Throwback Thursday: Zoetrope!

Now the Holidays are over and things are going back to normal, it’s time for another Throwback Thursday! In today’s spotlight: The Zoetrope! I personaly like this build quite a lot, for various reasons. First it greatly reminds me of my childhood, watching Disney’s Tarzan I first stumbled across a zoetrope when Jane’s father used it to illustrate the meaning of the word ‘gorilla’. Let’s just say I felt quite as excited as Tarzan seemed to be. Now that I’m older, I see more than just the pictures coming alive. The perception is what interests me most at this particular moment in time. As the Zoetrope spins around, the pictures are turned around. Throught the slits one can see the pictures on the opposite side of the Zoetrope. Yet as the pictures are spinning around quite fast, the transmission and processing of what you see (with your eyes) to realizing what you see (with your brain) is not fast enough. The brain does not like to not comprehend what it is seeing, so it comes up with an alternative view: it combines the pictures so you see movement!* 

I think it is safe to say that the Zoetrope is an inspiring build, fasciniting for both children and adults! And the best? Our building instructions are free!

Want to know more about the Zoetrope’s history? Continue reading on our product page on the Zoetrope!

 

*Mind, this is the simplified explanation!