Von Kempelen, and his Turk-touring successor, Johann Maelzel, picked up new chess players on their travels, gave them a quick how-to orientation, then bundled them into the cabinet. The truth was simpler: the Turk did operate via a concealed operator, who controlled each movement from inside the cabinet by candlelight, pulling levers to operate the Turk’s arm and keeping track of the moves on their own board. Such outlandish stories, while entertaining, added unnecessary complications. Some believed that the concealed person stayed in the cabinet the whole time, using strings, pulleys, and magnets to execute the chess moves, while others thought the operator crawled up into the body of the Turk in order to control him. The cabinet measured four feet long, two-and-a-half feet deep, and three feet high-dimensions that encouraged people to speculate that short-statured people and children were the most likely candidates for the role of hidden Turk operator. The notion that someone was hiding in the cabinet was espoused frequently over the decades, with variations on the size of the hypothetical person as well as their positioning. His opinion took the Occam’s Razor approach, with a child-labor twist: He wrote in his pamphlet that the cabinet must be concealing “a child of ten, twelve, or fourteen years of age”-presumably one whose chess talents were prodigious. Take a look at our Fundraising Games page, where you can choose your ducks in different quantities.Thicknesse did not believe, as others did, that von Kempelen was directing the Turk’s gameplay from several feet away using strong magnets, stealthy strings, or remote control. Pin up next to your stall at a fundraising event to help raise money for your cause. Printed with a charming vintage fairground style design on high quality card.

Float the ducks on the surface of the water and you're ready to play!Īdvertise your Hook a Duck Game and entice people to play with our exclusive Hook a Duck Banner and Hook a Duck Sign. Fill up a large bowl or a paddling pool, number the ducks and assign each number to a prize.

All you need is a rod, set of ducks and some water. Ideal for fundraisers, charity events, funfairs, school and village fetes, summer outdoor events, and kids’ birthday fun.Ī traditional game of Hook a Duck is simple to set up. A must have for any game of Hook a Duck, use this wooden Hook a Duck rod to capture little yellow ducks and win prizes! The Hook a Duck Game is a fairground classic and party game for all age groups.

Raise a little man duck game