Jakjan (Cicada Noisemaker, Ot-Ot) — a Hollow Clay Cylinder 1-2 cm Across Capped with Paper, a String Tied to a 7-10 cm Bamboo Stick Tipped with Pine Resin; Whirl It and It Croaks "Ot-Ot"

"Children hold it and swing it so the clay body spins, and the tied string rubs against the pine resin, making a loud ot-ot." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not named, CC BY 4.0)

Shape clay into a hollow cylinder and cut it into pieces 1-2 cm in diameter. Dry them in the sun, or fire them so the clay is hard and does not break easily.

Cut paper into a circle slightly larger than the clay piece, glue it over the top with glue or flour paste, and pierce a hole in the centre.

Shave a small bamboo stick about 7-10 cm long and dip one end in pine resin; tie the string to it loosely, just enough not to slip off. Tie the other end of the string to a small scrap of wood and pass it in through the hole in the paper, so the wood catches against the paper and cannot pull out.

Photos of a real jakjan (the cylinder shown has a wood-grain surface) (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not named, CC BY 4.0)

Hold it and swing it so the clay body spins; the string rubs on the pine resin and croaks "ot-ot". Horse or buffalo tail hair sounds louder than string and spins more freely. Coloured paper can be wrapped round the clay to decorate it.

In the past the toy was called ot-ot after its sound. Take care with the knife and scissors. Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Traditional Objects of Everyday Use database, "จั๊กจั่น", author not named (CC BY 4.0 licence). **Limits** The source gives no length for the string or the clay cylinder. The method uses clay, but the cylinder in the photos has a wood-grain surface.