What is a Crankie? A Cranky?
A crankie isn't a monster! It's a an old analogue tool for animating stories. It's a scroll of paper that is rolled through a frame, showing images of the characters and scenes.
Some people spell it "crankie" and others "cranky". That's because it's a storytelling word and passed on by sound, rather than writing!
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In the two and a half minute video below, Bronia shows us crankies and how they are used in storytelling. This video is from the Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival.
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For subtitles, click the 'cc' button that is visible when you hover your mouse over the video.
In the video above, Darren Hoskins uses a cranky to tell his dad's story. He worked on the railways, in a signal box in Lydney. For subtitles, click the 'cc' button that is visible when you hover your mouse over the video.
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A cranky is a great tool for illustrating a journey.
Do you know any stories about travel?
Could you describe one of your favourite days out?
What images could you use to show what happened and where you went?
Maybe the roads that you travelled, the sites that you saw and the food that you ate!
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If you're feeling crafty, you could make a cranky from a box out of the recycling!