I have a special place in my heart for mutoscopes. They are coin operated, hand cranked flip books. I remember them from the penny arcade at Disneyland. It’s the only place I’ve seen one.
From wikipedia:
Mutoscopes were coin-operated. The patron viewed the cards through a single lens enclosed by a hood, similar to the viewing hood of a stereoscope. The cards were generally lit electrically, but the reel was driven by means of a geared-down hand crank. Each machine held only a single reel and was dedicated to the presentation of a single short subject, described by a poster affixed to the machine.
Here is a youtube video of someone who made his own mutoscope:
And since today is the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, here is CG model I made of a Golden Gate themed mutoscope.
