⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  4.6 / 5 Stars across 4,700+ Verified Reviews

Real magic doesn´t
live on a screen

Real magic
doesn´t live 
on a screen

Ciphers to crack.
Secret hotlines to call.
Locked safes to open. 

Ciphers to crack.
        Secret hotlines to call.          Locked safes to open. 

Mail Order Mystery is an immersive
multi-week adventure that gets kids off screens and deeply focused on reading, thinking, and solving the case.

CHOOSE A MYSTERY

Ages 6+ | One-time purchase, never a subscription

Wait, really?

Countless kids say Mail Order Mystery is the "best gift ever”, and parents admit they get just as hooked on solving the case as their kids do.

So you’re telling me kids will actually trade their screens for wax-sealed letters, fingerprint reports, and secret ciphers?

Absolutely. There is real magic in receiving a personalized letter addressed directly to them. Instead of zombie-scrolling on a tablet, kids analyze secret clues and inspect mysterious objects related to the case. They get so caught up in the story they forget devices even exist.

This isn't just paper that ends up scattered on the floor?

Far from it. Beyond case files and illustrated maps, each mystery includes physical artifacts like lockable safes disguised as books, antique metal keys, decoder wheels, cipher necklaces, wax seals, and keepsakes they’ll cherish long after the case is closed.

"I was impressed by the surprising, intricate storytelling, and by how deeply invested my kids became in their given missions."

Best Gifts for
10 Year-Olds, 2026

Passive screen time vs. active offline discovery

Screen Time

Zombie-mode scrolling: Glazed eyes and rapid dopamine hits.

Isolation: Closed doors and headphones.

Screen-time arguments: Daily battles to turn devices off.

Mail Order Mystery

Deep focus & logic: Active problem-solving, reading comprehension, and deduction.

Shared engagement: Kids show off their clues and involve the whole family.

Excited anticipation: Kids willingly leave screens behind to work on cracking the case.

CHOOSE A MYSTERY

Passive screen time vs. active offline discovery

   Screen Time 

Zombie-mode scrolling: Glazed eyes and rapid dopamine hits.

Isolation: Closed doors and headphones.

Screen-time arguments: Daily battles to turn devices off. 


Mail Order Mystery 

Deep focus & logic: Active problem-solving, reading comprehension, and deduction.  

Shared engagement: Kids show off their clues and involve the whole family.

Excited anticipation: Kids willingly leave screens behind to work on cracking the case.

CHOOSE A MYSTERY

CHOOSE A MYSTERY

Why Mail Order Mystery Outsmarts Video Games

Why Mail Order Mystery Outsmarts Video Games

Interactive
Reading

Reading doesn’t feel like homework when it holds the secret code to opening a locked treasure box.

The Power of
Real Mail

Nothing beats the tactile excitement of opening a physical envelope addressed to you and finding a necklace inside with a clue engraved on it.

Real
Accomplishment

Holding a cipher wheel and physically cracking a code gives a sense of real-world mastery no video game
can match.

CHOOSE A MYSTERY

How It Works

Step 1:
Choose your mystery

We've got five different mysteries for kids 6+. Search for long lost treasure, send your kids to spy school, go on a noble mission, help detectives crack a case involving bigfoot or travel through time.

Step 2:
Choose your delivery style

Option A: The Weekly Reveal

Six installments, mailed once a week for six weeks. You pick the date we mail the first letter. Just remember that letter mail doesn't have tracking and there can be postal delays.


Option B: The All-In-One Box

All six installments ship together in one package. You get exactly the same mystery as if you get the letters mailed weekly. The letters are still personalized and addressed to the child receiving the mystery - we just send them all together in a single package with tracking. It means that you don't have to worry about letters getting delayed in the mail and you can do the mystery as fast or slow as you want.

Step 3:
Personalize the magic

Enter the child's name when you place your order. They are the hero of the story. We personalize all the dispatches, missions and different elements of the mystery, so kids feel like they're part of the story.

Step 4:
Crack the case!

Kids receive cool objects and curious letters from knights, trolls, pirates, spies, and more! There are secret codes to decipher and clues to solve. Each mystery concludes with a special keepsake they'll cherish long after the experience is finished

CHOOSE A MYSTERY

Questions?

My child struggles to stay focused on reading. Will this hold their attention?

