[cherdawn]

Hi,

I'm looking for the toy ( a pattern to make it would be really wonderful so my hubby can make it for our friends son) that was shown in the movie "Witness" for the little Amish boy made by Harrison Ford. It was a made of wood and was a kind of marble like maze but stood upright on legs. Marbles rolled down straight not rounded or curved, wooden chutes with grooves carved into them and the marble rolled down the grooves with some wood paddle wheels helping to propel them along . The marble then drops into another grooved chute etc. Also one chute bounced up and down as it dropped a marble down into the next chute under it
I have asked on other toy sites and people have sent me links to plastic marble mazes that lie down flat or other marble roll like contraptions, but they were not anything like the one in the movie. I really would like one almost exactly like it or better yet, plans to make one like it, as my hubby likes to make things from wood for gifts but not good at designing something like that himself..
Can anyone help?
Thanks

[WVHiflyer]

I get a catalog near X-mas with 'old fashioned' toys. I think I saw something similar to what you describe (I can't remember the toy in the movie) in that cat but I couldn't remember the name. So I Googled "wooden toys." On the 1st page I didn't see the cat but it looks like there might be some promising links. At the bottom of page 1 were even some general links incl'd wooden toy patterns. You might check them out.

[Gepetto]

This toy is apparently centuries old. It's called a "marble run", marble racer or marble wizard.
While plenty of plans for sale exist, the one closest to the movie is a freebie. Google on "canadian home workshop" , search the site for "marble racer".