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A Pop-up Matchbox
Quick
Marianne Willemsen van Witsen

This toy works on the same principle as the Pop-up Ball, but the action is much slower. It can make a pretty novelty toy for a sick child or for one who delights in tiny things.

You Need

  • A matchbox.
  • A short length of ribbon.
  • A bead.
  • Something to put in the matchbox as the surprise - perhaps a photograph, a tiny toy from a cracker, or if you are creative think of what Faberge did with an egg and make a miniature scene in collage!

Now

  1. Remove the tray from the matchbox cover.
  2. Cut a slit in the cover, about half way down.
  3. Thread the ribbon through the slit, and up and over the edge of the cover.
  4. Glue the ribbon all the way down the back.
  5. Put the tray back in the cover.
  6. Gently pull the ribbon to see how much of the tray rises up. This is the part you will decorate.
  7. Remove the tray from the cover and add the "surprise" to the part that will show.
  8. Decorate the cover. An easy way is to wrap it in strips of coloured Sellotape or Christmas sticky tape. Make sure the abrasive sides of the cover are completely covered.
  9. Return the tray to the cover and push it right in.
  10. Now the toy is ready for the child to explore.
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A Pop-up Matchbox