Click below to print more copies of Marvin's phenakistoscope!

Even before movies were invented, people had come up with clever devices to create the illusion of motion from still pictures. One old-fashioned toy, the phenakistoscope, lets you view a series of pictures through slots as it spins. As in the movies, or a flipbook, your eyes see still images in rapid succession--and the brain perceives motion.

Here's how to make Marvin move:

1. Print out a copy of the spinner (click the button above to print one out!) and glue or tape the page (blank side down) to a stiff sheet of dark paper.
2. Carefully cut out the disk. Make sure you cut the slits evenly. (It's easier if you cut each side, then bend the cut part down and snip it off.)

3. Use a push pin or tack to attach the disk through the “X” in the center to the eraser of a long pencil. Make sure the dark side is facing the pencil.
4. Stand in front of a mirror with the phenakistoscope facing the mirror and the back side facing you. Spin the disk while you look at the mirror through the slits.