The drinking bird is one of the more popular desk top toys, almost more popular than displaying a college diploma. It goes by a number of different names including the drinking bobble birdie, Mr. Dippy end even dunking birds. Two glass bulbs attached to a tube hidden in the neck of the bird serve to make the motion and inside the bird is liquid and methylene chloride. During the construction phase, a vacuum sucks the oxygen out of the interior, leaving behind dichloromethane vapors.

For the drinking bird to work, the owner dips the head into water, which slowly evaporates. As this happens, it causes the vapors to move downward and forces the liquid inside up. The bird leans forward as if it’s drinking water. The liquid inside pushes back down and the vapors push up, causing the bird to sit back down. The motion of the drinking bird is caused by the constant shifting of the vapors and the liquid inside. The bird continues the motion as long as its head gets wet, which is why many leave it sitting near a glass of water.

Almost since the invention of the drinking birds, concerns over the materials inside have persisted. The first models had a substance inside that was highly flammable. When the bird broke, children and pets could become sick from drinking it as well. Modern day drinking birds contain a nonflammable material that’s better suited for a desk toy.

However it’s also important to keep in mind that exposure to methylene chloride can cause significant problems. People can experience slight burns on their skin, nausea, headache and even experience problems breathing. This usually only happens in cases of long-term or constant exposure, yet it’s still worth mentioning. Those with children or pets should be careful when using the desk toy.

The drinking bird is highly popular in terms of pop culture. An episode of The Simpsons even featured Homer Simpson leaving the bird in charge of his computer while he went to a movie. Since the bird kept moving up and down, he thought it would continue that motion by pressing the same key repeatedly. When he arrived home, he discovered that the bird stopped working when its head dried and that the nuclear power plant was about to explode. This little toy has appeared in other ways too, including in movies and on television.

There’s a whole community of people interested in the drinking bird. They purchase it from The Drinking Bird and Amazon. They even share the fun by creating videos like Drinking Birds Face Off, where two of the birds go head to head in a competition. There is more information out there about How it Works and How Does the Dippy Bird Work?.

There are thousands of drinking bird fans around the world, including those with high school diplomas and those just working on theirs. They even love the novelty products that spun off from the original such as the drinking giraffe and different types of the drinking bird. The original drinking bird is still a hot novelty toy and with new versions appearing every year, it will continue to be a popular seller.


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