Snoopy. . .that fiddle-player from Fiddler on the Roof. . .Winnie the Pooh. . . the Easter Bunny. What could the members of this unlikely quartet possibly have in common?

Well, at one time or another, they’ve each been featured on a novelty music box. Joining them: a multitude of other pop culture characters, from Minnie Mouse to Humpty Dumpty. Also churning out the music box tunes: plenty of easily recognizable things (souped-up ‘50s roadsters, merry-go-rounds); easily recognizable places (Alpine hillsides, the “Little Brown Church in the Vale”); and easily recognizable generics (little kids with pets, old men puffing on pipes, sad-faced clowns. . .the list is never-ending).

Novelty music boxes are often gifts for special occasions (birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, etc.) Some celebrate certain times of the year (Christmas for sure, but Easter, Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day are in the mix). Even holiday-themed music boxes usually stay out year-round, since many do double duty: open the lid, and there’s a velvety-cushioned repository just right for miniature mementos.

Numerous novelty music boxes are fashioned of china, metal, or glass. A bit higher up on the value ladder: all-wood, hand-carved boxes. A bit lower down: all-plastic. But regardless of their base material, the function remains the same. Wind them up (or, on the newer battery-operated versions, flip a switch), and the music boxes repeatedly tinkle out identifiable 18-note segments of a popular or semi-classical tune. You can even make a reasonably accurate stab at the manufacture date by identifying the song that’s playing (If it’s the “Theme From Love Story,” chances are good the box dates from the 1970s).

The music box heritage is a lengthy one. The very first “mechanical musical instrument” is credited to a trio of brothers in Baghdad, who created a “hydropowered organ” in the 9th century. By the 13th century, a bell ringer in Flanders had come up with a means of making his job easier, with pins and cams mechanically striking out melodies on the church bells. Over the next several centuries, a variety of mechanized musical objects continued to pour forth from inventive minds. There were towering musical clocks and tiny musical snuff boxes, plus plenty of musical automata, like the jeweled singing bird Hans Christian Andersen wrote about in “The Emperor’s Nightingale.”

Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on design and collectibles, including “Postwar Pop,” a collection of his columns. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com