BusyBody: Customizable Animation Toy

The BusyBody toy looks like a fun and novel update of the pre-cinema praxinoscope device. The concept is the same as the 1800s-era praxinoscope, but instead of a strip of pictures, the BusyBody uses ten rubber figures which can be bent to perform different actions. Those figures are then placed on the turntable and spun, at which point they appear to come to life in the mirror. Here’s a video showing how the toy works:

Designed by artist and inventor Rufus B. Seder, the BusyBody is available for $25 on his website. While I question it’s utility as a posing tool for pro animators, it looks like an effective device for teaching younger artists how to create animation movement. And frankly, it looks like fun for users of any age. Below are some of the sample actions that can be produced with the toy.

Of course, you can add props to create even more actions, like this hula-hooping figure: