The jumping jack is a jointed, flat wooden figure, a cross between a puppet and a paper doll that is considered a mechanical toy.
Jumping jacks were popular in many contemporary countries including England, France, and Germany, but similar mechanical toys date back to the Ancient Egyptians.
[1] Among the earliest-known examples are ivory dancing figures, made to spin by pulling their strings that were among artifacts found at the archaeological site, El-Lisht.
[3] In the mid-1700s, “pantins” were popular among the French nobility, and versions were sold that satirized famous figures of the time.
[6] As part of the course she designed a modern version of the Hampelmann that was set in a wooden frame and featured articulated limbs that move when a string is pulled.