The saying could originate from a story in the folklore of Mali, West Africa, made well known by Esphyr Slobodkina's retelling, which she calls Caps for Sale (A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business).[1] This folk-tale is retold by Baba Wagué Diakité in his 1999 book The Hatseller and the Monkeys, set in Mali. Diakité notes that versions of this tale also exist in Egypt, Sudan, India, and England.[1]