Amazing Inventions: Flannelgraphs

I don't know about you, but when I was a kid the main way to teach a Bible story was to pull out the flannelgraph. For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, here's a definition:

Flannelgraph (sometimes called a flannel board) is a storytelling system that uses a board covered with fabric, usually resting on an easel. The flannel board is usually painted to depict a background scene appropriate to the story being told. Paper cutouts of characters and objects in the story are then placed on the board, and moved around, as the story unfolds. These cutouts are backed, either with flannel, or with some other substance that adheres lightly to the flannel background, such as coarse sandpaper. Thanks Wikipedia!

I don't know how many Bible stories I have learned by use of a flannelgraph, but I can tell I still have images in my head of flannel Jesus turning water into wine.

But now with all the high tech media that's out there, the days of the flannelgraph are gone. Well, at least that's what I thought until the other day when lo, and behold I was shown a video of animated flannel characters telling Bible stories. I was so excited to know that the Bible teaching method of my childhood hasen't completely died, but instead given a 21st century upgrade.