Whoopee cushion
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A whoopee cushion, also known as a poo-poo cushion and Razzberry Cushion, is a practical joke device that produces a noise resembling a raspberry or human flatulence. It is made from two sheets of rubber that are glued together at the edges. There is a small opening with a flap at one end for air to enter and leave the cushion.
To use it, one must first inflate it with air and then place it on a chair or squeeze it. If placed on a chair, an unsuspecting victim will sit on the whoopee cushion, forcing the air out of the opening, which causes the flap to vibrate and create the sound of flatulence.
The item was invented in 1930 by the JEM Rubber Co. of Toronto, Canada, by employees who were experimenting with scrap sheets of rubber[1]. The owner of the company approached Samuel Adams, the inventor of numerous practical jokes and owner of S.S. Adams Co., with the newly invented item. Adams said that the item was "too vulgar" and would never sell. JEM Rubber offered the idea to the Johnson Smith Company which sold it with great success. S.S. Adams Co. later released its own version, but called it the "Razzbery Cushion."[1]
The whoopee cushion has been in numerous books and TV shows.
In the 1990s, a new era of technology allowed the production of self-inflating whoopee cushions (which use a springy foam to draw in more air) and remote-controlled whoopee cushions (electronic devices).
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[edit] References
- ^ a b Whoopee Cushion got first airing here, Toronto Star Mar 31, 2008
