I have always loved flip books, forever, it seems! I even attempted making a few (don’t ask me to share videos of those – not yet!) Which is why watching flip book videos is mesmerizing and pure entertainment for me. Today, I bring to you 5 fascinating flip books that will wow you.

What Are Flip Books Anyway?

A flip book is a booklet with a series of images that gradually vary from page to page, so that when the pages are flipped (or turned rapidly), the images appear to move.

Or the dictionary definition as below:

flip-book (noun): a series of illustrations of an animated scene bound together in sequence so that an illusion of movement can be imparted by flipping them rapidly

The Science Behind Flip Books

Theories include the concepts of visual persistence and the beta movement, or a combination of both.

Visual persistence is the retention of a visual image for a short period of time after the removal of the stimulus that produced it, thus producing the illusion of movement when viewing motion pictures or in this case, flip books.

Beta movement is a form of apparent movement where two or more still images are combined by the brain into surmised motion. And flip books as well as animation movies are simply that – a series of still images presented to the viewer.

I also love that flip books are a fun way to incorporate STEAM without the participants realizing how much they are learning while having fun! And you could throw in a history lesson as well in the process.

h/t plus interesting reads

• Kineographs(Princeton.edu)
• A History of Flipbooks and the Moving Image (Fliptomania)
• Flipbooks (History of Science Museum)
• Make Your Own Animated Film (pdf for kids – from the United States Patent and Trademark Office)
• Flipbook Animation: Techniques & Mind-Blowing Examples (New York Film Academy)
• Set-in-Motion Science: Apparent Movement in Flip-Books (Scientific American)
• About Zoetropes (the annotated zoetrope)
• Motion Pictures: The Grand Optical Illusion (The Brain from Top to Bottom)

5 Fascinating Flip Books That Will Wow You

Evolution

Watch graphic artist Jurian Moller’s flipbook that lets you watch 550 million years of human evolution unfold in a matter of seconds.

And you can watch an animated version of it below

A Mega-Giant Flip Book!!

Watch this video from Andymation to see the journey from the making to the finished product of what the artist describes as “the longest flipbook I have ever made!”

The Cut Out Flipbook

Matt Shlian is a paper engineer whose intent was most possibly to take you to another dimension with this short but mind-blowing flip book creation.

Hole Punch Flip Book

Another short but sure to amaze flip book video by Scott Blake. He has many more that you can check out.

Mechanical Flip Books

These motorized/mechanical creations by Mechanical Flip Book add a totally cool dimension to the flip book.

So..

Do You Want to Flip Through a Flip Book?

Or Make One?

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear readers, which of these flip books fascinated you? Do you have any of your own favorites? Do share them with me. And if you have made any, would love to hear about those as well! Hope you are inspired to make one too now!