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Toy Boxes
A jack-in-the-box is a children's toy that outwardly consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, it plays out a melody, often Pop Goes the Weasel. At the end of the tune, the lid pops open and a figure of some sort, usually a clown, pops out of the box. more...
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Origin
A theory as to the origin of the jack-in-the-box is that it comes from the 13th century English prelate Sir John Schorne who is often pictured holding a boot with a devil in it. It is believed in folklore that he once cast the devil into a boot to protect the village of North Marston in Buckinghamshire. Another theory was offered by investigative reporter Pete Patterson; it paints a much darker picture. According to him the original Jacks weren't actually clowns, but instead runaway slaves ("Jacks" in slang.) The first Jack in a box was actually a live captured runaway slave in a wooden box. Often children playing where they shouldn't, would jam sharpened wooden sticks though the knotholes of the boxes. In reaction the "Jack" inside would yelp, and often bust through the top of the box. John Schorne, inspired by his childhood antics, began hand crafting and selling Jack in The Boxes. The simple music box would crank and POP out came a crudely crafted black man on a spring. The idea quickly took off as one of the first novelty gifts. The black man in the box was gradually phased into a clown.
Influence on culture
The Jack-in-the-Box toy has had a widespread effect on culture:
The toy gave its name to the fast food restaurant chain Jack in the Box, which features a mascot named "Jack" who resembles a toy clown from a jack-in-the-box. ;
The toy was part of the inspiration for the character Jack-in-the-Box, from the Astro City comic book series.;
One of Mattel's most popular toys from the 1950's to the 1970's was its Jack-in-the-box.;
The toy frequently appears in horror movies. A certain tension lies in knowing that when the tune ends, something pops out – and in horror movies it's usually more sinister than a toy clown. In the preview for Child's Play 2, a jack-in-the-box is seen moving on its own and just before it pops out, Chucky stomps on it, proclaiming, "Sorry Jack, Chucky's back!";
A jack-in-the-box named "Charlie-in-the-box" serves as the sentry to the Island of Misfit Toys in the Christmas movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.;
In the Bullfrog computer game Dungeon Keeper 2, the Jack-in-the-box Trap appears to be a harmless object but, upon being touched, will pursue and lethally frighten enemy imps.;
In the video game American McGee's Alice the protagonist Alice can use the Jack-bomb weapon which is essentially an explosive Jack-in-the-box that can be thrown at enemies.;
The computer game The Incredible Machine features a Jack-in-the-Box as a tool to complete puzzles;
The computer game Jack in the Dark featured a Jack-in-the-Box replica of One Eyed Jack, an infamous pirate who was the main enemy in Alone in the Dark 2.;
The Hand-in-the-box in Sid's room from a Disney/Pixar film Toy Story.;
A Jack-in-the-Box, known simply as Jack, is also the protagonist of the children's book The Plucker, written and illustrated by the science-fiction and fantasy artist Gerald Brom.;
In Spyro the Dragon, the Dreamweavers boss is named Jacque and throws boxes at his enemies, which is an obvious connection to the children's toy.;
The rap duo Insane Clown Posse have released an album entitled the Riddlebox, whose cover resembles an evil jack in the box.;
There is a schedule ident for PBS Kids on which Dot turns a crank.;
Zebedee, a character in The Magic Roundabout, is a Jack-in-the-box without the box.;
In the military context, some tanks which store ammunition inside their turrets will violently eject their turrets if their ammunition is made to detonate, an analog to a Jack-in-the-Box bursting open.;
In the movie "Elf" starring Will Farrell, he tests several jack-in-the-boxes during one of the scenes.;
In the movie Fantasia 2000 there is a segment based on The Steadfast Tin Soldier where the villain is a jack-in-the-box rather than a troll doll from the original fairy tale.;
In the video game Donkey Kong 64, the boss of Frantic Factory is a giant jack-in-the-box named Mad Jack.;
In the fan-made Alice Cooper music video "Wind-Up Toy", the main character in the video, Stephen, releases a wind-up Alice Cooper doll from a Jack-in-the-Box.;
In a TrueCredit commercial, a jack-in-the-box was used and the announcer says, "Don't know Jack about your credit? Stop clowning around.";
In the game Raze's Hell, the race of creatures known as Kewletts use a jack-in-the-box weapon called the "Death-in-the-Box".;
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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