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The Perfect Christmas Gift © Walt (H*ney Production* ADO A TOUCH OF MAGIC to Christmas gift-giving, with a Schmid mnsic box. Like the automatons of yesteryear, a music box is a gift to.be cherished forever. From whimsical musical figurines of Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, which plays "Feelin' Groovy," to ricldy brocaded musical jewel chests for the romantic . . . there is a Schmid music box to please everyone on your gift list. What comes in almost a thou­ sand sizes and shapes, is small enough to hold in your hand, large enough never to be forgot­ ten and will delight everyone on your Christmas fist? A music box, of course, one that will be played time and again, recalling Christmas, 1979, with a delicate tune. The music box has been a fa­ vorite gift since it first appeared 200 years ago in the world of precision watchmakers, La Valle de Joux, Switzerland. At the time, clock towers found throughout Europe would ring in each hour with huge bells and pipes that were soon minia­ turized for use in household clocks. i Watchmakers soon realized that the same clockworks could ring sets of small chimes. Melo­ dies were created, the clock was removed and the music box was born. There has been little change r #1ffi^lmusical mechanism or "movement." The principle is simple: steel pins protrude from a rotating cylinder, plucking metal teeth of various lengths, producing soft, high-pitched sounds. Watching the mechanism at work has proven to be a large part of the charm for some mu­ sic box lovers. In fact, Schmid, the country's largest creator of music boxes with headquarters in Randolph, Mass., reports that the most popular of its 800 models is a lucite piano in the baby grand style but no larger than a small box of Christmas cards. The movement is clearly visible and can be studied as music plays. Other popular music boxes from Schmid include Italian broctfde Jewel boxes and three- dimensional adaptations of farftous Saturday Evening Post covers by Norman Rockwell. For the young-at-heart, there are figurines of Mickey Mousfe and his Disney friends, Beatrix Potter characters and Raggedy Ann and Andy. Growing popularity However, watchmakers ini­ tially thought music boxes had to tie utilitarian and the snuff box, much in vogue in the early 1800s, became musical, playing a merry tune when opened. Soon the movements began to appear everywhere; in fact, a movement was even placed in a bustle given to Queen Victoria that played "God Save the Queen" whenever she sat down. The popularity of music boxes grew as did their size and design. They became works of art covered, with fine enamel paintings, precious jewels and inlaid woods; melodies grew from a few notes to hundreds of notes playing opera arias, clas­ sical music, folk songs and pop­ ular tunes. As the movements became more complex, the automat, an amazing invention based on mu­ sic box mechanics, was created. Musical magic The early automats can be likened to die wind-up toys of today, usually animals or people with a variety of movements ac­ companied by music. Eden Recor of Kathy's Im­ ports, Englewood, Colo., has an extensive collection of an­ tique music boxes that includes almost 50 automats. "My two favorites come from France and date back to 1875," Recor says. "One is^n acrobat who stands on a ladder. As music plavs he moves his head, bends from side to side and goes into a handstand. "The other is a man sitting on a chair with a pig on his knee. As 'Valencia* and 'The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers' play, the man and pig appear to come to life. The pig sticks out his tongue and the man offers him a truffle." Early music boxes enjoyed a century-long heyday, beginning in 1810 with the popular musi- c»l snuff box and lasting until .1910 when almost every house­ hold had at least one. But the newly invented phonograph was to sound the end of the music box era. Ibday the music box is pop­ ular again, not only to collectors of treasured antiques, but to anyone who loves the precision of mechanical music. There is a Schmid music box for every occasion; they come in A is a baked potato in 4 to 6 minutes, lasagna in 20 minutes, a hot dog in 30 seconds, or a pineapple upside-down cake in 10 minutes. Yes, the Whirlpool RFM 7300 microwave oven can do ail these things, and more. is a MEAL MINDER*, variable power control that lets you adjust the average cooking energy levels to the type of food being cooked, heated or defrosted. A MEAL SENSOR* temperature probe that permits cook­ ing by temperature rather than time. A Whirlpool Micro Menus cookbook, in­ cluded with purchase. D is the quality that Whirlpool builds into the RFM 7300. The FREE Cooking School w$ include with purchase. The low introduc­ tory price. Not to mention all the nutrients you'll be eating instead of cooking away. **»*• A Small Down Payment Will Hold This Microwave Til Christmas * <h LEE & RAY ELECTRIC 1005 N. FRONT (S. RTE. 31) McHENRY, ILL 385-0882 hundreds of designs playing a variety of tunes. Priced from $10 to $1,000, Schmid music boxes are affordable to every­ one, clearly a change from the early 1800s when music boxes were gifts for only royalty and the very rich. Cherish is the word • "The music box gives plea­ sure and is often utilitarian," says Paul A. Schmid III, presi­ dent of Schmid. "It is a finely crafted preci­ sion instrument that will remain in the family for generations, one that says 'Cherish and han­ dle with care.'" For more information on Schmid music boxes, write Schmid, 55 Pacella Park Drive, Randolph, MA 02368. PAGE 17 - PLAINDEALER - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20,197» • TOYLAND FOR BABES OF ALL AGES "Give the American child a toy not remarkable for Its cheap­ ness, but one that is known and appreciated for its quality of durability and beauty, and more and more for its educational value." So declared Frederick August Otto Schwarz, founder I of die famous toy emporium. Currently, F.A.O. Schwarz Fifth Avenue, the most famous and unique toy store in the world, has 23 branch stores throughout the United States. The main store, located on New York's Fifth Avenue, is not only one of that city's most fa­ mous stores, but is also a popu­ lar entertainment attraction. The ultimate toyland is 117 years "young." Its founder, Frederick August Otto Schwarz, entered the toy busi­ ness in 1862 just six years after he arrived in America from Her- ford in Westphalia, Germany. " He operated his shop in Balti- • more until 1870 when he moved . to New York to open the < "Schwarz Tby Bazaar" at 765 I Broadway. With the help of his brothers, 1 who were in constant touch with Europe's finest toy sources, his business prospered and in 1880, he had to move to larger quarters in Union Square, then the fash­ ionable shopping center in New York. In 1897, Schwarz moved to a store that ran through the block at 39 West 23rd Street and in 1910, a year before the founder died at the age of 75, Schwarz moved to Fifth Avenue at the comer of 31st Street. In 1931 it moved to its present location. The F.A.O. store's traditions have barely changed since the days of its founder. Thousands of different toys--the finest one can buy--some manufactured by Schwarz itself just for its own stores and others exclusive with them from all parts of the world, are carried on its shelves. Its an­ nual catalogues are mailed to more than one million cus­ tomers, including many abroad. ̂ ̂ ̂ ' M ~ •• ' mm Greeting card display If there's an artist's easel in your home that will not be in use during the holidays, it can be brought into service to display your Christmas cards. By hanging long pieces of heavy ribbon over the triangular framework of the front of the easel and pinning or taping the cards onto the ribbon, you can have another Christmas tree in your home. It will exhibit an array of de­ signs reflecting the Christmas greetings that you and your fam­ ily have received.