Magic Mirror Movies toy praxinoscope

This marvel of motion and sound from the mid-1950s was discovered at a local Canberra market by one of the NFSA's eagle-eyed curators. Part praxinoscope, part phonograph, this Magic Mirror Movies record player by Red Raven captivated children for hours. As the record spun, they gazed into the 16-sided Magic Mirror, which ‘froze’ the cartoons on the record's sides, creating an optical illusion of continuous animation. The records themselves were miniature works of art – and promoted as being ‘almost indestructible’. Kids could safely play with their own records without worrying about damaging their parents’ collection.