Can you believe that Fixies are Such itty-bitty creatures?
Even when they’re magnified It’s hard to see their features.
They’re tiny, infinitesimal, So small it makes you doubt.
But if you meet a Fixie, please, Don’t let their secret out!
The Stapler
Tom Thomas gets the ball!
He makes an incredible move!
He's wide open!
The goalie sees him and he screams in horror!
He shoots and…
Score!
- Yey! -Tideesh!
Tom Thomas, stop kicking that ball!
Your school concert starts in 30 minutes and I don't want to iron your pants again!
Alright, Mom.
Just one more time, ah?
No, I'm sorry. Mom said I have to quit kicking the ball.
But Mom said nothing about dribbling the ball!
- Go Tom Thomas! Go! Go! - You can do it! You can do it! Yeah!
Tom Thomas! Your pants!
This can't be!
These are my special concert pants!
Yeah, how will you go now?
Well, your Mom does have enough time to sew them.
I’m scared to even tell her about it. She said that I had to stop playing.
Hey! I've got it!
Here!
You think we should fix the rip in his pants with a stapler?
Yeah, isn’t it a good idea?
I gotta try it out.
You do?
Like this?
- Stop! - Why? What's wrong?
My nose itches! That's all. Let's go!
You're right Nolik, it works!
That is super!
Yeah, the stapler's really great!
Do you guys know how it works?
Just keep stapling and I'll tell you!
The staples for a stapler are lightly glued together.
That way you can load many staples at once, instead of one at a time.
And the spring pushed the staples to the front.
When you push down on the arm, a metal “tooth” pushes the front staple down through a thin space
and the staple punches holes in the paper.
Next, the pointy ends of the staple push down onto a plate
and that makes the staple bend behind the paper.
And there you go! The papers are fastened!
So you could say that we're sewing, but using a stapler instead of a needle.
Yeah, and it works even faster!
What's going on?
Could it have run out of staples?
There are still a lot more staples.
But one of them got jammed here in the slot!
Tom Thomas, we're leaving in 5 minutes!
OK, Mom!
So, did you get it?
No.
Why don't we... get Papus to help us?
Because he's really strong and he’s got a pack-o-mat.
We can do this ourselves!
Tom Thomas, find something we can use to push that staple out!
The stapler is not a very new invention.
It's been said that the French king, King Louis the Fifteenth
had a stapler made out of gold and precious gems.
Unfortunately, it could only hold one staple at a time.
Modern staplers are much more convenient.
And people have came up with so many kinds:
for paper, for plywood and even for skin!
Yes! Surgeons often use them during operations.
Then there's the staple gun that's used to upholster furniture.
And its older brother the nail gun can even be used to hold together the walls of a building!
And here's an invention almost as important as a stapler!
It's the staple remover!
With its help it’s possible to remove the staples put in by a stapler.
How about this screwdriver?
That will work!
Look, a screwdriver fits perfectly into the slot!
That's great! Now push that staple through only keep your fingers out of the way!
Or you won’t finish sewing!
Tideesh!
It’s still not tideesh!
You haven't fixed your pants yet.
That’s it! They're done!
Now we can say… Tideesh!
Tom Thomas, are you ready?
Of course!
My idea with the staple was smart, wasn't it?
And Tom Thomas' mother won’t notice a thing.
Will too.
Just wait till she washes them!
Fixies go to Fixie schools And study to be masters.
There's so much they need to learn To save us from disasters!
There isn't one appliance That they don't know about
But if you meet a Fixie, please, Don't let their secret out!
The Suction Cup
Where is Professor Eugenius, did you see him?
Not yet.
Strange.
He told me he'd be here today to conduct some tests.
Grandpus, right here under the glass. There is a note!
“Dear Friends!”
That means the note is for us!
That's because Professor Eugenius can always count on us!
“I’m off for a conference today.”
So what should we do?
“While I’m away, please keep an eye on each of my tests."
"There's the wrist watch,”
And where is it?
It's right there!
Look!
How come the watch is in the water?
So the fish can know what time it is?
Nolik, don’t be silly.
This is the test he made for the watch.
You see? It says “Water resistant” right there on the back.
That means that water shouldn't get inside of it.
I see.
So the professor needs to check if it will work under water. Understand?
Yep, I got it.
The watch is working!
So now, the doorbell test.
We'll go look!
It’s over there!
What's that thing doing?
It tests the button to see how fast it wears out!
To check the quality of appliances, toys, sporting goods, or just about anything,
they need to undergo serious testing.
Take, for instance, telephones.
They need to be tested with both heat and cold,
because they have to work in places as hot as Africa and as cold as the Artic.
Computers are tested to make sure they can be shaken and rocked too.
That way you can be sure they'll work on a desk at home,
or outside in the park,
or while you're taking a ride.
Different kinds of products need different kinds of durability tests.
For example, athletic shoes and car tires are rubbed and squeezed over and over
to see how long they are going to last.
Yes, testing is very important!
Without testing, a machine or appliance could let you down at the very worst moment!
If guests come to visit once a week…
And once every month a hooligan comes, pushes the doorbell and runs.
Then I figure this door bell will last right around four hundred years!
That's long!
- The doorbell is still working! - That's very good!
“And also…”
What?
I don’t know! We need to turn the note over to read the end.
But how?
Oh! Raise the glass, that's all!
I can’t get a hold of it.
We should find a... suction cup!
A suction cup?
Suction cups are made out of rubber or other elastic materials.
When a suction cup is pressed against a smooth surface, the air inside is squeezed out.
The air outside wants to get back in, and so it pushes down on the cup.
The rubber edge of the cup won't let the air leak in,
so the outside air keeps pressing down and the cup keeps on sticking.
And that’s how a suction cup sticks to a surface by using the power of air.
Wait a minute!
I know where there is a really big suction cup that we could use!
That’s a huge suction cup, Nolik!
Tideesh! Tideesh! Tideesh!
Well done, Nolik!
Only we need to hurry before air gets under the suction cup and it unsticks!
My suction cup will never unstick!
Well, let's see what it says here.
Simka, you'd better hurry!
“And make sure nothing gets broken here in the laboratory while I'm away!”
And what could get broken around here?
The glass! Look out!
Yeah, so much for that!
And who is going to clean up all of this broken glass?
You don't know?
- Nolik! He told us to use that suction cup! - No! Simka! She was reading way too slow!
Listen, there is no need to fight.
I came up with the idea of the suction cup.
I should clean this.
Come on now, Grandpus!
We'll clean up this mess.
Professor, I still think the suction cup was a great idea!