The Tingle Factor Box

It's So Beautiful - Millefiori Paper Weight

Imagine you are a child visiting your grandmother. You love to visit her, and her home, which is full of so many amazing and beautiful things. You have always been fascinated by her paperweight. It looks like it is an empty sphere with beautiful glass flowers inside, but you know it is much to heavy to be anything of the sort. Still, it is just beautiful. 

When I showed this simple millefiori paperweight to the children, they were amazed by it. They struggled to imagine how so many beautiful different patterns had been captured in the glass dome. What surprised them most though was my description of it as a ‘paperweight’. They could not imagine using something so beautiful in such a way, and thought it was simply a decoration. They were even more intrigued to discover that, in the modern world, decoration is indeed the paperweights main focus. 

According to some, the history of paperweights traces back thousands of years, when they were created almost by accident. According to this theory, ancient glassworkers in places like Egypt and Rome would, instead of discarding scraps of coloured glass, join them together and encase them in clear glass. However, everybody seems to be in agreement that paperweights as we know them evolved in Venice in the mid 1800s. Glassmakers in Venice displayed paperweights at the 1845 Industrial Exhibition in Vienna, and may well have been creating them for some time before this.

Of course, it wouldn't be long until other countries were producing their own paperweights. At the exhibition though, a number of French traders recognised the potential of the simple, decorative items. Within a year, French glassmakers were producing their own paperweights, as were the glassmakers in Bohemia, who bought their canes of glass readymade from the Venetians. Soon enough Britain and America had also started production of their own weights. Paperweights continued to be produced and collected into the 20th century, and remain popular today. In fact, some of the companies who pioneered the objects in France, like Baccarat and Saint Louis, still producing the objects today!

It's So Beautiful - Crystal Lotus

Imagine, you are a Buddhist monk living China. It is Spring, and you are looking out over the massive ponds in the Temple gardens. Through winter, the ponds have been full of fish, but there has been nothing for the koi to hide under – the lotus has been dormant, lying in the mud awaiting the warmer weather. Now, the giant leaves have unfurled and the flower stalks begin to reach skywards. Soon, the expanse of the pond will be covered with the sacred flower.

When the children saw this beautiful crystal lotus flower, they were amazed. They had assumed it was simply a waterlily, and were surprised to discover it was something different and quite special. They had not seen something so delicate and yet ornate, and were stunned at the way the light caught in the prisms of the carefully cut petals. They were more amazed still to discover the story and history behind the lotus flower itself.

The lotus plant, and the flower it produces, is actually native to tropical Asia, and perhaps surprisingly to some, also parts of Queensland in Australia. The plant, which is an aquatic perennial (meaning it lies dormant during winter but regrows and flowers each year), is similar to the water lily but the flower does not float on the surface of the pond, standing well above the leaves, often several inches from the surface of the water. The lotus is also a very important plant, playing a central role in many distinct cultures. In ancient Egypt it was seen as a symbol of the sun and represented creation and rebirth. This was because at night the Egyptian lotus closes up and retreats back to the water, being reborn again at dawn, with the sun. It rose, pure and clean from the muddy waters and was seen as sacred.

In Buddhism the lotus flower is considered to be pure because of this ability to rise clean and beautiful from the murky depths, but also because it breaks free of the water, representing the breaking free of desire and the achievement of spiritual enlightenment. One sect of Buddhism, the Mahayana sect even believes that all souls are born from a lotus flower. In Hinduism the lotus also plays a role, representing beauty, fertility, eternity and spirituality and many of the Hindu gods and goddesses are actually associated directly with the flower. Lord Brahma for example is said to have been born from a lotus which grew out of the navel of Lord Vishnu. The lotus is also important to the cultures of specific countries though, and often this significance is born of the belief system historically associated with the culture. For example, the lotus is very important to Chinese culture, and in Beijing the lotus is rumoured to bloom on the lunar day of April 8, which is also the Buddha’s birthday. To the Chinese, whether Buddhist or not, the lotus is a special flower, representing purity and perfection. In fact, Moon Cakes, which are the symbolic food of the Chinese Moon Festival, actually have a paste made from lotus seed inside!

