Story Scope

This wonderful anamorphic toy was made by the US firm Schylling, of Salem, MA. The company is still going strong, although this toy has not been available for many years now.

The package contains a mirror, which we think is parabolic. In the middle of the mirror is a small hole. You then get a cardboard tube, with images printed on the outside. You pop the tube into the back of the mirror, and the images on the tube are then reflected by the mirror, giving you the final picture. As you slide the tube forwards, the picture changes. The one we demonstrate here is a cosmic zoom, a bit like the power of 10 book, if you have seen that. Initially there are planets, then we see the earth, then we zoom in and see a lake, then a boat on the lake, then a woman sunbathing on the deck, then we zoom inside her arm and see blood vessels, and eventually atoms and sub atomic particles. A second tube comes with each pack, which has designs printed on the side, but just as line drawings, so you have to colour the pictures in yourself.

This particular version was called 'Follow Me' but there were other designs in the series, all with different pictures.

NB In 2014 a new version of this toy was released called Cosmic Zoom from the US company Eye Think, Inc.