Basic Puppet Mechanics

This introductory puppet building workshop will explore how to combine simple mechanics and storytelling to create puppets with personality.

Puppetry Around the World

2 hour workshops

Puppets have an important cultural presence throughout history. These intermediary workshops dive deeper into the science behind puppet performance and explore how this folkloric tool is used to share important cultural knowledge.

Optical Illusion Toys

This workshop in a throwback to optical, philosophical toys, or toys that explore illusions of motion and play with perspective. But Magical Thinkers don't just buy toys, we make them! Design an original optical toy that combines classic scientific toys with circuitry, mechanics and light play.

Moving Picture Machines

Before the age of GIF generators, early cinemagaphic devices wowed audiences with simple repetitious illusions. Learn how to create second stories by building moving picture machines like thaumatropes, zoetropes and phenakistoscopes.

Picture Book Hacking

Everyone has a favorite picturebook from their childhood, but what do you do with it once you're older? Turn picture books into interactive art pieces with the addition of pop-ups, circuitry, lights, and textures in this basic circuitry workshop.

Image Source: Sunnyvale Library

Soft Circuit Design

2 hour workshop

Soft circuit workshops combine the worldwide folkloric art of textiles with the science of circuitry by using conductive thread and resistors such as LEDs lights. Soft circuit design workshops can be designed as cultural or community experiences, or just making fun light up wearables.