Paul Spooner : Mechanical Joke Maker 

"Why do you make these jokes?" Paul: "Because I am completely unsuited to make anything else." The line makes me smile. Paul is so witty and funny. It would be lovely and palatable to see his crafts to be adapted into illustration books or slice-of-life short film.

These CRAFTS should be in any school CURRICULUM that Devoid student of DEADLY Habits.

Amazing!!

wow...he looks much much younger

Was that the Dr Who Matt Smith?

There is an extensive gallery of Mr. Spooner's creations in Baltimore, MD at the American Visionary Art Museum which specializes in works by self-taught outsider artists. It's a wonderful museum and Mr. Spooner's are amongst my favorite works in their collection.

Agreed. That sketch book was a real thing of beauty it reminded me of DaVinci drawings and his codex. Dude is brilliant

I can appreciate this gentleman's mind and skills as I tried to do some automata toys myself. First I wish to congratulate him on his design sketchbook on which he keeps records of what he does or intend to do. What strikes me most is his wish to create very complex sequences which tells a full stories. I definitely can appreciate his need to build prototypes which as he says do not always work as he want it to work and that takes time. In fact I can admire this man in that the time he spends in thinking the action must be a long time and his finishing is so good that too must take a long time to achieve, I like his sculpting and when he showed a model of a young girl sitting beside a silly boy scout , on looking at their faces, this gentleman must have a very good idea of society both in how the mental and physical actions of people go about. I really do not know how he makes a living out of this as the time involved to do these models are so long and so he must have some very understanding customers. He is also an expert in woods as I can see the selection of the woods and its harness is fitting very well the sequence required and not all woods are suitable for certain functions. Such movements, and such linkages should be used in schools to teach all the associated subjects as mathematics and physics and movements through cranks, levers , gears, cams . He has a full educational system for which he works do hard and it is a pity that schools are not filled with such sequences which are a representation of the universe around us. No contents of a book can equal to the reality that this man depicts. Sir may I offer my congratulations for your work, you must be a very dedicated person to spend all that time thinking about the linkages and the timing to produce an action. It seems to give you peace of mind and your happy eyes show it so clearly

In a world where everything is consumer driven, plastic, disposable rubbish this is true art. The detail, care and feeling put into this work is astounding. Paul you are very much a genius. You mention Picaso, you are a modern day Picasso or DaVinci in my eyes.

I saw a TV programme on his work years ago. He made a model of a guy sitting in a bath, eating spaghetti. He wasn't happy with the initial bite so he re-engineered the cams to make the model chew a few times. Brilliant!

Thanks to you and Paul for making this splendid interview. Mr Spooner is responsible for practically every surface in my house being covered with some kind of automata made from his amazing books (plus many others which are great but haven't quite got the Spooner touch), and thus my extensive dust collection. A really inspirational man.

Paul is a clever little boy trapped in a grown man's body! What a treasure! Thanks for posting.

Absolutely perfect and marvelous. Truly fabulous work from a too-modest artist of wonderful temperament.

The sausages were an udder disgrace! Lol. Amazing, amazing patience! If I tried to do something like that, there would be broken bits everywhere! What an absolutely amazing feat! Thank you for sharing this! God bless!

These are amazingly incredible works of art. How wonderful!

True maker and absolutely amazing style, it's looks drawn so I look it as a mechanical cartoon I would love to own one of his works

The mechanicaljokes look more like Art to me. They move , they bring a smile and they have a definite style to them.

This seems like the kind of stuff Adam Savage would have in his house.

Splendid interview with an amazing artist

Hi Paul. Not many people would recognize the recycled parts you have used in the machine at 5.37. The front panel is from a pipe organ (correct?). I know because I used to build and restore them😊. Very clever mechanisms you build😊

Oh my fucking god the sausage thing

I've been a lumber jack deep sea diver all this time and I've always wanted to carve witty joke dioramas.

His work is delightful! i love mechanical jokes. i also love visual puns.

What ingenious and hilarious creations. The interview was fantastic, you really get to see Paul's mischievous sense of humor that he puts in the designs, thanks for sharing!

So he's been making this ever since he was 0?

7 people are chair designers

This man is a genius.

Most of my projects are "quick builds" which end up taking many hours, but I can only bring myself to start a new project if I at least TELL myself that it's just gonna be a "quick build". It helps me to get the whole process into my mind and build motivation and inspiration to build something awesome, regardless of the time taken.

That guy should be an Engineer! A Jig Saw with a sewing machine base! Genius!

I'm I the only one that didnt figure out the jokes tied to these beautiful creations?

I love x1000 this man’s art

Amazing , and by the way my mother's maiden name is spooner 🤔

The style had a Tim Burton esk feel to it.... I like it

hey my great grandmothers last name was Spooner. i have been doing this same type of work myself along time now but i invent mostly toys that use electronics, alot of remote control types. tons of fun but i cant stop. after seeing this video i think we must be related lol. i recently got a 3d printer and now my prototypes are so nice and i can make them much faster now using it. id highly recommend for you to get one also as your ideas are wonderful. keep creating! wish i could visit someday id love to see you shop in person!

