Welcome to Handcranktoys.com!

We are located in beautiful Gladstone, Missouri. We specialize in Jack-In-The-Boxes. We started in 1999 by fate. The owner of Handcranktoys.com has an interesting story on how this happened. The owner Linda Hamilton, got her first grandchild in 1999. Chelsey Foster at 3 months old was sitting on her lap and kept wanting to stand up. Linda started this game with Chelsey. She would hum the tune "Pop Goes the Weasel" and when she got to the word "Pop" she would stand Chelsey up. Linda decided that she need to get a jack-in-the-box for Chelsey so she would learn how the jack-in-the-box and the tune she hummed ware associated. At that time Linda didn't even know the the words to the song "Pop Goes the Weasel". The first thing she done was go to a local toy store to purchase a jack-in-the-box. When she found the jack-in-the-box, it was very small, made with cheap plastic and you couldn't even understand the tune. At that moment it came to Linda that to find a jack-in-the-box like she had as a child that she was going to have to go to an Antique Mall to find one. The one she had was made over 40 years ago. Linda found an old jack-in-the-box at the first Antique Mall she went into, it was priced at $25.00. She didn't care what it cost, she just had to have that jack-in-the-box for Chelsey. From the Antique Mall she went straight to the Library to check the value of the jack-in-the-box she had just purchased.  Linda found nothing in the collectors or antique books about any jack-in-the-boxes. Linda had 5 step Grand Children at this time and when they saw Chelsey's jack-in-the-box they all wanted one too. Linda now has over 500 jack-in-the-boxes. Linda has been obsessed with computers since 1980's. At the time Chelsey was born Linda was already on the web with free web pages from Southwestern Bell. She spent hours searching for information about jack-in-the-boxes only to find nothing. She started going to Antique Malls with in 200 miles of her home to find jack-in-the-boxes for her other Grand Children. Then eBay started. She spent hours looking for jack-in-the-boxes. By this time she had the jack-in-the-box bug. She had to find out everything about jack-in-the-boxes. Linda turned her little home made web page of just personal stuff into a web page about just jack-in-the-boxes. From there every thing went crazy. She was getting emails after emails from other people wanting more information on jack-in-the-boxes. They wanted to know what the were worth, if there was a certain one made, or if she had a special part, if she could repair them, the list goes on and on. She spent many hours trying to help people learn more about jack-in-the-boxes and has learn a lot on the way. What she learned she passed on and has spent a lot of hours talking to people who have the same passion. Most people are  wanting  the same jack-in-the-box toy they once had as a child. Linda has spent 10 years researching jack-in-the-boxes, finding resources for parts and having parts custom made. Linda has compiled a book with hundreds of pictures jack in the boxes and other hand crank toys. Click here for more information.

Watch out for the Jack in the Box Bug!!! I will get ya!!