Jack-in-the-box

A theory as to the origin of the jack-in-the-box is that it comes from the 14th-century English prelate Sir John Schorne,[3] who is often pictured holding a boot with a devil in it.

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.

[4] 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:[5] 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 namesIn the early 1500s, the first jack-in-the-box was made by a German clockmaker known as Claus.

[9] Over the years, the jack-in-the-box has evolved into characters other than the clown, such as Winnie the Pooh, The Cat in the Hat, the Three Little Pigs, kittens, dogs, Curious George, Santa Claus, giraffes, and so on.

Since then, Fisher Price, Chad Valley, Mattel and Tomy have all played a major role in distributing the jack-in-the-box.