Tarot Deck Review # 8 - Whimsical Tarot

Illustrated and designed by popular tarot artist Mary Hanson-Roberts this is a deck for all ages.

Using both well-known and obscure fairy tales and nursery rhymes to illustrate the deck the overall feel of the deck is peaceful gentleness.

The illustrations are black-outlined and colored with pencil - one of my most favored type of tarot art. The colors are soft and dreamy. The faces of the people are clear. The art style is realistic, edging toward cartoon in a pleasing way. There are some who feel this deck is a bit on the sweet side. Other decks by Mary Hanson-Roberts share this characteristic, however that's fine with me.

The cards are larger in scale. The white border is thin, and the cards are all framed with a thin, rainbow hued border decorated with vines, flowers and roses.

The card finish is satin with a dull sheen, the cards are not too slick.

The card backs are reversible, a blue flower design within a loose Celtic knot work frame in yellow, bordered by orange and purple bands. It sounds a bit ugly, but the overall effect is muted, but not unattractive.

This deck is a RWS clone, and the use of fairy tales make it a surprisingly rich deck; the principles of archetype are everywhere.

I love many of these cards, since I enjoy fairy tales - The Moon (Hey Diddle Diddle) The Lovers (Beauty and the Beast) and the Fool (The Scarecrow and Toto) are all favorites, but even the minors are delightful to me.

This would be a good deck for a beginner, or even a child. However don't be fooled by this decks gentle demeanor; it's readings can be as blunt as any darker themed deck.

For more information about Mary Hanson-Roberts, check out her website.

This was an easy deck to read with, very clear and concise. A comfortable deck, and the artwork is sweet, but not cloying to me. I found the fairy-tale theme helpful in spurring my readings toward intuition rather than only what the cards routinely mean. It would also be a good story-telling deck.

This deck is in print.
Not a must-have, but a nice addition to any collection.
I would replace it if it strayed.