraph, you’ll find a detailed response based on facts, presented clearly and directly, and without any BS.
Penguin Magic’s Mandy Roth’s Response, Nov 7, 2025, 13:18 PST
We are aware of a recent video published by magician Yigal Mesika making a series of inaccurate claims about Penguin Magic. While we respect Yigal’s contributions to the art of magic, we must correct several factual errors in his statements.
Yigal Mesika’s response:
I honestly found Penguin Magic’s response disappointing and unprofessional. Rather than addressing the real issues, it highlights their poor business practices and relies on spin and deception that pushes the idea that knockoffs are somehow acceptable within the magic community. That puts me in a position where I really have no choice but to lay out the facts and explain what’s actually going on.
1. Invisible Elastic Bands – Loops
Penguin Magic’s statement:
At 2:41 in the video, Yigal Mesika displays a pack of invisible elastic bands and asserts that Penguin Magic produced the product as a “knockoff.”
This is false. Penguin Magic did not produce that product. It was manufactured and distributed by another company; Penguin simply retailed it, as we do for hundreds of brands in the industry. This is not an endorsement of a product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRpFypYWzAY
Yigal Mesika’s response:
Thank you for confirming that you sold a knock-off. Whether you manufactured it or not is irrelevant. Selling, promoting, and profiting from a knock-off carries responsibility. Retailing it doesn’t make you innocent.
Because of that, my position changed. Knock-offs will stop, and legal action is already in motion.
2. “Tarantula” Product Claim
Penguin Magic’s statement:
At 4:26, Yigal Mesika states that Penguin Magic produced a knockoff of his product Tarantula.
This is incorrect. The product he refers to is Centrifugal by Magick Balay, released by The Blue Crown. Penguin Magic carried the product in our store but did not produce it.
Contrary to Yigal’s claim, we never removed it from sale – it remains listed on our site to this day.
Yigal Mesika response:
Again this is the same pattern, you sold a knockoff of my signature effect (My unique floating ring), and you knew exactly what you were doing, especially that you have been selling my product for several years. Selling an imitation carries responsibility regardless of who produced it.
Yes, the product is still listed on your site but the copied portion of the routine was removed from the video, which I acknowledge and appreciate. I always support fair and ethical competition.
3. Losander and the “Loops” Product
Penguin Magic’s statement:
Yigal claims we misled magician Losander into participating in a project by falsely suggesting we had Yigal’s blessing. This is untrue.
Losander is a highly respected performer who independently collaborated with us to share his methods for tying invisible elastic bands – a skill he has specialized in for decades.
While Losander did refer to these tied bands as “loops,” which Yigal later asserted was trademark infringement, Penguin Magic never claimed Yigal’s involvement or approval. The resulting legal matter was settled amicably.
Yigal Mesika’s response:
Losander is a very close friend of mine and was told that the original Loops would be included. The fact remains that Penguin Magic was caught selling knock-off Loops while using the Loops trademark in a way that misled the magic community into believing they were genuine – without any permission.
Damages were paid, and the court case is a matter of public record.
Here’s a quote from the email I sent to Acar, a founder of Penguin Magic, back in Mon, Dec 7, 2015:
Hello Acar,
In the last 15 years my lawyers have sent you many letters explaining your infringments and your unfair business practices. You have been using my trademark Loops many times without my permission.
But once I saw As Real As It Gets, It was really shocking and it hurt to see that someone I work with and support would do something like this again. I have wasted a lot of my personal time dealing with these frustrations and has now come to a point of me being sick and tired of dealing with situations like this. This is the reason I am taking the route of big companies by doing patents, trademarks, copyrighting, and pursuing legal action for the damages. I will also make sure that the magic community knows the truth.
The lawsuit you received is very clear and should not be any surprise to you.
-Yigal
4. The Penguin Magic Monthly “Loops Issue”
Penguin Magic statement:
At 8:02, Yigal states that Penguin Magic released an entire magazine issue about Loops without crediting him.
