Some regard automatons as the forerunners to modern robotics. Automatons were the first machines to move like humans, a sort of android made from wood, clothing and the most sophisticated micro-mechanics or watch-making. The mechanisms developed for automatons were eventually put to practical use, though they were originally meant for fairs and amusement parks. Tibidabo Amusement Park holds a number of these machines, assembled in what is the most important automaton museum in the world, with items dating back to the end of the 19th century. The collection is so significant that even Walt Disney once tried to buy one of its machines with a blank cheque. The collection is housed in a former theatre dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. It includes models with moving parts as well as working automatons that help to show the close relationship between the science of mechanics and amusement parks.