The Jacob's ladder is one of the most ancient and famous of folk toys. Legend has it that one was found in King Tut's tomb, which means these fascinating toys were played with in Egypt before 1352 B.C., when the young king died (at about 18 years old). It's amazing to me that this humble folk toy would have been included among Tutankhamen's most significant effects, along with brilliant jewelry, amulets, masks of pure gold, prized objets d'art, a solid gold coffin, statues, furniture, and even a full-sized chariot.
Jacob's ladders, named for the biblical Jacob who saw a ladder leading from earth to heaven in a vision, have shown up all over the world. Like the spinning top, the Jacob's ladder seems to be universal, appearing at widely divergent world locations with no apparent historical connectedness.
There's a neat trick you can play with your Jacob's ladder, which will baffle children (and, most likely, their elders): Fold up a dollar bill into a small rectangle and tuck it under one of the tapes. Then operate the toy. The dollar will successively disappear, appear, disappear, and so on, for no apparent reason.
Eight pieces of wood fixed together in a special way..
Hold the end pieces level between thumb and forefinger, with the plain woodside facing up , and the other seven sections hanging downwards.
Hold it on the side the hanging sections are and tilt the wooden square slowly downwards until it suddenly makes all the other sections click over.
Then tilt upwards and it will click back.
Made of pine wood, measures 8.5x5.5x5.2 cm and shrink wrapped.
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