Hi again, more pling-plong information.  In response to various
questions I have received about the pling-plong device, which plays
self-punched paper strips, I offer the following:

1. The device is indeed made by Sankyo, but I have heard from more
than one source that it is not imported into the United States.

2. The shop in Utrecht where I bought two _unhoused_ mechanisms,
with the proper hole-punch, is called "Poort", about one block from
the Nationaal Museum.  They are a modern gift shop with several modern
music-box items, but I was very disappointed in how curt and unfriendly
the shopkeepers were.  Also, they do not deal in the un-punched (blank)
strips.

3. The best source of pling-plongs I have found is the gift shop at

  Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement
  Buurkerkhof 10
  NL 3511 KC Utrecht
  Netherlands
  tel: +31 (0) 30 2 312 789
  fax: +31 (0) 30 2 322 285
  email: speelklok@momm.nl

  To my understanding this is the most significant mechanical music
museum in the Netherlands, with a huge, impressive collection of
musical clocks, disc and cylinder boxes, bell boxes, automata, orches-
trions, barrel organs, band organs, and dance-hall organs.  The gift
shop sells the pling-plong as a featured item, and has stacks of blank
paper strips.  My guess is that they have a continuous supply of these
gadgets, whereas gift shops like "Poort" may only sell them
sporadically.

4. If you order a pling-plong from the museum, or from Poort, or from
the SELVA catalog mentioned elsewhere, _make sure_ that you also order
the hole-puncher.  The hole it makes is of a specific size, and the
puncher is built in such a way as to be able to span across several
inches of card (whereas a standard hole puncher can only reach about
one and a half inches.)  You will be sorry if you don't order the
special puncher along with your pling-plong.

5. I have placed some IMAGES of the pling-plong at the following
address

  http://www.angelfire.com/ma/mandaclair/plingplong.html

and eventually hope I to develop a more comprehensive pling-plong
web site, after my return to the States.

6. I'll be bringing my 3 pling-plongs to Philadelphia this year, for
anyone who's dying to see or play with one for a few days, although
I am not planning on selling them.

If anyone wants to start a pling-plong club, to create and trade
patterns for punched-card arrangements, I think that would be an
excellent idea.  If these gadgets catch on with the MMD crowd, I'll
develop a graphic template which will allow one to create blank cards
on a Xerox machine using card-stock, so you don't have to go looking
for the special cards whenever you want to punch a song.

If you're thinking about ordering one, do it.  These things are great.

Cheers,

Manda
Manda Clair Jost