Sunday, February 26, 2012

What is the spinning toy in Sleepy Hallow?

It is a disk on two strings that can be spun. It combines two images. Sometimes making a word or phrase. In the movie it is a bird and cage that, once spun, become a caged bird. What is the name of the toy, and any links to its background and history?

Thank you!What is the spinning toy in Sleepy Hallow?The toy is called a thaumatrope, and was invented in the nineteenth century. In 1824, a physicist from London named Dr. John A. Paris showed it in a demonstration on the persistence of vision and made it popular as a child's toy. It's successor was the phenakistoscope, which was a disc that produced a moving picture using a series of still images. After this toy, the zoetrope was invented, which was similar to the phenakistoscope but utilized a cylinder instead of a disc.



Here is a link to the thaumatrope's history, which includes pictures and information on the toy:



http://courses.ncssm.edu/gallery/collect鈥?/a>



Hope that helps!

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