Editing Jack-in-the-box

{{Short description|Children's toy}}
{{About|the toy|the restaurant|Jack in the Box|other uses|Jack in the Box (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Jack-in-the-box 1863 Harpers.png|thumb|Two boys playing with a jack-in-the-box in an 1863 illustration]]
[[File:Jack in the box after Gavarni.jpg|thumb|Jack-in-the-box after  [[Paul Gavarni]]]]

A '''jack-in-the-box''' is a children's [[toy]] that outwardly consists of a [[Music Box|music box]] with a [[Crankset|crank]].<ref name="Sobey2008" /> When the crank is turned, a [[music box]] mechanism in the toy plays a [[melody]]. After the crank has been turned a sufficient number of times (such as at the end of the melody), the lid pops open and a figure, usually a [[clown]] or [[jester]], pops out of the box. Some jacks-in-the-box open at random times when cranked, making the [[startle]] even more effective. Many of those that use "[[Pop Goes the Weasel]]" open at the point in the melody when the word "pop" would be sung. In 2005, the jack-in-the-box was inducted into the U.S. [[National Toy Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jack-in-the-Box |url=https://www.museumofplay.org/toys/jack-in-the-box/ |access-date=2022-09-30 |publisher=The Strong National Museum of Play |language=en-US}}</ref> where are displayed all types of versions of the toy, starting from the beginning versions, and ending with the most recently manufactured versions.

==Origin==
A theory as to the origin of the jack-in-the-box is that it comes from the 14th-century [[Kingdom of England|English]] [[prelate]] [[John Schorne|Sir John Schorne]],<ref name="Vince2008" /> who is often pictured holding a [[boot]] with a [[devil]] in it. According to [[folklore]], he once cast the devil into a boot to protect the village of [[North Marston]] in [[Buckinghamshire]]. In French, a jack-in-the-box is called a "''diable en boîte''" (literally "devil in a box").  The phrase jack-in-the-box was first seen used in literature by John Foxe, in his book ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs|Actes and Monuments]]'', first published in 1563. There he used the term as an insult to describe a swindler who would cheat tradesmen by selling them empty boxes instead of what they actually purchased.<ref name="phrases.org" /> It also featured in the Chronicle of the Greyfriars of London in 1547 where it was noted as being used pejoratively to refer to the [[real presence of Christ in the Eucharist]]:<ref>{{cite book|title=Reading and Writing during the Dissolution: Monks, Friars, and Nuns 1530–1558| chapter=Chapter Two - The Greyfriars Chronicle and the fate of London’s Franciscan community|author=Erler, Mary C.|isbn=9781139626576|year=2013|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/reading-and-writing-during-the-dissolution/greyfriars-chronicle-and-the-fate-of-londons-franciscan-community/}}</ref>
{{Blockquote
|text=Also this same tyme was moche spekyng agayne the sacrament of the auter, that some callyd it Jacke of the boxe, with divers other shamfulle names|title=''[[Chronicle of the Greyfriars of London]]'' 
}}

== History ==
In the early 1500s, the first jack-in-the-box was made by a German clockmaker known as Claus. Claus built a wooden box, with metal edges and a handle that would pop out an animated devil or "Jack" after cranking the handle. It was built as a gift for a local prince's fifth birthday. After seeing this toy, other nobles requested their own "Devils-in-a-box" for their children.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> {{Unreliable source?|reason=Articles show no source for the Claus claim|date=March 2025}}

In the early 18th century, improved toy mechanisms made the jack-in-the-box more widely available for all children and not just royalty.<ref name=":1" />

== Models ==
Originally, the jack-in-the-box was made out of [[wood]], but with new technology the toy could be constructed from printed cardboard.<ref name="toyhalloffame" /> Around the 1930s, the jack-in-the-box became a [[Wind-up toy|wind-up]] toy made from [[tin]]. Additionally, the tin boxes began to be covered in images from children's nursery rhymes with corresponding tunes.<ref name="retroplanet" /> Over the years, the jack-in-the-box has evolved into characters other than the clown, such as [[Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie the Pooh]], [[The Cat in the Hat]], the [[The Three Little Pigs|Three Little Pigs]], [[Kitten|kittens]], [[Dog|dogs]], [[Curious George]], [[Santa Claus]], [[giraffe]]s, and so on.<ref name="history of pop up toys" />