I like to think people have been making these for millennia. A true art, with mr spooner you can see how specific the characters are to the artist.

When I was very young late 60's early 70's my grandparents had a donkey that sat on the coffee table and when you pushed its head down it lifted its tail and dispensed a cigarette from its butt. Of course being juveniles both my cousin and myself, we learned if you slammed its head down you could shoot a smoke turd quit far. and got in a ton of trouble when we lit one and shot it out as a flaming Donk turd. Well we did this at least until we broke its neck. Then he just looked like Eeyore, he was heavy made from metal and wood and had a saddle that flipped up to load the offending tobacco turds. I have not been able to find one and I have been looking since the 1980's. After seeing this I am wonder if this is one of Mr. Spooner's creations?

his sketchbook is amazing, i'd definitely buy a replica of that

Where can I buy one

Is it just me , but the figures of foxes remind me of Egyptian Gods ?

I love them. Thank you for creating such satisfying art. It's a very rare talent.

what a wonderful mind🎉

0:13 i want to order 100 of these so i can send them to triggered lefties. hahaha

Fantastic, love his sense of humour. I love making things and totally agree with him about doing commissions. I hate doing them as I also hate making the same thing twice. Love his work.

Brilliant! Oh I laughed at the last one.

If Tim Hunkin and Aardman were the one person

I'm so glad you were able to be an artist with your life❤

Paul Spooner’s drawings are beautiful.

Build a house 👍

i want the robot one

Cue in Graham Chapman dressed in a military uniform saying "stop that, it's getting rather silly."

10:18 👏🏼👏🏿👏🏾👏🏽💛💙❤ the colombian sausage is our very national chorizo (not hot spiced as the spanish one)

Thanks for posting this up Aaron, ever since I was in the automata shop in Covent garden it kindled my interest in these visual jokes. Paul Merton made a series where he travelled around China and interviewed an interesting man who made things from electronic scrap. Does Mr Spooner still take commissions? I too have become a fan.

como puede producir tanta cantidad tal vez no los vende y se acumulan o produce una cantidad por dia?

Amazing and beautiful love the butcher one

What a wonderful guy!

i think my grandma went spooning with him once.

10:10 Really? Nice! Looks like "Chorizo Santarrosano" indeed. Very famous in Colombia.

You're not going to explain any of the jokes? The only one that is explained is the couple breaking up on the bench, and then he doesn't even exhibit the movement of anything but the girl standing up. Great art, crappy documentary.

This is imagination kids learn from this guy amazing work keep up the work God bless you.

Asking him about marketing was pretty funny. Obviously this man isn't even remotely interested in getting rich , look at his surroundings and the remark about the chairs. Love this guy , just doing his thing and keeping it 'real' .

The boyscout getting dumped is classic, always be prepared for the dumping, no tears...

he is so vile and crude... but i LIKE his style somewhat.

Wondering if you are related to William Archibald Spooner the inventor of the spoonerism! The 2 Ronnies used to say spoonerisms with such skill😊

How I envy a man who chose this career path, instead of a sure thing.

great work !!! that's all any one could say about your work its great

Hey what a coincidence my name is aaron too but in real life

Thank you algoritm! This might be on Disney's animation laboratory.

Awesome

how do i get ahold of him to commission work from him??

These things are like the coo coo clocks from Pinocchio.

I love your work! That endless sausage maker, so strange! 😁

amazing! congrats!

Take my money! the best fucking "toys" in the world!

Omg

bom

oh I have paper automata of his things i made from little paper kit books- i must video them ...

true craftsmanship ..very funny toys

A very talented man

What a delightful video! :) 🤜🏻👍🤛🏻♡♡♡

wow, thanks for sharing! do you think you could share Paul's contact information! I would love to talk to him! =) cheers!

This man is my Grandpa, only if he was British

Mind blown

I want say something on my comment to this Man but only one come in to may head is Respect!

Now Where is the guy with "Tim Burton" comments 😀

I love how this guy's mind works!

hang on, he worked with Mat Smith? like the eleventh doctor? didn't know he was into this kind of stuff...

fantastic !

A là min. 5 , ces cadavres suspendus. C’est morbide, malsain.

Just fantastic.

takes some talent to make these

brilliant :)

Omg Im in heaven wstching this. ❤❤

Minds alike!

Director Wes Anderson would love this

these things will be expensive art in like 100 years from now

These are beyond doubt works of art.

Looks like some of the ones I seen at Marvins marvrelous mechanical museum

This guy belongs in a loz game

OMG is that man the father of pinocchio ?!

for sixtyseven years the man looks geat