Cardboard Automata Experiment

I'm making cardboard toys for my grandson, largely to model making rather than buying toys and to involve him in construction. I spent hours making a prototype "robotic hand" out of cardboard, glue, and string.

It didn't work perfectly, so I made a larger one, correcting some of the bugs I found in my first construction.

It still doesn't work perfectly and I am pretty sure I know how to make a better one. But frankly I am bored with the hours of work required, so I will present these prototypes to grandson as an example of what can be done -- and how to iterate. Next, I plan to make with him a much easier marble maze and marble run. But I plan to return to the often frustrating process of making cardboard automata with cams and other components. Meanwhile, I plan to spend the better part of an hour consolidating the cardboard boxes and cereal boxes I've piled up.