Puppet dance

Lay a pane of glass across two books, with a metal plate underneath. Cut out dolls an inch or so high from tissue paper. If you rub the glass with a woollen cloth, the dolls underneath begin a lively dance. They stand up, turn round in a circle, fall, and spring up again.

The glass becomes electrically charged when it is rubbed with the wool, attracts the dolls, and also charges them. Since the two like charges repel each other, the dolls fall back on the plate, give up their charge to the metal and are again attracted to the glass.