Wow, a thing I probably haven’t thought about in a billion years, and one image brings it instantly back. My fingers remember exactly what it feels like to push the button in the base, slackening the threads. It looks like ‘push puppet’ is the term of art, and naturally, there are enthusiasts: “These little articulated wooden toys were created in Switzerland by Walther Kourt Walss in 1932.”
Photo by Timeless.