The Davenport Collection
- a growing resource on magic and entertainment history

Toys and games

Plastic Z Wind Up performing seal, made in China

Plastic Z Wind Up performing seal, made in China

This is a clever design. The seal walks forward balancing a rotating ball on its nose. After a short while it drops forward onto the table so that the ball is on the table. The ball continues to rotate and so drives the seal round in circles until the seal rears up again and starts walking. The cycle then repeats. Copyright 2008 is embossed on the plastic body.

Novelty plastic ball – the beetle stays on top when you roll the ball

Novelty plastic ball – the beetle stays on top when you roll the ball

Immediately inside the clear surface of the ball is a thin layer of clear liquid. This allows the internal ball, which has the printing on it, to float inside. However, this ball is weighted inside, so that no matter which way the outer clear ball is turned, the beetle image always stays on top. The effect is quite magical for anyone seeing it for the first time. The words printed on the inner ball are: ‘Harlequin Cabbage Beetle. Copyright 1992. Club Earth. Taiwan’.

Tron 3D Light Disc from Loncraine Broxton, England

Tron 3D Light Disc from Loncraine Broxton, England

The disc has a small ball bearing in the centre of its base. When the disc is spun on a flat surface it therefore spins for a very long time, creating amazing optical images as the prismatic material on the surface catches the light at different angles. With a bright light shining on the spinning disc from one direction a 3D effect is created. Made in England.

Tinplate Piranha wind-up toy

Tinplate Piranha wind-up toy

Made in India and imported to the UK by House of Marbles, Bovey Tracey, Devon. This is one of a series of nostalgia tin toys. The description of the toy on a website is quite true: ‘Our most terrifying tin toy, the Piranha! This little monster fish runs wild when you wind him up. Our very ugly red eyed fish tin toy flips his black “fins” to roll randomly on any surface. Give the piranha some space, because you will never know where he will go. Guaranteed to surprise and scare your family and friends.’ John Davenport was keen to add one of these to the Davenport Collection because it has the same motion as a novelty sold in its thousands by Davenports in the 1930s.

Expanding paper dragon

Expanding paper dragon

When fully expanded the dragon is about 750mm from nose to tail. Purchased by Anne Davenport in 2012 at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge when they were holding an exhibition on Han tomb treasures. Many Chinese themed novelties were available in the museum shop for the duration of the exhibition.