Origin of "Jumping Jacks"

Factual Questions
1

Where’d they get the name jumping jacks? It’s been bothering a few friends and myself for some time now…

thanks for any ideas.

2

A “Jumping Jack” is an old fashioned wooden toy. You pull a string and the arms and legs raise. The exercise is named after the resemblence of the action to the toy’s.

3

There’s one pictured at the bottom of this page.

4

(Jay Leno) [Paraphrased] Yeah, of course hes jumping like that. If you pulled me there, I would Jump Too!! (/Jay Leno)

5

From the traditional wooden toy called a jumping jack (fourth picture down) shaped like a human figure with jointed arms and legs attached to a string. So when you pull the string, “Jack” appears to jump and splays out his arms and legs.

You can make your own jumping jack out of paper, too. Apparently (pdf) this toy first became popular in 18th-century France.

6

thank you all so much.