Tim has been collecting toys for over 30 years, and enjoys sharing his vintage toys here on YouTube.
However he is still collecting new items to add to the collection, and he visits a number of toy fairs and trade fairs every year. Recent visits to a few trade fairs here in the UK this Autumn produced the items he demonstrates here.
The Click Clock looks like a small cube of wood. However if you tap it, suddenly the hidden LEDs light up, and it tells you the time. It also shows the date and the temperature. It then switches off again. A small tap will switch it on, or even the sound of a voice. It is acoustically activated.
Then a new design of a stapler that does not need staples! These staplers cut and fold the paper in such a way that it holds a number of sheets of paper together. Never run out of staples again!
If you have ever gone camping and tripped over a tent peg or a guy rope in the middle of the night, the next item is for you – illuminated tent pegs!
Middle Aged Spread is a savoury spread sold by the jar in the shop at Wisley. We do not know if you can get it anywhere else, but Wisley have a good reputation, and we are sure that Tim will enjoy this, once he gets around to opening it and sampling the contents.
The next item is a new design of pepper mill. Instead of a twist action, you roll it between your hands. Suitable for a number of situations, including people with arthritis.
The balloon card combines a balloon with a card. You send it through the post. The recipient blows up the mylar balloon via a non return valve, and then the balloon stands upright, balancing on the card.
Finally the Woodland Moving Picture, also known as a diorama. This framed three dimensional picture of a woodland scene is nice enough, although devoid of any life. However, if you switch this battery powered toy on, and wait patiently and quietly, the shy inhabitants of the woodland will make their appearance. A fox appears from behind a bush, a rabbit from behind a rock, a deer from behind a tree, and so on. However there is a motion sensor at the front, and the minute there is any movement, all the animals vanish instantly!
Grand Illusions does not sell any of these items, and some of them may not be available yet. But in case you are interested in tracking any of them down, here are the associated web sites for the companies that offer these items. In some cases these will be the manufacturer, and you may need to find a retailer.
The Click Clock comes from www.ging-ko.co.uk; the staple-free stapler comes from www.stonemarketing.com; the illuminated tent peg comes from www.outdoorcampingdirect.co.uk; the jar of Middle Aged Spread was bought in the gift shop at Wisley; the pepper mill comes from www.yormii.com; the balloon card comes from www.airohmail.com and the Woodland Moving Picture comes from www.kikkerland.com
