Flip books have been around since the mid-1800s. They can be considered the world’s first form of animation. Even with the advent of television and movies, flip-books can still be found throughout the world in specialty shops and bookstores.
The Japanese have a thing for novelty items and making old things fresh again. Apparently, magic flip books are all the rage in japanese souvenir and toy stores.
These flip books are extremely well-drawn and amazingly detailed. They show animations that range from cute, to weird, to slightly disturbing.
If you’re interested in them, you can actually import them to the US via the seigensha flip book website.
The flip books are fun, but it seems very likely that the flip books are one of those things that you play with in the store for 2 minutes and put back. However, these would actually make great heirlooms or baby toys.
