The first jungle gym was invented in 1920 and patented by lawyer Sebastian Hinton in Chicago.^[1] It was sold under the trademarked name Junglegym. Hinton’s second prototype “jungle gym” is still standing at the Winnetka Historical Society where it was relocated from the Crow Island School in Winnetka, Illinois.^[2][3] The term “monkey bars” appears at least as far back as the 1930s,^[4][5] though Hinton’s initial 1920 patent appeals to the “monkey instinct” in claiming the benefits of climbing as exercise and play for children,^[6] and his improvement patents later that year refer to monkeys shaking the bars of a cage, children swinging on a “monkey runway”, and the game of “monkey tag”.^[7]

Using a set of coordinates, the original creator of the junglegym hoped playing on the set of iron bars, would develop better spatial awareness in children.