1977 BBC Profile of Spirograph Inventor Denys Fisher

A May 1977 clip from the classic BBC series Tomorrow’s Word, uploaded by the BBC Archive, explains how Denys Fisher developed the Spirograph drawing toy in 1967. It turns out a simple pound note gave Fisher the idea for his award-winning design.

After studying the intricate designs of a pound note, Denys Fisher came up with the idea for the legendary pattern-drawing toy, Spirograph. It won the Toy of the Year in 1967

The cameras caught up with Fisher at his farm in rural Scotland, where he was working on a new toy.

Tomorrow’s World caught up with him in rural Scotland, hard at work on his next creation.

Denys Fisher Spirograph 1977
Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.