‘It was to make bank managers less uptight’: the toy that put Newton’s law on executive desks

The Ballrace executive toy, a steel version of Newton’s cradle, enjoyed a huge popularity in the 1970s. Photograph: Four Corners Books

Sir Isaac Newton was a genius of science, but for many Britons of a certain age he is also fondly remembered for lending his name to a classic executive toy. In the 1970s, the steel five-ball Newton’s cradle became a must-have accessory in offices and homes, ushering in a fad for kinetic games and magnetic puzzles.

Now a new book, Loncraine Broxton: Innovations & Executive Toys 1969-1997, published this month, tells the story of the eccentric British company that created these toys as the side hustle of an award-winning film director and an archaeologist.