Once upon a time, when animation was in its infancy, cartoons were much more dangerous to watch. Each frame was painted on a section of cave wall. In order to see the animation, you’d have to run down the cave at a constant speed blinking your eyes repeatedly. Many lives were lost as folks tripped, ran into cave walls, or were eaten by giant, cave-dwelling lobsters (it’s true – look it up). Eventually, the zoetrope was created, which saved a lot of lives. And in 1877, a man by the name of Charles-Émile Reynaud invented the praxinoscope. It was an improvement on the zoetrope (it kept the viewing area still and only moved the images), and a great improvement on being eaten by lobsters.
We’re pleased to offer you this desktop praxinoscope kit to celebrate this piece of somewhat forgotten, cartoon history. It’s easy to assemble, so you’ll be watching animations within a minute or two. You get 12 double-sided discs – half have animations printed on them, half are ready for you to draw your own (that is, blank). Switch on the little amber LED for an added old time, “at the flickers” feel and give the praxinoscope a spin. The images will be reflected on the spinning mirrors and thanks to our friend “persistence of vision” you will see an animated image. The Praxinoscope Kit is a great thing to do on boring days trapped in the office. Pop a little popcorn, dim the lights, and party like it’s 1877!
Suggested Price: $12.99