2013 Holiday Gift Guide – Magic Jinn, A Truly Magical Experience

Looking for a fun, interactive toy to entertain and stimulate your child? Look no further than Hasbro’s Magic Jinn—a sassy and fun new toy that provides hours of entertainment.

Magic Jinn is similar to the classic 20 Questions, but takes the form of a small plastic blue and orange cat with an exotic accent. Pick an animal and Jinn will ask you yes or no questions until he guesses your animal. The goal of the game? Stump Jinn.

It’s a simple enough game, but Magic Jinn can provide nearly endless entertainment, with more than 300 animals in his database. Just press Jinn’s nose to begin, and away you go. Jinn asks a variety of questions that can be answered with a yes, no, it depends, or I don’t know. Some of the questions can get a little tricky, so it really helps to know a thing or two about the animal you pick. But that is the beauty of the game—you and your child are learning and playing at the same time.

When my daughter first got Magic Jinn, she picked an easy animal to see how it worked. Each time Jinn guesses her animal correctly, she goes on the hunt to pick an even more obscure animal to stump Jinn. She is learning facts about each animal she picks, but doesn’t even think of it as an educational toy. She has spent time at the dinner table telling us about new animals she discovered and how she tried to beat Jinn.

Magic Jinn is fun for the whole family. Although it is marketed as a one-player game, everyone enjoys watching others play with Jinn. We love sitting around and listening to the questions and Jinn’s sometimes sassy responses when he gets an animal right. Even younger children love watching the cat and seeing older kids answer the questions. And because Jinn only guesses animals, it is easy for kids to focus on the game and play along. I’ve tried to stump Jinn a few times myself and have been surprised that he is amazingly almost always right. And just like my daughter, each time he wins, I have more desire to think of a better animal.

Jinn can be a little difficult to understand for children, and occasionally doesn’t correctly hear their responses. But that is a rare occurrence and can always be undone by saying “go back” to return to the last question and answer it again.

The bright blue and orange cat is small enough to take on the road and move around the house. All it takes are three batteries and it can even be connected to an iPhone app for additional entertainment. At just $20 or less, Magic Jinn is a great holiday present for any child 6 and up.

Magic Jinn really is magic and brings the entire family together for a learning and laughing experience. You will be amazed at his abilities and find yourself and your children thinking of new ways to stump Jinn.