The Tale of the Amp Lion

Silent cartoon advert that is an actual Heath Robinson contraption.

William Heath Robinson’s comic drawings of elaborate improvised machines captured the nation’s imagination enough for his name to enter the English language. In this silent cartoon ad he makes the creative step of morphing the ‘Amplion’ loud speaker, marketed for early gramophones and wireless sets, into a rampaging lion. Sadly, it seems to be his only venture into animation. With the countless drawings required to make a cartoon film it is nice to picture him making a Heath Robinson contraption to help him out.