Spirograph

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Several Spirograph designs drawn with a Spirograph set.

Spirograph is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc., for a geometric drawing toy, which produces mathematical curves of the variety technically known as hypotrochoids and epitrochoids. The word has also been applied to a variety of software applications that display similar curves.

The Spirograph was invented by Denys Fisher, who exhibited it in 1965 at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair. Distribution rights were acquired by Kenner, Inc., who introduced it to the United States market in 1966.

A Spirograph consists of a set of plastic gears and other shapes such as rings, triangles, or straight bars. There are several sizes of gears and shapes, and all edges have teeth to engage any other piece. For instance, smaller gears fit inside the larger rings, but also can engage the outside of the rings in such a fashion that they rotate around the inside or along the outside edge of the rings.

To use it, a sheet of paper is placed on a heavy cardboard backing, and one of the plastic pieces is pinned to the paper and cardboard. Another plastic piece is placed so that its teeth engage with those of the pinned piece. For example, a ring may be pinned to the paper and a small gear placed inside the ring (although other arrangements are possible). The point of a pen is placed in a hole in the moving piece, so that it can draw a curved line on the paper as the hole moves.

The pen is used both to draw and provide motive force; some practice is required before Spirograph can be operated without disengaging the fixed and moving pieces. More intricate and unusual-shaped patterns may be made through the use of both hands, one to draw and one to guide the pieces. It is possible to move several pieces in relation to each other (say, the triangle around the ring, with a circle "climbing" from the ring onto the triangle), but this requires concentration or even additional assistance from other artists.

[edit] Variations

Variations on the original that have been marketed have been:

Spiroman (© 1968)
Spirotot (© 1968)
Super Spirograph (© 1969)
Motorized Spirograph (© 1970)
Magnetic Spirograph (© 1971)
Spirofoil (© 1971)
Spiro 2000 (© 1976)
Spirograph Plus (© 1982)
Travel Spirograph (© 1988)
Spirograph Spiromatic (© 1989)
Mega Spirograph (© 1991)
Sparkle Spirograph (© 1992)
Spirograph with Spiroscope (© 1994)
Color Change Spirograph (© 1995)
Easy Spirograph (© 1995)
My First Spirograph (© 1995)
3-D Spirograph (© 1996)
Spirograph Key Chain (© 1998)
Spirograph Studio (© 2000)
Deluxe Spirograph (© 2002)
Spirograph Pen (© 2002)
Spirograph Crafts Book & Kit (© 2003)
Spirograph Easy Draw (© 2004)
Spirograph Tech (© 2004)

The term "spirograph" has also been applied to the class of curves that can be produced with the drawing equipment, so in this sense it may be regarded as a synonym of hypotrochoid. Also, a particular planetary nebula that displays delicate, poorly-understood, spirograph-like filigree has been nicknamed the Spirograph Nebula.

Note that since the term Spirograph is a registered trademark, if it becomes a synonym of a generic object, its protection under trademark law is diluted.