From Grand Illusions.

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Tim goes back 25 years to the year 2000 – here are some of the toys he acquired in that year.

A bird whistle that needs water in it to give the nice warbling effect…

The famous Drinking Bird toy. This is actually an example of a Heat Engine – a device that transfers thermal energy into mechanical or electrical work. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_bird

Another WIF (what’s it for?) – open it up and you discover… a skipping rope. Spring loaded for when you want to pack it away.

The ‘bandsaw mechanism’ is the basis of the next item – it starts very compact, and then with a flick it opens.

A fancy version of the levitator – this one has a built in light show!

Lubor Fiedler was the inventor of the next item. A battery powered clock. Inside the case, which is see through, a hand is reaching for a card. But wait – there is a gap between the card and the hand. How is the card being suspended in mid air? You might think there is some kind of support hidden behind the card, but no – the pendulum is swinging to and fro right behind the card. How is it done? Our money is on … magic!

Modular origami, where a number of single origami items fit together to create a larger structure. Continuing the origami theme, Tim shows some sheets of fine gauze from Japan that can be used for origami, just as if they were sheets of paper.

Finally an acrobatic dog that balances on a ball that rolls around the table in a very random way. A candidate for the circus maybe?