Mystery Items: Old Toys

Old Time Toys

Christmas always brings back fond memories of growing up.  I had a great grandfather who loved to tell me stories, made me simple toys and showed me tricks.  Above are three of my favorite that I spent hours playing with.   They are still fun and I simply had to make again this year and pass them along too.  Do you know what they are?  The answer before Christmas!  

ANSWER!  The item on the left is called a "Hooey Stick" or a "Gee-Haw" stick.  Using the small dowel you rub back and forth along the bumps and this causes the propeller to spin.  The user can command the propeller to go clockwise or counter-clockwise by saying "Hooey"  or "Gee-Haw."  Gee-Haw were vocal commands given to teams of horses to go left or right.  Look up on the internet what you do to manipulate the direction.  Can you figure it out yourself?

The string with a button is called a "whirligig."   Its basically a horizontal "yo-yo."  You put the string ends over your index fingers and twirl the button in a circle to whined the string and then in a smooth move pull your hands apart and cause the button to spin.  By flexing and relaxing the tension on the string you can keep the button spinning like a table saw. 

The last is a loop of string.  In the old days, string tricks were very popular.  There are over 750 you can do.  Check the web and learn a few.  Crow's feet is one of my favorites.   Now go have fun and don't worry about batteries.