Yes! Because the reading is directly tied to solving a mystery, kids read with a purpose. Parents constantly tell us that reluctant readers suddenly jump at the chance to read these letters out loud. And if you’re worried about your child having trouble staying focused, our mysteries make a great family activity for parents to work on with their kids.

I don't live in the same city/state  as my grandchild/niece/nephew, can I still gift this?

Absolutely! Over 35% of our customers buy these as long-distance gifts. We send the mystery directly to their address, personalized in their name.

What age is this for?

We design our mysteries for kids 8+, but with help with reading and clues some are good for kids age 6 or 7. Our "Escape the Master Loop" mystery is perfect to do as a group that can include teens and adults.

What exactly do I get in a mystery experience?

Mail Order Mysteries are stories that are told through a series of clues, documents and letters. The letters are written to kids from the characters, which means that kids are directly involved in the story. Each mailing also contains documents or objects relating to a mysterious event that you will come to understand as the story unfolds. Depending on the mystery you could receive top secret dossiers, newspaper clippings, postcards, maps, keys, necklaces and so on.

Isn’t it a bit expensive for what looks like a few letters and pieces of paper? 

Mail Order Mystery isn’t just a series of letters, it’s a multi-week, interactive mystery experience designed to feel like a top-secret movie unfolding in real life. The experience goes far beyond paper. Kids receive custom-crafted maps, cipher wheels, keys, wax-sealed parchments, and jewelry etched with ciphers that they keep forever. They are carefully crafted artifacts designed to feel real. When kids hold the "evidence" in their hands, they're living the story.

How long does shipping take? 

All of our mysteries are personalized and assembled by hand, so it takes some time to prepare each experience. If you choose to have your letters mailed weekly, you pick the date for us to mail the first letter and it usually takes 5-10 business days for the first letter to arrive. And remember, the date you pick is the date we mail the first letter, not the date the letter arrives. The postal system can work in mysterious ways, so please be patient.

 

If you choose to have all the installments in your mystery shipped "All in One Box" you should receive your mystery 9-15 days after placing your order. For "All in One Box" orders we also offer an express shipping service for customers who want to receive their mystery more quickly.

 

If you need a gift today, you can download and print a gift note that lets a child know their mystery will start arriving soon.
 

Is this a subscription where I keep getting charged if I forget to cancel?

Absolutely not! All of our mystery experiences are one time purchases. You pay once for all six installments of each mystery. There is never any recurring billing.

Choose the Perfect Screen-Free Adventure

Give them an experience filled with mystery, critical thinking, and real-world magic.

Treasure Hunt!

  • Age 6+ (Age 6-7 may need adult help)

  • Pirate themed

  • Individual or with a partner

  • From $109.00

Long-lost treasure, double-crossing pirates and a pirate ancestor who turns out to be from their own family. They'll get ancient maps and a real treasure chest at the end.

SEND THIS MYSTERY

The Enchanted Slumber

  • Age 6+ (Age 6-7 may need adult help)

  • Fairy-tale themed

  • Individual or with a partner

  • From $114.00

A knight, a troll, a librarian, a dragon and your child team up to wake a princess who has slept for almost 700 years. Wax-sealed parchment missions and cipher-etched necklaces.

SEND THIS MYSTERY

Spies, Lies & Serious Bad Guys

  • Age 9+

  • Espionage themed

  • Individual or with a partner

  • From $119.00

It starts with an acceptance letter to a top-secret spy school. Then comes the mission: find a missing spy and stop a villain. A spy hotline to call, gadgets and a safe disguised as a book.

SEND THIS MYSTERY

The Case of the Missing Bigfoot

  • Age 9+

  • Detective themed

  • Individual or with a partner

  • From $119.00

A safe has been emptied at an old mansion not far from where you live. Who did it? A detective adventure packed with Bigfoot, Yeti and cryptid lore.

SEND THIS MYSTERY

Escape the Master Loop

  • Age 12 + for kids to do on their own
    Age 9 + with adult help

  • Time travel themed

  • Perfect for a group or family

  • From $114.00

Letters from your future self about the messes you’ve made in the space-time continuum. Perfect for family game night or a group of kids.

SEND THIS MYSTERY

What makes this different from another gift?

They won’t remember another app, video game, or plastic gadget. They’ll remember the summer they spent tracking Bigfoot, cracking ciphers, or outsmarting a top-secret agent.

What’s the next move?

Turn off the devices, pick their mystery, and watch their imagination take over.

Not sure which mystery? 
Help me choose.