A method of simulating real-life motion of a character includes providing a toy having a plurality of interconnected links. The links are rotatably attached to one another and the character is attached to one of the links. The method also includes grasping the toy by holding two different links that are separated by at least two other links, one of which is the link to which the character is attached. The method also includes moving the hands with respect to one another, thus causing the character to move in a manner that simulates the real-life motion of the character.