Wind-up toy

Wind-up toy

A wind-up toy is any toy that is powered by a spring that is tightened by turning it. After release, the spring tries to get in its original, untightened position, and makes the small toy go as well. [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:zCaydYvRE2oJ:accelerateu.org/assessments/ELA6/WindupToys.doc+How+do+Wind+up+toys+work&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us Windup Toys and Automatons] ]

Usage

Wind-up toys are used as a simple, yet useful way to make a toy move with just a simple form of powering it. Most wind-up toys are made of plastic and are sold by a variety of companies, but the leader in making wind-ups is [http://www.zwindups.com Z Wind Ups by California Creations] who also manufactures the original [http://www.tomy.com Tomy] wind-up toys.

History

Wind-up toys date far back into history, into the fifteenth century. Karel Grod, a German inventor, created some of the first wind-up toys, including a metal fly and a mechanical eagle. Also, in 1509, Leonardo da Vinci created a wind-up lion as a greeting for Louis XII in Italy. Wind-up toys were at first for only royalty, and were much more elaborate, with a very complex system of gears and springs. René Descartes also created a life-sized wind-up human girl to prove a theory that all animals were very complex machines. However, as legend goes, the mechanical girl was thrown overboard after a man was frightened by it.

After the much larger, elaborate wind-up machine art declined in interest, wind-up toys were created very cheaply and in very large numbers by the 1800s. Wind-up machines then became known as wind-up toys, and were designed in all different forms to move around.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • wind-up — wind up1 [ waınd ,ʌp ] adjective a wind up toy or machine is one that works when you turn a key several times wind up wind up 2 [ waınd ,ʌp ] noun count 1. ) the process of ending something 2. ) BRITISH INFORMAL something that you say or do to… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • wind|up — wind up or wind|up «WYND UHP», noun, adjective. –n. 1. a winding up; end; close; conclusion; finish. 2. the series of swinging and twisting movements of the arm and body made by a baseball pitcher just before pitching the ball. –adj. 1 …   Useful english dictionary

  • Toy — This article is about playthings. For other uses of the term, see Toy (disambiguation). A toy is an object used in play. Toys are usually associated with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non domesticated animals… …   Wikipedia

  • wind-up — I UK [ˈwaɪnd ʌp] / US [ˈwaɪnd ˌʌp] noun [countable] Word forms wind up : singular wind up plural wind ups 1) British informal something that you say or do to deliberately annoy or trick someone When they said I d won I thought it was a wind up.… …   English dictionary

  • wind-up — 1. noun /ˈwaɪndˌʌp/ a) The end or conclusion of something. : Everyone come to our end of the term wind up party. b) A punch line of a joke or comedy routine. Is this a wind up, or what? No, no, its true. He can really do it. See Also …   Wiktionary

  • Toy train — redirects here. For information on the Toy Train in Darjeeling, click on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway .Fact|date=September 2008 Many toy trains blur the line between the two categories, running on electric power and approaching accurate… …   Wikipedia

  • wind — wind1 [wīnd] vt. wound or Rare winded, winding [ME winden < OE windan, akin to ON vinda, Ger winden < IE base * wendh , to turn, wind, twist > Arm gind, a ring] 1. a) to turn, or make revolve [to wind a crank] b) to move by or as if by… …   English World dictionary

  • Toy Box — est un groupe musical danois de Bubblegum dance formé dans les années 1990. Le groupe est composé de deux membres; Anila Mirza et Amir El Falaki. Anila est née le 8 octobre 1974 à Hillerød au Danemark d une mère Pakistano Perse et d un… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Toy-Box — est un groupe musical danois de Bubblegum dance formé dans les années 1990. Le groupe est composé de deux membres; Anila Mirza et Amir El Falaki. Anila est née le 8 octobre 1974 à Hillerød au Danemark d une mère Pakistano Perse et d un… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wind-up — or windup can refer to: * a verb for terminating the existence of a company or other entity with a view to its liquidation and dissolution * the windup is one of the two legal pitching positions in baseball * Wind up Records, a New York record… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”