A whoopee (or whoopie) cushion is a
practical joke device
A practical joke device is a prop or toy intended to confuse, frighten, or amuse individuals as a prank. Often, these objects are harmless facsimiles of disgusting or terrifying objects, such as vomit or spilled nail polish. In other instances, t ...
involving flatulence humour, which produces a noise resembling human
flatulence
Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed enviro ...
. It has also been referred to as a farting bag, pooting cushion, windy blaster and Razzberry Cushion.
History and modern usage
The whoopee cushion has reportedly been used since ancient times. Roman Emperor
Elagabalus
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, 204 – 11/12 March 222), better known by his nickname "Elagabalus" (, ), was Roman emperor from 218 to 222, while he was still a teenager. His short reign was conspicuous for s ...
was said to enjoy
practical jokes at his dinner parties and often placed whoopee cushions under the chairs of his more pompous guests.
The 10th-century
Aghlabid
The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya and parts of Southern Italy, Sicily, and possibly Sardinia, nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a ...
emir of
Ifriqiya
Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna ( ar, المغرب الأدنى), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia and eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (today's western Libya). It included all of what had previously ...
,
Ziyadat Allah III
Abu Mudhar Ziyadat Allah III ( ar, أبو مضر زيادة الله الثالث) (died 911–916) was the eleventh and last Emir of the Aghlabids in Ifriqiya (903–909).
He came to power after the murder of his father Abdallah II on 27 Jul ...
, is said to have enjoyed hiding inflated animal bladders under the cushions of his palace for unsuspecting guests to sit on.
The modern rubber version was invented in the 1930s by the JEM Rubber Co. of
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada, by employees who were experimenting with scrap sheets of rubber.
The company's owner approached
Samuel Sorenson Adams
Soren Sorensen "Sam" Adams (May 24, 1879 – October 20, 1963) was a Danish-American inventor and manufacturer of novelty products, including the joy buzzer.
Biography
He was born Søren Adam Sørensen in Kolind, Syddjurs, Denmark in 1 ...
, inventor of numerous practical jokes and owner of
S.S. Adams Co., with the newly invented item; however, Adams thought that it was "too vulgar" and would never sell. JEM then offered the idea to the
Johnson Smith Company
The Johnson Smith Company (Johnson Smith & Co.) was a mail-order company established in 1914 by Alfred Johnson Smith in Chicago, Illinois, USA that sold novelty and gag gift items such as miniature cameras, invisible ink, x-ray goggles, whoope ...
, which sold it with great success. Adams later released its own version, calling it the Razzberry Cushion.
Design
The device is made from two sheets of rubber that are glued together at the edges, with a small flap opening at one end for air to enter and exit. Whoopee cushions lack durability and can break easily, lasting longest when they are not inflated or sat on with excessive force.
Usage
Standard whoopie cushions are inflated by blowing into the flapped opening. "Self-inflating" cushions have an interior sponge that keeps them in a normally expanded state, and do not require inflation.
The cushion is then placed on a chair and covered with a seat cushion or other material, so that an unsuspecting "victim" may sit on it, forcing the air out of it, causing the flap to vibrate and creating a loud, farting-like sound.
If the "victim" happens to sit on the opening, blocking the air flow, it can rupture the cushion instead. For this reason, some pranksters place the cushion so the opening extends toward the front of the chair, where it is less likely to be sat on. However, this can make the cushion more conspicuous.
Alternatively, the cushion can be inflated and intentionally operated by hand to produce the noise.
A similar noise can be made by inflating a toy
balloon
A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or lig ...
, then
releasing the opening and letting it deflate. The escaping air causes the opening to vibrate and make noise as the balloon is propelled away.
See also
*
List of inflatable manufactured goods
*
List of practical joke topics
This is a list of practical joke topics (also known as a prank, gag, jape or shenanigan) which are mischievous tricks or jokes played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.
Pra ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whoopee Cushion
Canadian inventions
Practical joke devices
Flatulence humor
Inflatable manufactured goods