The doodle book
Everything worth knowing about a toy with one moving part: where it came from, how to hand it to a three-year-old, what to draw when the mustache gets old, and why the shavings chase the wand at all.
The history
The Smethport story: how magnet dust became a toy
Two brothers, a grinding floor full of iron dust, a borrowed army technique and the buyer who ordered six dozen boxes just to prove they would not sell.
Getting started
First faces: getting a small kid started
How the wand actually behaves, why the first session goes better flat on the floor, and the three mistakes every new Willy owner makes in the first ten minutes.
Drawing prompts
Fifty faces to draw on Willy
A structured prompt list, from two-minute mustaches to full portraits, because everyone runs out of ideas after the beard.
On the road
The quiet bag: Willy in cars, planes and waiting rooms
Why a 70-year-old cardboard toy still beats a tablet on a four hour drive, and the small practical notes nobody prints on the box.
The family
The Magnetic Personalities family tree
Willy got siblings almost immediately. Dapper Dan, Hair-Do Harriet and a miniature licensed cousin: who they are and which ones you can still buy.
The science
Why the shavings follow the wand
The five-minute physics of the toy: what magnetite is, why the hair stands up in bristles, and how to turn a mustache into a science lesson.