Kaleidoscope
Category
Toys
Date
c. 1960 - c. 1979
Materials
Metal and paint
Measurements
230 mm (Height); 50 mm (Diameter); 65 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
England
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 672314
Summary
A metal ‘Magic Roundabout’ kaleidoscope decorated with characters from The Magic Roundabout TV series. 'The Magic Roundabout' is printed around the top in blue text with 'Keleidoscope' in multi coloured letters around the centre. The issue number (C575) is in black text at the top plus details of the manufacturer (Green Monk Combex). This type of kaleidoscope was produced in a number of designs often relating to poular TV shows. The Magic Roundabout ran on British television from 1965 to 1977. Based on an original French series created by Serge Danot, the English language version was written and narrated by Eric Thompson. It featured characters including Dougal, a dog, Dylan, a rabbit, Ermintrude, a cow, Brian, a snail, Zebedee, a talking jack-in-the-box and the human characters Florence and Mr. Rusty, who operated the Magic Roundabout around which the characters played.
Provenance
Purchased by the National Trust Museum of Childhood via ebay on 16th August 2017 as part of the Collecting Cultures 'Exploring Childhoods' project.
Marks and inscriptions
At top of kaleidoscope: Printed at top, the issue number: 'C575'