Mechanical Dolls / Automatans

Mechanical dolls and musical toys were known as early as the third century BC.
Many of the ideas for these toys were first discovered by clockmakers of the 16th century, who incorporated figures of the Magi or warriors on their clock with “Death” striking the hour.
The 18th century was the peak of ingenuity in the art of the clockmaker when all sorts of musical mechanism, clavichords, flutes, bells and even a cuckoo were added.