The Thin Model was reputedly developed in the 1940s by Turkish illusionist Sati Zungur, although some credit Guy Jarrett with first devising the illusion in 1936. It was developed in response to reaction to the earlier Big Box sawing, the large box of which easily suggested the method used to the audience and made it clear that the assistant had more than enough room to curl up inside the upper part of the box in order to avoid the saw and blades. The box used in the Thin Model version is much smaller and lower, and clearly does not provide enough room for the assistant to curl up inside the upper portion, thus demonstrating to the audience that the assistant has indeed been divided in two.