That's all Fawkes!

The Great Stock Market crash on Oct 29, 1929, is one of the most influential days in the development of modern society. It was a precursor to the Great Depression, which led to lost opportunities and devastating failures. In 1933, nearly half of America's banks had failed, and 30 per cent of the workforce was unemployed. The impact hit every part of the globe.

The phoenix can, however, only rise from the ashes. As a result of the unfortunate Black Tuesday, we gained two-pass times we have treasured for years.

First, there are the beloved brick toys. My bucket toys were one of my very first toys and I remember how obsessed I was with them to the point where only certain people were allowed to touch them. I remember good times spent building most anything with these toys. Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish iron-board carpenter, hung on to an idea during the fire that burned down his workshop - which eventually lead to the origin of the block toy. The idea to create cheap wooden toys was a good one, but bankruptcy made it nearly impossible to achieve. He began selling miniature cars and animals in Denmark, but a fire wrought havoc. Yet he persisted. Due to the shortage of materials during World War 2, he opted for plastic this time. In 1946, he bought the plastic moulding machine inspired by the British brick machine - and invented the world's first Automatic Binding Brick or Lego. The Lego systems we see were built by his son shortly afterward.

Whether it's a delicately crafted death star or a monument in people's living rooms, our ability to build virtually anything is impressive. This is, of course, unless your cat knocks it over first.

Speaking of curious cats, Black Tuesday's tragedy has created one especially gullible cat who goes crazy chasing a manipulative little rodent we all adore. Jasper cat and Jinx mouse were created by newly employed MGM animators - Joseph Barbera and William Hanna who attempted to create content in a very unstable environment. With only one shot, they produced their first cartoon - Puss Gets the Boot. MGM began producing more shots on-demand after the first shot was such a success. As a result, John Carr, a cartoonist in the 1980s, won the first prize of 50 dollars for renaming the cat and mouse, Tom and Jerry. In a blink of an eye, the most iconic characters in animation history were born and dozens more followed under Hanna Barbara Productions such as the prehistoric Flintstones to the futuristic Jetsons and Scooby-Doo to Yogi Bear. The magic of these simple slapstick comedy programs is that they made us believe in the impossible.

During Black Tuesday, much as what we are experiencing with this pandemic since 2019, you may feel like you don't have much hope. What matters most, however, is that creativity is something that cannot be restricted, regardless of our physical limitations. Don't give up and you'll find yourself watching an impossible battle of cat and mouse while building a marvel out of colourful bricks to arrive at your next great idea!