![]() ![]() In the early 18th century, improved toy mechanisms made the jack-in-the-box more widely available for all children and not just royalty. After seeing this toy, other nobles requested their own "Devils-in-a-box" for their children. It was built as a gift for a local prince's fifth birthday. Claus built a wooden box, with metal edges and a handle that would pop out a animated devil or “Jack” after cranking the handle. In the early 1500s, the first jack-in-the-box was made by a German clockmaker known as Claus. 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. The phrase jack-in-the-box was first seen used in literature by John Foxe, in his book Actes and Monuments., first published in 1563. ![]() In French, a jack-in-the-box is called a " diable en boîte" (literally "devil in a box"). According to folklore, he once cast the devil into a boot to protect the village of North Marston in Buckinghamshire. ![]() 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, who is often pictured holding a boot with a devil in it. ![]()
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