The original didn’t have a music box in the base; there was a spring motor to turn the record, but the actual music-box part was in the head (running along the

The original didn’t have a music box in the base; there was a spring motor to turn the record, but the actual music-box part was in the head (running along the record, which had detents in the plastic to pull the tines for the notes)—this is why you could get different songs by changing the disc. This music box in the base of the new model is probably simply the cheapest way to get a spring motor for the turntable these days, rather than custom-manufacturing one that matches the original.