This is a well presented word game based on the detailed rules which are clearly stated in the Rules booklet. The booklet includes details on how to arrange a successful Lexicon drive. Copyright John Waddington Ltd.
Novelties, Toys, Games & Jokes
Sometimes toys and games can also be considered as puzzles. If you are interested in these, also try searching the Puzzles section.
The design is based on one of Pollock’s oldest toy theatres from circa 1880. On opening the envelope, this modern card opens up into a 3-dimensional scene from Harlequin and Colombine. www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk.
Copyright Novelties Mfg. and Sales Corp. The design of the US Revenue Playing Card stamp on the box allows the pack to be dated between 1940 and the 1965. The wolf on the back of the cards meant that the cards were often referred to as a wolf pack. See N2782 for another pack of art studies by the same manufacturer.
The 2D photograph does not do this card justice. The earth and sun stand out in 3D, and as the card is tilted sideways the clouds which partially cover the planet vanish. Copyright mapcards.net, a company from the Czech Reppublic. www.mapcards.net.
This is a rather unhelpful product. It needs a 9 volt battery to operate it, fair enough, but there is no on-off switch and the wire that connects a battery to the bow tie is very short. Made in Taiwan.
The Hackney Empire in East London opened on 9 December 1901. This badge celebrates 120 years of what has been an eventful life for the theatre. The story is told on the Hackney Empire website.
This cleverly designed card folds flat for posting. When the card is opened out and viewed with both eyes a Christmas scene is visible in 3D. Everyone has different eyesight, so to accommodate this the box can be flexed to alter the distance between the lenses and the stereo image, ensuring that everyone may view the scene in focus. The back of the card is an image of the Christmas scene. Published by Courtesy Graphics which is a trademark of The Amazing Card Company www.theamazingcard.nl.
The butterfly is powered by a rubber band. Once wound up, the butterfly is placed in a folded piece of card inside an envelope. As soon as an unsuspecting person removes the card, the butterfly flies out creating quite a surprise. Made by Klawvana, England. The company was run by Jack Klaw, who also traded under Novelties Unlimited. This butterfly was one of six designs sold under the name Klawvana Flying Butterflies. I have Philip Treece to thank for permission to include illustrations of the packaging and some other designs from his collection. Philip’s excellent blog www.CollectingMagic.co.uk contains an article on Jack Klaw and his products.
This is a remarkable object. By flipping the switch on the plastic top of the pen, the shape switches from a silver cylinder to a uniformly crushed surface. The change is reversible. CRUSHMETRIC is a design and production company established in 2019. It was co-founded by artist/inventor Noah Deledda. Their first project, the SwitchPen was launched in January 2022. The company is an interesting one and more details on its formation and other products can be found on its website www.crushmetric.com. This particular pen was a gift from Tim Rowett who works with Grand Illusions and is well known for his amazing collection of toys and novelties. In 2023 the pens are available from Grand Illusions at www.grand-illusions.com.
This is an appealing pop-up card made by Devine Cards. It is a good example of the impact that can obtained by combining paper engineering, laser cutting and colour printing.
The Magic Circle in London moved into their new headquarters at 12 Stephenson Way in 1998. Prior to the move, there was an opportunity to visit the site while alterations to the building were still being made. Attendees were each given a mug, as illustrated. The message on the mug is “Vanished from The Magic Circle Building Site, 12 Stevenson Way”. The printing purposely becomes fainter towards the right. Note that the word Stevenson is misspelt, it should be Stephenson.
The large pieces of the jigsaw contain information on magic history and magic tricks. They are used to play a rather complicated game before being assembled into the complete jigsaw. Imported to the UK by The WorksStores Ltd, Sutton Coldfield, England.