When I visited him a few days ago, he showed me a favorite, the Toonerville Trolley. Wind it up and it wobbles along, then stops and shudders, until the skipper winds the crank and gets it going again.
I think Mel is like a cross between Gepetto and Santa Claus (he is also a toy inventor himself) and he has rekindled an old fascination of mine: animation of the Golden Age.
If you like these "Mel's Toy Minute" features, let me know in the comments, and we can make a few more of them next time I pay Mel a visit.
------
Some of Mel's toy inventions