This is misleading. All parties had agreed to name it The Loops Issue of Penguin Magic Monthly. While Yigal’s name was not featured on the cover, it appeared nine times throughout the issue, acknowledging his contributions and product. Since its publication the contents information has been available on our website’s product page as well clearly giving credit to Yigal:
Penguin Magic Monthly: July 2021 / Yigal Mesika (Magazine) https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/15634
Yigal Mesika’s response:
Ironically, you accuse me of being misleading.
Being excluded from the cover of the Loops magazine issue that centered around my product speaks for itself. Credit placement matters, especially when there’s commercial value involved. On top of that, I never received a copy of the magazine for review and approval.
Also in this magazine you knocked off two of my signature effects, gave them different names, and credited two other people. The effects you call Jumping Straw and Knife Dial were already taught in my free Loops tutorial over decade ago, under the names Animated Fork and Spinning Fork.
You didn’t just steal my effects. You made it look like we are working together, used my reputation to your advantage, and then went on to copy my loops products and my signature effects as well.
Do you really think that’s right or fair?
I told this story to a close friend of mine who worked at Penguin Magic, and I thought he’d be shocked. His reaction was, “That’s a classic Penguin Magic move.” He went on to say he wasn’t surprised at all.
5. “TIES” and Claims of Theft
Penguin Magic’s statement:
Yigal alleges that our product TIES stole his material and routines.
This is factually incorrect. The concept of a looped or tied elastic thread predates both Yigal Mesika and Penguin Magic by more than a century.
Historical references include:
Conjurer’s Monthly Magazine (1907) – use of a looped thread
Modern Card Tricks Without Apparatus (1915) – Will Goldston’s “Gravity Defied”
The Sphinx (1916) – William F. Hanna’s “A Unique Color Change”
Floyd Thayer’s Magic Bulletin (1920)
Martin Gardner’s elastic band work (1955)
Finn Jon’s La Fil lastique Invisible (1986)
Jeff McBride’s “Kundalini Rising Card” (1987)
Ben Harris’s Black Mamba (1989)
Yigal Mesika popularized the modern commercial form of invisible elastic bands through his Loops product (first released in 2004), but he did not invent the underlying method or the general class of effects.
Our product TIES continues this long tradition, offering a modern, high-quality option for magicians.
Yigal Mesika’s response:
Also, your so called evidence claiming the visible elastic thread and product/loops was used before 1986, is misleading and shows a real gap in magic history.
If you actually look at the references below, there are no diagrams and no links to support any of your claims. Invisible elastic thread did not exist before 1986. It was released as a product by Finn Jon under the name Invisible Elastic Loops. Anything prior to that simply doesn’t apply here. And if it does apply, why didn’t you use the same thread that was used back then?
Here are a few clarifications below:
Conjurer’s Monthly Magazine (1907) – use of a looped thread.
Modern Card Tricks Without Apparatus (1915) – Will Goldston’s “Gravity Defied”
The Sphinx (1916) – William F. Hanna’s “A Unique Color Change”
Floyd Thayer’s Magic Bulletin (1920)Yigal Mesika’s comment: again this is clearly misleading this loop thread you refer too was made of horse hair and wasn’t a loop that you wear on your wrist.
Martin Gardner’s elastic band work (1955)
Yigal Mesika’s comment: This clearly misleading Martin Gardner created effects with office rubber bands, it has nothing to do with Loops.
Jeff McBride’s “Kundalini Rising Card” (1987)
Yigal Mesika’s comment: this came after 1986. Each item has its own uniqueness, and with each one, you can produce completely different effects.
Finn Jon’s La Fil lastique Invisible (1986).
Thank you for finally noticing the original pioneer.
Ben Harris’s Black Mamba (1989)
This is three years after Loops were produced, and Ben Harris credited Finn Jon as it should be.
Every magician and historian would tell you that these are the facts and the real truth. You are welcome to tell me otherwise with specific evidence.
6. Misrepresentation of Email Context
Penguin Magic’s statement:
In his video, Yigal shows an email screenshot claiming we “implied it’s okay to copy.”
