News FeedDay 3 Sand Toys
November 14, 2009 by admin
‘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
Sand toys designed by Ron Fuller were amongst the first pieces to be sold at the original ‘Cabaret’ in Falmouth in 1979. You can see two dancing lady sand toys at either end of the bottom shelves.
We have one of Ron’s sand toys in our touring exhibition at El Parque de las Ciencias in Granada.
Join our
Subscribe to our
Follow us
Greetings from Montreal, Canada!
A friend has just shown me her Trapeze Acrobat Sand Toy, given to her kids over 50 years ago & just unearthed in her attic. It’s a simple cardboard box, leaked a bit of sand but still amuses well. No markings anywhere. The little figure is similar to others I’ve seen on the Net – but unfortunately I cannot get any info on him (when/where made, value?) and am wondering – hoping, actually – you may shed some light on it.
thanks and kind regards
eliz
I have a trapeze acrobat sand toy, it is in a wood box with a glass front. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a child. It originally had a sticker on it that said “Japan,” but it’s worn off now. Still works like a charm though. I’m not 100% sure where she got it, but my grandmother didn’t go many places but she did go to the Field Science Museum in Chicago and I’m guessing that is where she probably got it originally. I have no idea what it’s worth.