Red Raven Magic Mirror and Animated Movie Records

While visiting my friend Kimberly Cross recently, she introduced me to a delightful set of objects from her childhood, the Red Raven Magic Mirror and its accompanying 78 RPM movie records. Here’s how it all works: put a movie record on the turntable, place the Magic Mirror carousel-like device on the spindle, the record spins, familiar children’s music plays and a tiny animated movie reflects in the Magic Mirror. Though the animation is in a short loop, it was really fun (and a bit mesmerizing) to watch. This variation of a praxinoscope (a zoetrope successor) was developed by Morgan Development Laboratories from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. They released only 16 movie records in total.

photos by Rusty Blazenhoff