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Published September 12, 2014 Updated March 11, 2023

Jack Horner Snap

“Little Jack Horner” Snap made by Thomas De la Rue & Co Ltd, c.1890.

1890 United Kingdom De la Rue Card Games Snap Add to Collection

“Little Jack Horner” Snap

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner
Eating his Christmas pie,
He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum
And said "What a good boy am I!"

The nursery rhyme was often used to parody the politics and leaders of the day. Seemingly innocent rhymes could easily spread scandalous and scurrilous messages. Their original meanings are often forgotten with the passing of time.

“Little Jack Horner” Snap manufactured by Thomas De la Rue & Co Ltd, c.1890

Above: “Little Jack Horner” Snap manufactured by Thomas De la Rue & Co Ltd, c.1890. There are 13 different rhymes with 4 cards of each. They are: Oranges & Lemons, Little Bo Peep, Old King Cole, Little Tommy Tucker, Little Miss Muffet, Humpty Dumpty, A Frog He Would a Wooing Go, Little Jack Horner, This Little Pig Went to Market, Pat a Cake, Tom the Piper's Son, Old Woman who lived in a Shoe and finally Old Mother Hubbard. Images courtesy Adam West-Watson.

See also: Nursery Rhyme & History

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16 Articles

By Adam West-Watson

Member since September 01, 2014

I have been fascinated by playing cards ever since I can remember, and still have several of the card games I had as a child. And although I had accumulated quite a number of packs of various sorts over the years, it wasn't until I was in my 50s that I began collecting in earnest. My tastes are quite varied, and my collection of 800 or so decks includes:- children's games, standard and non-standard playing cards, adult games, fortune telling and oracle cards, tarot cards, and even cigarette cards.


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