Make a Zoetrope!

What is a Zoetrope?

To make an animation you need to show a several images in rapid succession. If the images have slight adjustments between the objects in them, your brain fills in the details to make it seem like the objects are moving. While simple in concept, it has been an area of constant innovation. The earliest depictions of animated movement was found in ancient pottery from 3178 B.C!  Even today, people are still creating new technologies around animation and types of displays! Virtual reality, holographic displays, and computer animated movies are all modern animation technologies! Even today, people keep inventing new ways to make things move, like virtual reality and computer-animated movies.

One classic animation tool from 1834 is called a zoetrope. A zoetrope looks like a can with little openings cut into it along the top. If you place a long animation strip along the inside of the zoetrope you can see the animation come to life! The zoetrope works by showing you little snapshots of the animation that are visible through the openings as you spin it. The zoetrope can be a fun engineering project that when you’re done can then feed many fun creative projects!

Let's make a zoetrope!

In this paper zoetrope project, you build a simple zoetrope from cardstock material. If you’re keeping it simple you can mount the body of the zoetrope to a pencil or some other handle that you can spin. SnackNotes also has a kit with a fancy spinner to make it even easier to make a zoetrope that really turns!

Resources

Zoetrope Template (pdf) - Cutting guide for the paper zoetrope body. We use 120lbs cardstock, but 100lbs cardstock can also work. Using material from a cereal box also works great! If you can't print on cardstock then print on regular paper and temporarily attach the template to cardstock using a glue-stick. It should be easily removable when you have the pieces cut out!

Zoetrope Pencil Spinner (stl) - Knowing many schools have access to a 3D printer, we created a spinner that doesn't require a ball bearing. With this spinner, just insert a sharpened pencil and you have yourself a greater spinner!

Zoetrope Kit Instructions (pdf) - These are simpler instructions specifically for the kit. We have more detailed description here with notes on different options.

Reach out to brian@snacknotes.com if you are interested in other resources or have any questions.

Sample Animation Strips:

• Animation Strip Sample "Horse in Motion" (pdf)

• Animation Strip Sample "Spinning Cube" (pdf)

• Animation Strip Blank Template (pdf)

We’ve included lots of notes on different options, and, as always, use your creativity to make your own improvements or features! 

Step 1: Cutting the parts

Use the template to cut the parts of your paper zoetrope. The kit was designed so that you can print it out on standard 8.5” by 11” paper or from a large cereal box. We recommend using 120lbs cardstock or thicker.

Cut along the solid lines and fold along the dotted lines. It’s helpful to score along the dotted lines before folding them. In the end, you should have the following pieces:

• An octagon base with a connected side panel

• One single side panel

• Two three-side panels

Make sure to cut out the thin openings in each side panel! It’s a lot easier to cut when the parts are flat :)

Tip for those with regular printers: If you print the template on a regular printer, then you can use a glue stick to cover the surface of the paper and temporarily stick the template to the thicker cardstock you want to cut. After you cut, you can peel off the paper. In our testing you won’t notice the glue.

Step 2: Assemble your Zoetrope

We will be connecting all the side panels to the octagon. You can use double-sided tape or glue to connect the pieces. Double-sided tape is easier. While connecting the pieces, you should be folding the pieces into the final shape shown below.

• Attach the single side panel to the base – connecting the single panel C-tab to side C of the base

• Fold each of the B-tabs of the three-sided panel with a 90-degree angle. Attach them to the base at sides B1, B2, and B3.

• Finally, connect the A-tabs and the D-tabs to form the walls of your zoetrope.

Step 3: Make it Spin!

Finally we need to add a handle to make the zoetrope spin. As with any engineering challenge, there are lots of ways you could achieve this. Below are three different options:

• Simple option: Poke a hole in the center of the base and insert a pencil. Fix it in place with tape, glue, or even clay.

• Basic option: Use a toy wheel that spins, like a Lego or Brio wheel, and attach it to the base.

• Fancy option: If you have our SnackNotes Zoetrope Kit, you can use the 3D-printed spinner piece for smooth, easy spinning!

  

Step 4: Get animating!

You’re ready to make animations! The zoetrope is designed for an 8 frame animation with each frame being a 2x2 square.

You can use a long strip of paper that is 2x16 inches or you can use one of our printable animation strips. When inserting into the zoetrope, fold the animation strip so that each frame sits flat against a side of the zoetrope. The folded paper will usually make it stay in place, but you can use a bit of tape to help hold the animation against the walls.

Now you can spin the zoetrope and watch your animation! 

Tips for Great Animations:

• Make sure the inside of the zoetrope is well-lit.

• Draw your animation with dark colors, like black or blue, to make it easy to see.

• Want something simpler? Try making a 4-frame animation and repeat it twice, or make a 2-frame animation and repeat it four times.

Some animation ideas to get you started:

• A bouncing ball.

• A running character.

• Funny faces changing.

• A word spinning or growing.

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Check out animator Alex Grigg's awesome series on animation basics.