Harlequinades

The harlequinades, also called turn-up books and metamorphoses, were the first printed items for children which can be described as movable books. In these books, pictures change when the reader moves a series of flaps. The idea came from Robert Sayer, a bookseller in Fleet Street, London. He started experimenting with his idea in 1765 and soon after the first items were produced. The name "Harlequinades" was given to this type of movable books, because the harlequin, known from the pantomimes in the theatres of that time, was the star of adventures retold in the first turn-up picture books. The harlequinades were a great success and Sayer's idea was soon copied by other booksellers in England and other countries among which the USA.

The idea of Sayer is still used these days, not only in children books but also in advertisement. For example, the turn-up pictures on the left are from a Dutch 1960's advertisement for Nivea (a cosmetic brand), whereas the "moving pictures" on the right are published by Kellogg's (1932).