Day 3 Sand Toys

‘The Musicians of Bremen’ is a sand operated mechanical paper kit by German paper artist Walter Ruffler.

Based on the famous fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, in which a donkey, a dog, a cat and a cockerel decide to become musicians in the North German town of Bremen.
Here we see the donkey tirelessly at the keyboard, as long as the sand keeps running.

This toy is powered by a sand motor. From a hopper in the upper part of the model sand trickles on a lever like an hourglass. As the weight of the sand gets heavier, the lever comes down which makes the forelegs go up. The forelegs and lever are connected by a toothpick as an axle. The sand glides down from the sloping lever and it raises up again.

The Musicians of Bremen £3.95 (ex VAT)
Mechanical paper kit by Walter Ruffler