The jumping jack is a jointed, flat wooden figure, a cross between a

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

and a paper doll that is considered a mechanical toy. The figure's joints are connected to a pull string that causes the arms and legs to move up and down when the string is pulled and released. Jumping jacks were popular in many contemporary countries including England, France, and Germany, but similar mechanical toys date back to the Ancient Egyptians.

History

Although the jumping jack is popularly thought of as a European toy, such mechanical toys have a long history that dates back to

Ancient Egyptian Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

toy figures with movable limbs. 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 Lisht or el-Lisht () is an Egyptian village located south of Cairo. It is the site of Middle Kingdom royal and elite burials, including two pyramids built by Amenemhat I and Senusret I. The two main pyramids were surrounded by smaller pyramids of ...

Pantin

In France jumping jacks were especially popular and generally known as “''pantins''”. In the mid-1700s, “''pantins''” were popular among the French nobility, and versions were sold that satirized famous figures of the time. Edmond Barbier wrote in 1747 that "one cannot go into any house without finding a ''pantin'' hanging by the mantelpiece".

Hampelmann

In 1832, ''Hampelmann'' was a character created by Carl Malß as a figure for the burlesque at

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Later, jumping jacks became known as ''Hampelmann'' in German-speaking countries. The mechanical toys were manufactured in the

Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

in Germany. In her first year as a student at the famous

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

design school in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

, Germany, Margaretha Reichardt, who would become a textile designer, undertook a preliminary course run by

Josef Albers Josef Albers ( , , ; March 19, 1888March 25, 1976) was a German-born American artist and Visual arts education, educator who is considered one of the most influential 20th-century art teachers in the United States. Born in 1888 in Bottrop, Westp ...

and

László Moholy-Nagy László Moholy-Nagy (; ; born László Weisz; July 20, 1895 – November 24, 1946) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by Constructivism (art), con ...

in 1926. 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. Later, her design was produced commercially by Naef, a Swiss toy company.

Quockerwodger

Oxford Reference cites the word "quockerwodger" as "a wooden puppet which can be made to 'dance' by pulling its strings". By analogy, quockerwodger came to be used as a negative appellation for a politician whose "strings" are pulled entirely by their own "puppetmaster".Twitter
Susie Dent. Retrieved 4 June 2020

References

External links

Ancient Egyptian games: Children's games, toys, board games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jumping Jack (Toy Traditional toys Wooden toys