The photograph cannot do justice to what you see when you view this bookmark. The silver spheres appear three dimensional and the red circle appears to be be below the actual level of the bookmark.
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.
This is a simple but effective noise maker. When the two pieces of metal are squeezed together, the circular depression visible on the underside piece of metal suddenly pops outwards with a loud report. When the pressure is released, the metal returns to its depressed state, emitting another loud pop.
When you pick up the cotton reel by the two ends, and inadvertently squeeze, the reel emits a load squeak.
The magnetic base allows sculptures to be made using the steel rings supplied. Made in Taiwan.
This is a modern version of the age old flick book. Copyright 1996 B. Shackman & Co. Inc., New York. Printed in Hong Kong.
The Levitron top floats by using the lifting power produced by opposing permanent magnets. The top is stabilised in space by the gyroscopic effect produced when you spin it. Getting the top to levitate is not easy: weight and balance are critical and it comes with an assortment of additional weights to fine tune its behaviour.
When you grasp the two beads at the bottom of the string, one in each hand, and pull down on the strings in turn, the two people slowly climb up the string. As soon as the tension in the string is released, the people drop back down. This is a traditional toy that still gives great pleasure.
When you turn the parrot head over tail several times, the perch on which it sits winds up as the parrot rises higher up its supporting strings. When you then let the parrot go, it rolls over and over, dropping all the time on its strings until it gets to the bottom, and then it starts winding up the strings again. Think yoyo and you will understand the movement.
When the double spiral is spun on its supporting thread, it looks as though one spiral is moving upwards and at the same time the other spiral is moving downwards.
The glass ball is trapped within the spiral, but when you spin the spiral it looks as though the ball is moving within the moving spiral. It is a very strong illusion.