Jack-in-the-Box
Memories
Seven Hallmark ornaments — the complete Jack-in-the-Box Memories series, 2003 through 2009. Each one a pressed tin jack-in-the-box with a wind-up crank that plays “Pop Goes the Weasel.” Turn the crank — and Pop! A different character springs up every year: Snowman, Santa, Reindeer, Teddy Bear, Tigger, Gingerbread Man, and Elf. The 2006 Teddy Bear is in The Henry Ford. All seven here.
Turn the Crank — Every Entry Plays “Pop Goes the Weasel”
Every Jack-in-the-Box Memories ornament works the same delightful way: the box is pressed tin, there is a wind-up crank on the side, and when you turn it the ornament plays “Pop Goes the Weasel.” At the right moment in the song — Pop! — the character springs up from the box. Snowman in 2003, Santa in 2004, Reindeer in 2005, Teddy Bear in 2006, Tigger in 2007, Gingerbread Man in 2008, Elf in 2009. Seven years. Seven cranks. Seven pops. The same beloved children’s song, a different surprise each time.
2006 Pop! Goes the Teddy Bear #4 — In The Henry Ford Collections
The Henry Ford museum holds the 2006 Jack-in-the-Box Memories #4 Teddy Bear (QX2493) in its permanent collections. The full box verse reads: “Fun-loving teddy bears agree / that Christmastime is tops, / and every time the music plays — / SURPRISE — up Teddy pops!” Pressed Tin and Handcrafted. Dated 2006. Sharon Visker, Hallmark Keepsake Artist. Wind-up music and movement. Fourth in the series.
Seven Years of “Pop Goes the Weasel” — A Different Surprise Every Time
The Jack-in-the-Box Memories series launched in 2003 as one of Hallmark’s most mechanically inventive series: a pressed tin jack-in-the-box ornament with a working wind-up crank that plays “Pop Goes the Weasel” and pops a character out of the top. Primary sculptor Sharon Visker designed six of the seven entries; 2007’s Tigger (#5) was sculpted by Anita Marra Rogers. The founding 2003 Snowman (QX8457, 3 inches high) is a classic: a frosty snowman popping from a colorful pressed tin box when the nursery rhyme hits its climax. Santa follows in 2004, Reindeer in 2005.
The 2006 Teddy Bear (#4, QX2493, Sharon Visker) is in The Henry Ford, its box verse captured in the museum’s records: “Fun-loving teddy bears agree / that Christmastime is tops, / and every time the music plays — / SURPRISE — up Teddy pops!” The 2007 Tigger entry (QX4237, Anita Marra Rogers, 3.15” H) brings Disney’s most bouncy character into the jack-in-the-box format perfectly — a character who has been “popping” since 1968 finally gets his own spring-loaded box. The Gingerbread Man pops in 2008. And in 2009, the elf closes the series — 3¼” tall, the sides of the box decorated with scenes of elves making toys in Santa’s workshop, the complete holiday-toy story wrapped around the ornament’s exterior.
“Fun-loving teddy bears agree / that Christmastime is tops, / and every time the music plays — / SURPRISE — up Teddy pops!”
— Box verse, 2006 Jack-in-the-Box Memories #4 Pop! Goes the Teddy Bear · QX2493 · In The Henry Ford · Sharon Visker · Pressed tin · Wind-up music and movement
Tips for the Complete Collection
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01These ornaments are meant to be cranked — hang them where the mechanism can be reached and activated. The entire point of the Jack-in-the-Box Memories series is the wind-up crank that plays “Pop Goes the Weasel” and pops the character out. Hung deep inside a tree or out of reach, the interactive feature — the series’ most distinctive quality — is inaccessible. Hang them on front outer branches at a height where adults and children can reach the crank and turn it. The pop is the ornament.
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02The 2006 Teddy Bear (#4, QX2493) is in The Henry Ford — give it the featured position. The museum-held entry is the series’ most historically significant, with its charming box verse captured in The Henry Ford’s records. Display it prominently among the seven as the cultural landmark entry.
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03Display in series order from #1 to #7 — the character progression is part of the story. Snowman (#1) opens with the most classic Christmas figure; Elf (#7) closes with the workshop, elves making toys on the sides of the box. The series begins and ends in the Christmas tradition, with a Tigger detour in the middle. In sequence the progression of characters from #1 to #7 tells the complete jack-in-the-box story.
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04All 7 Jack-in-the-Box Memories Hallmark ornaments — the complete 2003–2009 series — are at Already Christmas. Turn the crank. Pop goes the weasel. Seven characters. Seven surprises. All seven here.
Every Jack-in-the-Box Memories Hallmark Keepsake
Turn the crank. Seven characters. Seven pops. Click any to shop.
Sharon Visker put a pressed tin jack-in-the-box on the tree in 2003 — wind-up crank, “Pop Goes the Weasel,” and a snowman springing from the top. Six more followed through 2009: Santa, Reindeer, Teddy Bear (now in The Henry Ford, whose box verse reads “SURPRISE — up Teddy pops!”), Tigger, Gingerbread Man, and in 2009, the elf — 3¼ inches tall, elves making toys on the sides of the box, the series complete. Seven cranks. Seven pops. Seven surprises. All seven here.
✦ Part of our Collection: Hallmark Wind-Up & Musical Toy Series, Explored ✦