Spirograph

[remember]

Before the days of powerful graphics software, and when kids used to be creative, there was Spirograph. With this beast of a drawing set in your clutches, anyone could produce something to amaze others with (and make their eyes go a little bit funny in the process).Basically, the Spirograph set consisted of various sized plastic cogs or gears, each edged with grooves to allow you to fit them together and run them along each other's sides. You could then put your artist's pencil through one of the central holes and push the cog around another to create some crazy spiral patterns. This was all carried out on a large piece of paper that you had to pin to a board (or dining room table) so as to leave both hands free for the creative process. It took a bit of practise, and a pile of drawings ruined by cogs that went awol, but once you cracked it there was no stopping you. The different sized cogs meant you could keep drawing series of elipses and spirals that crossed over each other for an even more impressive end result, making the most of the four different coloured pens provided in the box for a totally groovy gallery or artwork.After its arrival at the Nuremburg International Toy Fair in 1965, by British engineer Denys Fisher, Spirograph's potential was picked up by toy manufacturer Kenner and produced in its masses. By the end of the 70s, spin-offs comprised Spirotot, Super Spriograph, New Spirograph and Spirograph 2000, which was perhaps one step too far. Luckily for Kenner, the original Spirograph concept was another of those toys that kids love for its randomness, while parents prefer to see as an educational investment (see Simon entry for another example). After all, Spirograph actually rested on the principles of geometry - those random shapes are technically known as hypotrochoids and epitrochoids don't you know? So, if any of those kids end up as great mathematicians, let's hope they know who to thank.

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[Richard1978]

Re: Spirograph

My brother & I had a Spirotot, which was fun to use as long as we could fix the paper down enough.

In the early cousins had a pocket sized Spirograph that used post-it notes.

[rossobantam]

Re: Spirograph

[HG]

Re: Spirograph

I inherited one from my sister, she never used it and I don't think I ever did properly

[Marine Boy]

Re: Spirograph

You just did it on another thread ross, and now you've done it here: given me the shivers. Nice ones mind

I remembered Spirigraph but had forgotten that all important article - the box! Seeing the layout with the discs, wheels and long bits, and the booklet has given me a bit of a thrill. And the little perspex pot that held the pins with the red nobbled on, that you used to hold the plastic pieces to the paper.

Sigh...

[Tortie]

Re: Spirograph

Oooohhh I just found my Spirographs! All wheels intact too! I had the original one, Super Spirograph, then Spirograph 2000, which I never enjoyed quite as much as the originals. Can't wait to get cracking with it again - after over 40 years!
After I made pin holes in the table with the little map pins, mum always made sure I had a thick piece of cardboard underneath when Spirograph came out to play

[shilton dipper]

Re: Spirograph

I had spirograph.........spent a lot of time at weekends doing it but..........always seemed to end up with the same patterns

[shilton dipper]

Re: Spirograph

As well as spirograph I also had a black plastic leggy thing that was hinged with a sucker to hold it in place...........you could enlarge/decrease drawing sizes...........one end held a pointer to trace and the other end held the pencil...........can't for the life of me remember what it was called.............any ideas????