It's For Something Terrible, I'm Sure! Ear Syringe

Imagine you are a living in the early 1900s and have a terrible ear ache. You are in great pain and so you go to see the doctor to see if he can help you. He says you need to have your ear syringed to clean out the excess wax and infection and stop the pain. You think this sounds rather frightening – you don’t want a syringe anywhere near your ear! He shows you the syringe he will use though, and you realise it isn’t anything like the syringes you’ve seen in the past. When he finishes the procedure, you certainly feel much better!

When I showed the children this ear syringe, their reactions were hilarious. They had never seen anything like the syringe, but quickly worked out it was some sort of medical device "for something terrible" as one child thought. Their suggestions about its exact use were very diverse, and slightly macabre, ranging from a syringe for the nose, to a syringe for another body cavity entirely! When they discovered it was designed specifically for ears, they were fascinated, and wanted to know exactly what the syringe was used for.

Ear wax is a normal substance made within the ear which, under most circumstances, protects the skin of the ear canal and helps with cleaning and keeping the ear moist. However, as most people have experienced at some time or another, the ear can become infected in various ways, or earwax can build up to such an extent that it presses against the ear drum, causing pain and loss of hearing. As a result, ear syringes were invented whereby the ear could be irrigated (and the wax washed out) or for use in drawing infection and wax out directly.

Ear syringes have been known since ancient times.  The Egyptians filled their syringes with olive oil, frankincense and salt and used this to wash out the ear. Similar piston syringes were well known in Rome as well, where they were not just used for medicine, but for fighting fires! After the ancient world, ear syringes fell from favour. Similar syringes were used for washing wounds or irrigating various bodily cavities, but they were no longer commonly used for the ear. In 1821 though, an otologist in France named Itard described the process of irrigating the ear using a syringe to remove hard, built up wax. He actually suggested a different type of syringe at the time, used for enemas, but soon after special syringes designed specifically for the ear were created. The example I showed the children probably dates from the early 20^th century, and may well have been designed for home use.

It's Something To Treasure! Scamp

Imagine you are a child living in the late 1950s. Your birthday is approaching and you are looking forward to finding out what your parents and friends will give you this year. You have no idea what they have decided on, but one of your friends has been hinting that it might be to do with your favourite movie, Lady And The Tramp. She knows your favourite character is Scamp and you hope she might give you something to do with him.

When I showed the children this little figurine of Scamp they were surprised and impressed by it. The children are used to seeing and playing with figurines of their favourite characters, but modern versions are made of plastic and extremely sturdy. They were intrigued to discover that this little figurine is actually made of porcelain and thought it was very beautiful. One child pointed out ‘it’s something to treasure, not just a toy to play with and loose.’

Children may be used to buying figurines and books and all sorts of other merchandise for their favourite characters and stars, but merchandising actually has a shorter history than might be expected. Until the 1960s, very little in the way of merchandise was available at all, with the exception of merchandise belonging to Disney. Disney was the first company to really use characters from their films for commercially available products, and they did this almost from the very start. Steamboat Willie, starring Mickey Mouse was released in 1928 and just a year later Disney was offered $300 by a company wanting to put Mickey Mouse onto writing tablets. Disney recognised the potential income which such products could bring, and the money would be highly useful for funding expensive productions.

In the 1930s all sorts of products featuring Mickey Mouse appeared, from inexpensive things like soap, right up to Cartier jewellery! Throughout the following decades, products appeared featuring all sorts of characters from the Disney productions (including the little ‘Scamp’ figure I showed the children, which used a character from the 1955 movie Lady And The Tramp. Disney was the only company doing this though. It wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s and movies like Star Wars and E.T that other movie producers began to create merchandise. By the 1990s the trade in merchandise was becoming increasingly popular, bringing in added income to many of the movie studios and film producers.

It's Incredible! Tektite

Imagine you are exploring a meteorite crater. It is an amazing thing, of enormous size and you can just imagine the impact which must have happened when the meteorite hit. It would have been huge, and of course also very hot – there are tektites everywhere. You can’t imagine how hot it must have been to melt the rocks themselves!

