Some of France’s first toy companies, founded more than a century ago in the country’s Jura region in the east, continue to produce small wonders for the enjoyment of children and adults alike. Here, a craftsman deftly manufactures tiny spinning tops and whistles out of wood. Each piece is handmade on a lathe, and requires dexterous work. The whole process is a joy to watch in itself; the creation of small items of wonder.
The magical place in France where spinning wood tops are still made by hand
19 August 2014
videoSports and games
Watch Charles and Ray Eames put their 1969 spin on one of the world’s oldest toys
8 minutes
videoChildhood and adolescence
‘Museum’ should rhyme with ‘amusement’: the credo of a toy collector
20 minutes
videoMaking
Forging a cello from pieces of wood demands its own form of virtuosity
27 minutes
videoBeauty and aesthetics
Finding chaos and precision in all things – a philosophy of watchmaking
9 minutes
videoMaking
Surrender to the mechanical marvels of the world’s most intricate music box
7 minutes
videoDesign and fashion
Household items are reborn in a ‘visual symphony of everyday objects’
11 minutes
videoDesign and fashion
From carving the wood to the final varnish, crafting a violin has a musicality all its own
6 minutes
videoStories and literature
A French Creole folktale nearly lost to time is given new, gorgeously animated life
6 minutes
videoDesign and fashion
Meat, mobility scooters, condoms – anything we make can be made in miniature
5 minutes