Thaumatrope Motion Toys in Etsy

The history of animation began with a simple device called the Thaumatrope. Dating back to the early 1800's the Thaumatrope works on the principle of persistence of vision which is the eye's ability to retain an image for a fraction of a second after the object is gone. In this case, the eye continues to see the two images on either side of the discs for a split second after each has appeared. As the Thaumatrope spins the series of quick flashes is perceived as one continuous image.

I've always loved the simplicity of these toys and their magical effect. So it was natural for me to want to create one for myself, with a Halloween theme of course. You can find this Head and Spectacles Thaumatrope and other styles in my Etsy shop. Enjoy!