When I showed this tektite to the children, at first they were a little underwhelmed. The heavy, black ‘rock’ appears, at first glance, ‘pretty boring’, but when I explained that the rock was actually a type of natural glass, how it had been created and exactly what it was they were amazed. The idea that this small lump of ‘glassy rock’ as the children called it was the result of a meteorite melting, vaporising or throwing (earth) rocks around when they hit an area was ‘incredible’

Tektites are a type of natural glass which has very little water remaining inside it. They are amazing things which, as far as we are aware, only occur within four areas on earth. These areas are known as ‘strewn fields’, where the tektites landed after forming and they occur in Australia, Central Europe, the Ivory Coast and North America. The types of tektites and indeed the colours vary (between brown, black, grey and green) in these strewn fields, as they are based on the types of rock and terrestrial (earth based) material which was used in making them up. The shape of the tektites also varies, with the most common being what is known as the ‘splash type’, usually round, teardrop shaped or even shaped like dumbbells. Aerodynamically shaped tektites mainly occur in Australia and are similar to splash type tektites, but have a secondary ring around them (some look a little like tiny flying saucers). The third type is Muong Nong tektites, which are layered and usually much larger than the other types. They often have other minerals within them, like zircon or coesite.

So how do these amazing ‘glassy rocks’ form? There are two main theories, but the one which is most widely accepted is the ‘terrestrial source theory’. According to this theory, tektites are made up of material which was already on the earth prior to a meteorite hitting. When a meteorite hit, the rock and earth around the impact was melted or vaporised and thrown up into the atmosphere. After being thrown up the molten material began to form lumps and when they re-entered the earths atmosphere they cooled very quickly, forming lumps of glassy rock which then fell back to earth, sometimes landing hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away from where the meteorite actually hit! The other main theory was that the tektites originated from the moon, but in the 1960s, following the landing on the moon, this theory lost credibility, though there are still some people who believe that the moon is where tektites originate from.

You Can Buy Those Now - Bird Christmas Decoration

Imagine, it is nearly Christmas time and you are trimming the tree. This is one of the things you like most about Christmas, and you love carefully unwrapping the beautiful, fragile decorations. Your favourites though are the delicate birds in shining coloured glass. They are so beautiful and when they are hanging from the tree simply bring the room to life.

It's So Pretty - Dichroic Glass

Imagine, you are a woman going out for the day to an important party. You are dressed beautifully, in your finest, you hair is beautifully done and you are sure to stand out from the crowd. You still have to choose the perfect necklace to finish the ensemble though. You want to stand out and make an impression, so you need something eye catching and different. You look at the collection of glass pendants you have and choose one made of shining dichroic glass. With that necklace reflecting the sun in so many colours, you are sure to make an impression!

That's Just Plain Wrong - White Pine And Tar Cough Medicine

Imagine, you are a mother living in the 1930s. Your son is sick and you are so worried about him. He has been coughing for days and it is leaving him so weak. The local chemist suggested you try his new cough remedy, White Pine And Tar. He swears that it is a wonderful remedy, sure to make your son feel better. You are a little concerned when you open the bottle and smell the mix, but since the Chemist promises it is a good remedy, your willing to give it a try.

It's WHAT?! Uranium Glass

Imagine, you are living in the early 1900s. You are very lucky today, because your husband has given you a beautiful new sugar bowl. He dropped the last one and it smashed, so you are pleased to have a new one. This one is a beautiful clear green glass, with delicate cut glass designs on it. This vaseline glass is so pretty and delicate, and you just love it. It does have a few odd qualities, like the occasional glow, but that isn't anything to worry about.

They're Really Quite Beautiful - Glass Movie Advertising Slides

Imagine, it is the early 1920s and you are going to the movies. It's so exciting, going to the big movie theatre, and watching the lights dip. Then, a movie starts to play. Magic! It isn't very long, and there's no sound, just a piano being played but it's so exciting. After all, you've never seen a movie before! You also know there should be more to come, with another movie being prepared for showing right now. In the mean time, there is a magic lantern showing advertising pictures. After the next film has been shown, you hear there will be a sing along with the magic lantern showing the lyrics. What fun!