That is not accurate. Yigal had contacted us alleging that selling TIES in packs of 8 infringed upon his product Loops, which also came in packs of 8. Our email reply simply demonstrated that other, unrelated products – including from different companies – are also commonly sold in similar quantities. No part of that message was intended to justify copying.
Yigal Mesika’s response:
The facts are the facts.
You sent me images of convenience stores selling copied products, basically suggesting that copying is OK because everyone else does it in the food industry. It doesn’t matter whether your email points out putting eight Loops in a package like mine or a different amount is irrelevant – copying is still copying, and it’s unacceptable in the magic community.
I’m Yigal Mesika and I have been the maker of Loops long before Penguin Magic even existed. I started promoting and lecturing on Loops back in 1988. That’s easy to verify on ChatGPT. Trying to spin it any other way just feels dishonest.
As shown in my video, The Dark Side of Penguin Magic, you copied the Loops product, the insert card, the handling, and multiple signature effects, including the Mesika Handed Deck, Animated Fork, Floating Bill, and more – all without permission. No credit to me. No credit to Finn Jon either.
Magicians worldwide already know the truth. Pretending otherwise doesn’t help. You are also promoting my production your website for over two decades, stating invented by Finn Jon, and popularized by myself.
Penguin Magic has been selling a knock-off of my Loops back in 2004, then in 2012 and in 2021.
Below, I’m quoting your own words from your own book, Marketing Magic by Maxwell Murphy (Penguin Magic Founder), written over a decade ago. You knew exactly what a knock-off was back then – and why it’s wrong. This explains it better than I ever could:
If you make a mistake and release an item that’s too similar to an existing one, the magic community will call it a knock-off.
You don’t want that. It’s bad for your reputation and terrible for business.
Early in my career, I found myself on the wrong side of this issue. I want to share this story so you can understand how important it is to bring items to market the right way.
Let’s define the term.
In magic, a knock-off is any item that’s substantially similar to another, but fails to improve it. Put simply, a knock-off is something that isn’t original and isn’t a classic.
All of a sudden, we were seen as the biggest shop carrying knock-offs. The spotlight was on us. I honestly believed we were doing the right thing and tried to convince magicians of that, but it wasn’t working.
People started boycotting Penguin. Our own discussion forum was in revolt. Magicians who had previously agreed to work with us backed out. Almost overnight, a reputation that took years to build was gone.
7. Dynamo Testimonial
Penguin Magic’s statement:
At 13:04, Yigal alleges that Penguin Magic “stole” a testimonial quote from Dynamo that originally referred to Loops.
This is false. Dynamo personally received and reviewed TIES, and his testimonial was written and approved after evaluating our product directly.
Yigal Mesika’s response:
The use of the testimonial clearly created consumer confusion given its prior association with my product. That confusion is part of the broader issue. Again, no shame!
8. Employee Commentary
Penguin Magic statement:
Toward the end of the video, Yigal features remarks from a former employee and a short-term independent contractor.
We respect everyone’s right to share their experiences. However, these individuals have not been affiliated with Penguin Magic for years, and their comments do not represent our company or its culture today.
Yigal Mesika’s response:
These individuals shared firsthand experiences. Their timelines do not invalidate their accounts.
Conclusion
Penguin Magic’s statement:
Penguin Magic has always been, and remains, deeply committed to supporting original creators, respecting intellectual property, and advancing the art of magic with honesty and professionalism.
We will continue to support the worldwide community of magicians – creators and performers alike – with integrity, transparency, and respect.
Yigal Mesika’s closing statement:
What happened to me I would hope would never happen to any other magician or inventor. That’s why I have been the voice for myself and for everybody in the community. I can’t even imagine if that’s what you have been doing to me all these years, what you would do to some new creator who doesn’t have the time, money and knowledge to defend themselves.
The fact that you would even defend this identical copying, speaks volumes about your business practices and how little respect you have for the magic community.
My position hasn’t changed. These awful business practices must be stopped.
This is about creator rights, ethical commerce, transparency, and respect.
The community can review the facts and decide for itself.
Best wishes,
Yigal Mesika
