Barrel (full) of monkeys

The full expression is 'more fun than a barrel (full) of monkeys' and it is originally American from the latter half of the 19th century. The first known citation in print is from The Evening News, Detroit, 26 May 1876, kindly sent to us by David Harrington, a user of this website. Monkeys and their playful antics have long been associated with fun, laughter and jollity since at least the 1500s.