Patent ID: 8210898

Claim:
A method of operating a pivotally manipulable toy, the method comprising: viewing a manual that provides a plurality of shapes that can be formed by pivotally manipulating a multi-segment pivotally manipulable member comprising a first end section, a plurality of intermediate sections, and a second end section; wherein the first end section, the plurality of intermediate sections and the second end section are pivotally coupled together in a series beginning with the first end section pivotally coupled to a first one of the plurality of intermediate sections and ending with a last one of the plurality of intermediate sections pivotally coupled to the second end section; wherein each section in the plurality of intermediate sections has a plurality of spaced-apart counting apertures located therein; wherein the manual also provides a separate corresponding counting aperture indicator for each of the shapes in the plurality; wherein each counting aperture indicator represents a total number of counting apertures that are substantially unobstructed when one of a corresponding shape in the plurality is formed; and manipulating the manipulable member so as to form a selected shape in the plurality of shapes; verifying that the selected shape is correctly formed by identifying the selected shape in the plurality of shapes provided in the manual and its corresponding counting aperture indicator and then verifying that the manipulable member has a shape substantially the same as the selected shape and a same total number of counting apertures that are substantially unobstructed as the corresponding counting aperture indicator.