Ode to the Flying Toaster
The greatest screensaver of the 90s returns — rebuilt for modern macOS and even legacy PowerPC Macs running 10.4 and 10.5 Tiger. This is a fan recreation of After Dark’s iconic Flying Toasters. All original artwork © Berkeley Systems. Download it free below.
Features
- Native Apple Silicon and X86 Support (modern macOS only)
- Classic 2D and optional “3D” scaling modes for authentic or modern depth.
- Adjustable toaster and toast count, plus wing-flap speed controls.
- “Stunts” — rare looping and swerve animations (modern macOS only).
- Optional particle-generated clouds for depth and motion (modern macOS only).
- OpenGL 2.0 acceleration for smooth visuals supported PowerPC systems (OS X version only)
Compatibility
Supports macOS Big Sur and newer (Intel and Apple Silicon), and PowerPC Macs running OS X 10.4 or 10.5. Built as a lightweight universal binary under a 200 KB download.
This screensaver was built from the ground up using macOS frameworks, with attention to memory management and idle CPU performance.
Downloads
Announcement Video + Demo
Planned Features
Currently, I am building a ScreenSaverKit framework for developers to use for creating their own macOS screensavers. Future plans for this screensaver include a 10.6+ Snow Leopard version for early x86 Macs, Metal acceleration for modern Macs, and possibly adding in clouds for retro versions, as well as OpenGL 1.x support for earlier PowerPC systems.
Available free on Patreon — no subscription required. Follow for updates, bug fixes, and upcoming ports for older Macs.