Who Is Billiken?

Visit Tim's Toy Shop, at https://www.grand-illusions.com/ ________________________________________________________ Tim's first item is a strange, green tube. What can it be? It is a humidifier for a double bass, to make sure the instrument does not dry out too much, which can cause the wood to crack. Tim doesn't actually gave a double bass, but if he did... there would be no danger of it drying out! All About That Bass...? The Billiken was originally a 'charm doll' created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Florence Pretz of Kansas City, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. She patented the image in 1908. To buy a Billiken was said to give the purchaser luck, but to receive one as a gift would be even better luck. The Billiken is the official mascot of Saint Louis University and St. Louis University High School. Tim has a mechanical Billiken, where you move a lever at the back to wind it up, and it then shakes a die (dice) which maybe comes up with a lucky number? A plastic egg which contains pieces. Fit them together and you have a vert realistic dinosaur. An inflatable ball point pen... A souvenir from the San Francisco Exploratorium - a rotating blocks puzzle that shows different optical illusions... A penny farthing card, which includes an actual penny and a farthing as part of the illustration... A lenticular card with a dinosaur which roars... An elegant origami map of London. The method of folding intrigues Tim... Finally, an unusual design of kite. It starts off completely flat. Twist and it opens up into a tube, all ready to fly!