How to Make the Magna-Tile Hologram from TikTok

Create this cool effect with Magna-Tiles lying around your home

Co-authored by Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: March 2, 2026 Fact Checked

If you're a parent with a toddler or a little kid, or if you're someone who loves building things with toys, chances are you have Magna-Tiles at home. These magnetic plastic tiles are fun to play with and teach children about shapes, but TikTok says they can do something even more magical: make a hologram illusion! The hologram Magna-Tiles viral hack is super easy to recreate at home, and all you need are tiles in 3 basic shapes and your smartphone. Follow our simple steps below to bring this incredible illusion to life for you and your kid!

How do you set up the hologram Magna-Tiles hack?

Build a box with 3 square Magna-Tiles on the bottom, 2 squares for walls, and 2 right triangles for wall supports. Set an isosceles triangle on the inside of each wall, orient the slopes toward you, and lay a square tile across them. Play a hologram video on your phone and lay the screen across the tops of the walls.

1

Connect 3 square Magna-Tiles on a flat surface.

Download Article

Choose 3 square Magna-Tiles, all the same size, and lay them on a flat surface, like a table. Push them together so the tiles connect into one horizontal, straight line. These squares will form the base for your hologram box!
- Some internet sources suggest using dark-colored Magna-Tiles wherever possible, especially for the tile the hologram will project onto in step 5!

2

Set 2 square tiles upright on the tiles lying down.

Download Article

Pick out 2 more square Magna-Tiles. Hold them upright and connect them to the bottom tiles on the seams where the middle tile meets the other two tiles. These tiles form the walls for the hologram box!

3

Connect 2 right-angle triangles to the upright squares.

Download Article

Select 2 right-angle triangle Magna-Tiles and set them on either side of the vertical square tiles. Line the straight bottom edges of the triangles with the edges of the bottom tiles closest to you. These triangles provide support for the box's walls.

4

Place 2 isosceles triangles next to the upright squares.

Download Article

Stand an isosceles triangle Magna-Tile up against the inside of each of the 2 vertical square tiles. Orient each triangle to slope down and point toward you. These triangles will support the square tile in the step below.

5

Set a square on top of the isosceles triangles.

Download Article

Balance the edges of a square Magna-Tile on top of the slopes of the isosceles triangle tiles. It should fit snugly and angle down toward you! This square will project the "hologram" toward you.

6

Play a hologram video on your smartphone.

Download Article

Open the YouTube app on your phone and play a hologram video. Type "3d holograms for kids" into the search bar, and tap a video that you or your child will enjoy watching. Tap the Full Screen arrow in the bottom right corner of the video, so it fills your whole screen.
- Most of the holograms are animals, including a hummingbird, a fish, or a unicorn!

7

Lay your phone over the Magna-Tiles.

Download Article

After tapping "Play" on the hologram video, set your phone screen-side down over the top of the standing square tiles. Then turn out the lights in the room. You should see the hologram projecting off the slanted square tile underneath the phone screen!
- This TikTok by @nurturing.nuggets shows how the completed hologram Magna-Tiles hack is supposed to look!
- How it works: The 3D animation in the YouTube video shines on the translucent Magna-Tile just below it. Because the tile is angled and slightly reflective, it projects the animation upward, giving it a hologram effect!
  - This is similar to the Pepper's Ghost effect, a trick used by illusionists and even in theme parks. It's how some of the ghosts in the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland look so real—they're projections of animatronics, which are positioned underneath the ride!^{[1]
    X
    Research source}