Does anyone remember the classic kids’ toy that was a series of wood (now plastic) pieces hinged together with straps so that the top piece appeared to cascade to the bottom.
What is it called and do you know of any on-line pictures or videos of same?
Jacobs Ladder
Not to be confused with Jacob’s ladder. Or Jacob’s ladder. Or Jacob’s ladder. Or …
Another photo from teachersource dot com, where you can buy one.
I never knew the name “Jacob’s Ladder” for them. When I played with these, I think they (or at least the brand I knew) were called “Click Clack Blocks”.
In one of Martin Gardner’s books on mathematical games and diversions, he has a chapter on making folded paper goodies that he calls Tetraflexagons (not to be confused with the much-better-known hexaflexagons, a chapter in another of his books). (Just google tetraflexagon for many more cites.)
These come in many varieties. The classic Jacob’s Ladder toy is a more elaborate version of a tetraflexagon.
Yes, the toy pictured as Jacob’s ladder is what I was thinking about, but we didn’t call it that. I believe we did call it something like click clack blocks so that indeed might be a brand name. The Jacob’s ladder I recall (apart from the Biblical reference) was one of the steps in the string game Cat’s Cradle.
Thanks all. I was trying to explain it to a Chinese student.
“Jacob’s Ladder” isn’t a brand name. It’s not clear when it was first given that name. The name is obviously based on the Biblical reference. The Wikipedia entry on it isn’t consistent within itself about the origin of the toy:
Jeez, I had totally forgotten about that toy. My grandma had one around her house back when I was a kid and I remember being totally fascinated by it. I “discovered” most of the moves in that video; Now I want to get my hands on one as an adult and inspect it further to figure out how it works (yeah, wiki has a diagram, but i prefer kinesthetic learning. I want to play with the damn thing. :D)
So build one of your own. It doesn’t get more kinesthetic than that!
See the link I posted, above, to a page with instructions for building one.
I remember having one of those as a kid. The blocks were mirrorlike - shiny silver on one side, shiny blue on the other, with white ribbons holding it together. I remember it being called a “click-clack”.
Mine was called a Click Clack and dates from the mid-60s I’d guess. It was plastic of different colours, with black cotton straps connecting the sections. The pieces all had a round indentation in the centre and, iirc, if you put a sixpence in one at the ‘top’ you could make it travel down to the other end or, in another set-up, make it disappear.
I got one when I was 10 or so and was so fascinated I took it apart and reassembled it to see how it was built. Then I got some wood and ribbon and started making them for friends. I remember making a super long one I had to stand on a chair to use.
We called them Flip-Flop Blocks.
And the same principle is used to make the more complicated Rubik’s Magic toy.