== Distributors ==
Starting in 1935 and continuing for 20 years, the first company to take on the distribution of the toy was a very small firm named Joy Toy. The company is located in [[Italy]] as well as the [[Netherlands]]. Since then, [[Fisher-Price|Fisher Price]], [[Chad Valley (toy brand)|Chad Valley]], [[Mattel]] and [[Tomy]] have all played a major role in distributing the jack-in-the-box.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="history of pop up toys" />

== In popular culture ==
* The jack-in-the-box has been used for centuries by cartoonists as a way to describe and poke fun at politicians.<ref name=":1" />
* The American fast food company [[Jack in the Box]] began using the toy and the phrase as their mascot in the early 1950s.<ref name="jackintheboxinc" />{{not in source|date=February 2025}}
* A 1945 [[Walt Disney Company|Disney]] cartoon called ''[[The Clock Watcher]]'' shows [[Donald Duck]] making many failed attempts to close a Jack-in-the-box.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/2011/03/clock-watcher.html|title = The Clock Watcher}}</ref>
* The 1964 [[Rankin/Bass]] TV special [[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]] shows a place called the Island of Misfit Toys, with a "Charlie-in-the-box" instead of a "Jack-in-the-box", which in the special makes him a misfit toy.

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Sobey2008">{{Citation | first1 = Ed | last1 = Sobey | first2 = Woody | last2 = Sobey | title = The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch a Sketch, Boomerang, and More | publisher = Chicago Review Press | page = 71 | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-1613743096 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=F2ApK7QnbPUC&pg=PA71 | postscript= .}}</ref>
<ref name="Vince2008">{{Citation | first1 = John | last1 = Vince | title = Discovering Saints in Britain | edition = 3rd | publisher = Osprey Publishing | page = 29 | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0747804758 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pij89MWD_lYC&pg=PA29 | postscript= .}}</ref>
<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.fabtintoys.com/jack-in-the-box/|title=Jack in the box, a classic and vintage toy|website=www.fabtintoys.com|access-date=2019-03-25}}</ref>
<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://howtoadult.com/history-jackinthebox-toy-5082822.html|title=History of the Jack-in-the-Box Toy|website=How To Adult|language=en|access-date=2019-03-25}}</ref>
<ref name="toyhalloffame">{{Cite web|url=http://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/jack-box|title=Jack-in-the-Box {{!}} National Toy Hall of Fame|website=www.toyhalloffame.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-22|archive-date=2016-03-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313200600/http://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/jack-box|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="phrases.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/jack-in-the-box.html|title='Jack in the box' - the meaning and origin of this phrase|last=Martin|first=Gary|website=Phrasefinder|language=en|access-date=2019-03-25}}</ref>
<ref name="retroplanet">{{Cite web|url=https://blog.retroplanet.com/jack-in-the-box/|title=Classic Toys: Jack-in-the-Box|date=2009-08-04|website=Retro Planet|access-date=2019-03-25|archive-date=2019-03-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325195306/https://blog.retroplanet.com/jack-in-the-box/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="history of pop up toys">{{Cite web|url=http://www.j2e.com/victoria+junior+school/Admin/history+of+pop+up+toys+and+jack+in+the+boxes/|title=history of pop up toys and jack in the boxes|website=www.j2e.com|access-date=2018-10-22|archive-date=2023-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409135315/https://www.j2e.com/victoria+junior+school/Admin/history+of+pop+up+toys+and+jack+in+the+boxes/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="jackintheboxinc">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jackintheboxinc.com/company/history|title=Jack In The Box Inc. {{!}} Our Company|website=www.jackintheboxinc.com|access-date=2019-03-25}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category inline|Jack-in-the-box}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jack-In-The-Box}}
[[Category:Toy instruments and noisemakers]]
[[Category:Traditional toys]]