I've always found the toucan to be an attractive and unusual bird, courtesy of its bright markings and large colourful bills, so the Tucan deck inspired by this iconic bird was immediately going to appeal to me. As a result of the unique appearance, these iconic birds are considered to be among the most popular and well-known in the world. It certainly makes them well suited to fly into a custom deck of playing cards.

Toucans are a forest species that is native to the neotropical realm that includes South America, and can be found in a region stretching from parts of Mexico down to the top of Argentina. They've long been associated with the Mayan rainforests of central America, and that's why several Mayan symbols have been incorporated on the design of the card backs: Muyal (Cloud), Ja' (Water), Chan (Sky), K'in (Sun), and Witz (Mountain).

The backs of the playing cards from this deck look absolutely exquisite, with a very striking central motif based around the Toucan's head and bill, set on a detailed background with Mayan symbols. The attractive Aces likewise show an attention to detail and ornamented design.

Everything about the deck is fully custom, including the font used for the indices, the design of the pips, and the Jokers, the latter being inspired by the Mayan ritual performers known as Baldzam. Under the pips on the indices is a separate Mayan numbering system.

But my favourite part of this deck is the stunning range of court cards. These continue the Mayan theme, with 12 unique characters styled with period weapons and accessories, and placed in background that evokes their ancient setting. This is an outstanding deck of custom playing cards, and a wonderful tribute to an ancient culture and place.

As with most of the custom decks produced by Penguin Magic, these are printed by the United States Playing Card Company, so you can expect durable and high quality cards that perform smoothly and reliably right out of the box.

Sooooo so beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

I am not a card collector, and only do a few card tricks. I really love the art of the Tucan cards. I picked up a couple decks of the Tucan cards for me and my niece. She is from Central America and loved seeing her heritage honored through these cards. Based on her reaction I think they would be a great addition to your show if you are performing for folks from Central America.

Great looking cards

I enjoy the new Tucan playing cards.

Handling wise, they work quite well for me ... although I'm certainly not a cardician.

I see no evidence of marks, nor of deliberate or accidental one-way-ness.

For me, I enjoy having the Mayan numbers ... and wish that the Arabic number (and J, Q, K) indices weren't there as well.

They are beautiful. Very unique with a great feel. Easy handling. Very colorful. Very different. I'm glad I bought them!!