Flashing lights, lighting effects and light shows have always held a fascination for children and, if we’re being honest, for plenty of adults as well. After recently testing the Disco Ball Wristband, which my young reviewer has practically adopted as a permanent accessory, it felt only natural to continue exploring Wicked Uncle’s glowing gadget lineup. Enter the Wandini, a magic levitating LED wand that doesn’t just illuminate a room but transforms it into a swirling, floating spectacle of colour, motion and “magic”. If the Disco Ball Wristband turns a bedroom into a mini dance floor, the Wandini elevates things into full‑blown magical performance territory.
At first glance, the Wandini looks like a simple light‑up baton. Switch it on and the journey of magical illusion begins. Thanks to a cleverly concealed thin thread and a lightweight, well‑balanced design, the Wandini creates the appearance of genuine levitation. Children can make it glide, swoop and orbit around them with only subtle hand movements, giving them the thrill of feeling part magician, part Jedi and part circus performer. It’s one of those toys that instantly grabs attention – especially when the LEDs start to pulse and glow.
What’s in the Box?
- Wand middle section (with attached string and finger loop)
- Wand top section
- Wand bottom section
- USB charging cable
- Instructions
The Wandini is broken down into three parts (which makes it much easy to carry around) and assembly is refreshingly simple. The transparent top and bottom pieces screw neatly into the black central section (hand tight – no tools needed). This central section houses the power button, charging port and the all‑important invisible thread. Within seconds, the Wandini is ready to go.
Once assembled, a quick press of the power button brings the wand to colourful life. Both transparent ends illuminate brightly and pressing the button cycles through 21 preset colour modes, ranging from solid hues to shifting, multi‑colour patterns. You can even customise your own sequence, which adds a nice personal touch for kids who love to tweak and experiment.
Using the Wandini (in the dark is best, obviously) is as intuitive as it gets: slip the finger loop on, switch on the lights and start making gentle hand motions. The wand responds beautifully, creating the illusion that it’s floating freely through the air. There’s no steep learning curve and no prior experience with magic tricks is needed. Within minutes, children are spinning, twirling and experimenting with movement to create hypnotic trails of light.
Spinning and twirling the wand is easy, but you need tricks for it to really stand out. With the Wandini you can download an accompanying app (search “Fun In Motion Toys”) that offers tutorials and demonstration videos. The content itself is excellent, but during testing, every video in the app produced an error and redirected to YouTube instead. The YouTube videos work perfectly, but it would be far smoother if they played directly within the app. It’s a minor annoyance, but worth noting.
Once you start watching the tutorials, you’ll quickly want to try more ambitious moves. A word of warning: enthusiasm can lead to accidental face‑whacking (as I found out for being far too enthusiastic). The wand is lightweight, but still do watch the tutorials first rather than rushing in – start easy and build those skills.
Given that the Wandini relies on a thin, nearly invisible thread, durability was a concern. Surprisingly, it holds up extremely well. The thread is delicate enough to appear invisible during use but strong enough to withstand enthusiastic spinning. The wand itself is sturdy, lightweight and resilient to drops (and we have dropped and knocked it quite a few times).
Charging is straightforward. The included USB cable plugs into any standard adapter or laptop. A full charge takes approximately 2 hours (with a 2A adapter) and can provide anywhere between 3 to 10 hours of use depending on the lighting mode. No batteries to replace, which is always a win.
Beyond the visually appealing spectacle lightshow and levitation, the Wandini encourages physical movement and creative expression. Kids aren’t just watching an array of moving light – they’re even learning by shaping patterns, experimenting with speed, direction and discovering how different motions create different effects. It’s a brilliant way to get them off screens and moving around.
Overall, the Wicked Uncle Wandini is a wonderfully simple yet endlessly entertaining toy. It blends creativity, movement and visual magic into a package that feels genuinely special. The floating illusion is impressive, the LED effects are captivating and the build quality is better than expected. The app needs improvement so that the videos work directly through the app (otherwise it is so easy to use), and I think that a small carry pouch would be a welcome addition for portability (you can also use its own box which has a slide out tray to store the components), but these are just minor quibbles.
For kids who love lights, performing or anything with a touch of magic, the Wandini is a fun and entertaining choice. The Wandini is suitable for age 8+.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £21.99
For more information or to buy, visit www.wickeduncle.co.uk.