One of the earliest documented jack-in-the-boxes was made by a German clock maker in the early 1500s. It was a gift for the son of a local Prince on the boy’s fifth birthday. A plain wooden box with metal edges and a crank handle, it played a simple tune and the ‘jack’ was a comical devil with a ‘leering smile’–according to a pamphlet published by the Nuremburg Toy Museum. When other nobles requested a “Devil-in-a box” for their own children, a trend took off that continues to this day.

And now, over 500 years later, this simple toy strikes the Austin household. You may not know this but the “devilish” clown that comes out of the box is actually symbolic of the way that god awful song makes adults feel after hearing it for the thousandth time… I’m still amazed how a toy that’s this old can be so popular. It goes to show you that if you do something really well it’ll last for a long time.