Every April the city of Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture, just north of Nagoya, holds their Karakuri Festival. Karakuri are skillfully designed dolls or puppets fitted with hidden mechanisms that allow them to move and perform various actions. Popular as toys and novelty pieces in the 18th century, they can be thought of as the precursors to modern-day robots. During the festival, thirteen huge floats, as much as 8 meters tall, are paraded through the town, each with a single karakuri at the top performing for the crowds. Traditionally, the karakuri would be offered to the deity of the local Haritsuna Shrine.