I read the wikipedia article and didn't really understand it. Is it a metaphor of some kind?
The concept of Jacob's Ladder comes from Genesis 28. Jacob, the grandson of Abraham (whom God first chose, called to Canaan, promised the land to his descendants, and made the covenant with him), is temporarily returning to Mesopotamia - ostensibly to find a wife, but also because his brother Esau has threatened to kill him for a trick he played. While en route, he has a vision of Heaven, and God reaffirms Abraham's covenant with him personally:
Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
Do you mean the toy?