5. Think Tank
Think TankTM ("A new tool for the mind"), produced by the Think Tank Corporation of Midland Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario.
Here's how it works: the sphere is filled with 13,000 plastic strips with words on them, words like anemometer, peanut butter, sublimation, nougat, and aureole.
Two knobs on the side turn metal arms that move the strips around to the clear plastic window at the front of the sphere. There you can see some of words on the strips. The idea behind the Think Tank is that churning up these random words will seed one's mind with new ideas and spur some creative problem solving. While taking these pictures I spent several minutes contemplating mullification, which swam past my Think Tank's window. Turns out it's not even a word.
There's an instruction booklet that came with the Think Tank (written by Dr. Edward de Bono, proponent of lateral thinking) that offers techniques for using the Think Tank effectively. (Describing a group brainstorming session, de Bono writes "Ideally each indivial taking part should have his own THINK TANK [sic] which is placed in front of him." I can't even imagine how unproductive that meeting would be.)
My Think Tank was acquired by my mother in the mid-70s. I've never seen another one (the book shows a black Think Tank that I'd love to have) and unfortunately there's nothing about this device or its creator, Savo Bojicic, on the web. After scanning hundreds of Google results, I've given up.
