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Praxinoscope

Praxinoscope

Regular price 65,00 €
Regular price Sale price 65,00 €
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Relive the elegance of early animated films with the Praxinoscope, invented by Émile Reynaud in 1876. This revolutionary optical toy marked a decisive step towards modern cinema by offering an image of unparalleled fluidity and clarity, free from the flickering of the Zoetrope's slits.

Fun and Educational Activity: Perfect for exploring the mechanisms of movement as a family or group. It integrates naturally into art, history, or science (optics) classes, allowing everyone to become both the artist who draws and the spectator amazed by their own creation.

Included Contents (10 Strips)

  • 6 Color Strips Included: These illustrated sequences are specially designed to explore and understand the mechanics of optical animation effects.

  • 4 Blank Strips to Create: Express your creativity! These strips are fully blank and pre-marked, ready to be filled with your own animated sequences.

Features

  • Dimensions: Height: 25 cm; Cylinder diameter: 21 cm
  • Product weight: 650 g Packaged weight: 950 g
  • Manufacturing material: The structure is made of biodegradable polymer, combining robustness and environmental friendliness. The central device is equipped with mirrors, precisely arranged to ensure optimal image reflection.
  • As each piece is handcrafted, slight variations in color and finish may exist compared to the photographs on the website.

Additional information

  • Assembly: The Praxinoscope consists of 3 interlocking parts. Assembly is intuitive and takes less than 30 seconds.

  • Safety: To guarantee optimal image clarity, this model uses real glass mirrors. Therefore, its use by children (aged 5 and over) must be strictly supervised by an adult.
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Educational toy

Scientific Understanding: Observe how the brain perceives a series of still images as continuous motion

Fun and Educational Activity: Excellent for developing creativity during family or group games. It integrates perfectly into drawing, art, or science classes, where everyone becomes the creator and observer of the optical illusion.

The Origins of Cinema: A fascinating starting point to explore this historical object and trace the evolution of the moving image to the present day.

How does it work?

Simply start the drum's rotation smoothly and the Praxinoscope animation will instantly come to life in the center of the device.

This phenomenon relies on the use of a ring of mirrors arranged in the center of the drum: as it rotates, each mirror replaces the previous one by reflecting a still image. This rapid replacement eliminates the black flicker of the slits and allows our brain to perceive a moving scene with great fluidity.

Regarding lighting: The Praxinoscope offers a naturally brighter image than the Zoetrope. For optimal results, direct a light source towards the inside of the drum to properly illuminate the illustrated strips; their reflections in the mirrors will be all the more vibrant and contrasting.

Note: No optical assistance (phone camera) is required. The clarity and stability of the image offer a magical spectacle, perfectly visible and sharp to the naked eye.

Bandes d'animations colorées pour le Zootrope (Zoetrope / Zoétrope).

Animation

Become an animator yourself. These tapes are designed to encourage experimentation and artistic expression.

In addition to the 6 colored strips, there are 4 completely blank strips with the separation marks drawn.

Create your own animated sequence : draw, color and bring your characters or geometric shapes to life.