Kaleidoscope of my dreams

December 24, 2020 12:44 PM

Or did I dream it? I remember a long time ago having a kaleidoscope that didn't have all those little colored bits in it. It, however, looked the same as those other kinds, a tube with an eye-hole on one end and glass on the other. You looked through it and aimed it at anything, turned it, and it would transform whatever you were looking at into endless kaleidoscopic patterns. Does it have some special name? I've just spent too long doing numerous boolean searches to no avail. Help! My grandkids need this thing!
posted by mareli to Shopping (6 answers total)

Best answer: The word you're looking for is teleidoscope.
posted by rodlymight at 12:47 PM on December 24, 2020 [14 favorites]

These things exist! I don't know what you'd call them but I've seen them before as well. They actually aren't that hard to make either, you just need to source appropriately sized mirrors. Maybe if you look for a kaleidoscope kit you can just put a clear end to the tube and not use whatever beads they include with the kit.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:48 PM on December 24, 2020

Best answer: You can make one or you can buy one. You can get them in lots of places, but that Schylling one is a very good one.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:51 PM on December 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Y'all are awesome!
posted by mareli at 12:54 PM on December 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

I had one of these as a kid, and dismantled it to try to get the glass out of it. Thanks for reminding me these existed!
posted by limeonaire at 11:42 PM on December 24, 2020

If you search Etsy for "marble kaleidoscope" or "wood kaleidoscope" you can find quite a few. They're commonly sold as kits for people who turn wooden art with lathes.
posted by mmoncur at 9:44 PM on December 27, 2020