the thrill of the game
In March of 2001, I accompanied my good friend Danny P to Europe. He was touring some of his movies on a whirlwind blitz of Germany, Holland, and Belgium. His rock star wife Alison was too large with child to travel with him (she produced the ever-wonderful Henry later in the summer), so I got to go. As we were doing the indie mad dash, there was very little free time, but on St. Patrick’s Day, we found ourselves with some time to kill in Brussels, Belgium.
I’ll have to ask Danny how we came upon it, but we had the great good fortune to experience the open air flea market on Rue Blaes.
It was magical. Antique apothecary bottles, displays of French combs, colorful chamberpots, vintage encyclopedias.. when I saw the Dutch "Diabolo Robot" board game, I gasped. Incredibly, it was mine for about 5 bucks.
After I made the purchase and started walking down another aisle, Danny grabbed my arm and muttered "you want another one? then walk away, fast!" He had spied another Dutch robot board game at a different stall. He shooed me away, wisely knowing that the seller would probably up his price if he perceived me to be the collector of Dutch robot board games (which I had, at that very moment, become.) Danny scored "Robot Geeft Het Juiste Antwoord" for me for another five bucks.
The boxes are at left and upper right in the picture. The picture at lower right shows the content of one of the games — a playing area with questions in the one circle, answers in the second. One positions the robot on the mirror and it points to the right answer!
It was a great trip and a lucky time and the very best flea score ever.
Postscript: This happened at the start of our trip. Not only did I buy the two games, but I also scored a bulky vintage Italian ceramic piece, with lid. With the extra weighty baggage, running for trains became less a joyous "Hard Day’s Night" jog and more of something that I will be expected to do in hell when I get there.
These are amazing. I have to ask about the mechanism.
Is there electricity involved? Magnets? What guides the robot?
Well, David got me intrigued and so I posted a WALKTHROUGH here! http://www.flickr.com/photos/hambox/sets/72157605965068680/
I am SO jealous! When you go to hell can you will these games to me? >:D
Thanks! That mechanism is clever. I love simple solutions like that.
I believe the technology behind it came from professional magic apparatus and is really similar to a trick that was popular in the late 19th century.
Which is probably why the American version is called “Magic Robot” which is a stupid name. Devil robot is much cooler.
I remember this day well. It indeed was the world’s best flea market. I purchased two items. A beautifully, elaborate Hans Christen Andersen pop-up book, which I still don’t trust my son to look at or read. I also bought a purse for my pregnant wife, which has served time as a chord bag and microphone case. I’ll have to upload some photos of those items. The other thing that I was particularly fascinated with was a set of handsomely illustrated Flemish Encyclopedias for Children. I actually contemplated buying them and shipping them home. But the notion of spending the day figuring out the Belgian postal service seemed foolish. We kept trying to buy just one of the books from the set, but the sellers had sized us up as stupid, rich Americans. They were convinced that we would cave over the course of the morning. The fact that the things weighed 20 pounds and we were backpacking around Europe and already wilting under the weight of our packs guaranteed that we wouldn’t cave. After all it was only day 2 of our trip. But somehow we couldn’t convey that information. Stupid Belles!
How could I forget the pop-up book! I have a picture of those encyclopedias somewhere around (pre-digital girl that I was) .. I supposed the dislocated arm joints wouldn’t have been worth having Flemish books around today.
Aw, Danny. There are more tales from that trip. I’ll get out the journal and have a trawl one of these days.
Wow, you kids are waxing poetic about European days gone by… hmmmm. My former girlfriend, whose name is Kjrsten, really it is, with all those consonants lined up at the beginning like that and everything, was in Amsterdam on a high school trip of some sort. Since she was able to buy beer there at her age (not in America, so it seemed super-duper adult) she purchased a case of 20 oz cans on her way to the airport and had to place them individually on her person so she could get them onboard the plane. She flew home with 24 cans of beer hidden in her pockets and pants and bra. Now that’s dedication to European craftsmanship. She met a Hollandian man who was smitten with her who subsequently wrote her a letter telling her she “has a lovely feature”. She never was sure which one.
Thanks for the fun, Ms. Hambox.
FABULOUS. That’s all I can say. And, yes, pictures of that pop-up book, please!!! *drool*
BTW, I have been tardy in sending my congratulations to you for your new at-home work gig! Yay for you!