MagicMagic terms
Trap door

Trap door

Trap door

A trap door is a magic apparatus in which a hidden, hinged, or removable section is engineered into a surface — such as a stage floor, platform, box, or, playing card — allowing objects or persons to vanish, appear, or secretly transfer between compartments. The trap door exploits mechanical design and misdirection, enabling magicians to create the illusion of impossible penetrations, sudden appearances, or disappearances by using concealed access points. Trap Door magic tricks can be found in stage illusions where performers or props are made to vanish through the floor, as in close-up magic with prepared cards or boxes that contain secret flaps or openings. The trap door principle is foundational in both large-scale theatrical magic and close-up routines.