Hi Dan!

Thank you so very much!  I was going to include the story here as well but didn't think it would be appropriate.

Yes, there are two magnetic systems at work.  The first is the small magnets in the hat and hand, and the second is the larger magnets in the hat and in the top of a piston inside the head.  

There are two gear trains in the model.  The first drives his right arm at 1/2 motor RPM, The second drives the piston inside the head at 1/4 motor RPM. 

With the piston in the full up position, the hat is held on his head with the large magnets via attractive force.  When his right arm rotates upward to the hat, the piston is timed to drop away thus handing the hat to the hand magnet.  As his hand rotates downward with the hat, the piston returns upward in order to capture the hat once the arm returns the hat to his head.  When the hat is returned to the head, it is captured by the larger magnets then the arm returns downward and the hat is removed from his hand via shear force imposed on the small magnets which is less than the attractive force of the larger magnets.  Thus the gear trains raises the piston once every other hand cycle.  The yoke that drives the piston has built in dwell to hold the piston longer at its up and down positions.

Hope that helps, and many, many thanks again!

Greg

Sweet story in the YouTube description, nicely done.

From one angle I can see the magnets you're using for grip between the hat and his head and his hand. Do you do something mechanically to release the magnet holding his hat on when his hand grabs it?