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Here’s another classic from the old jokes and tricks rotatey display thingy that toy shops and newsagents often used to have. The humble Whoopee Cushion was always to be found somewhere within the selection of snappy gum, hot boiled sweets and fake plastic vomit.
The Whoopee Cushion was very simply intended to raise laughs from that comedy basic – human flatulence. Â Resembling a balloon (but made from thicker rubber that always looked like it was covered in a fine powder for some reason) you simply inflated it and placed it on a chair for some unwitting victim to sit down on.
Somehow the end of the Whoopee Cushion stayed sealed, keeping the air inside, until pressure was applied to the main balloon part. Â This caused the air to escape through the neck, which vibrated to make the distinctive sound of air escaping from down below, although thankfully not the smell which this process also often involves.
A simple prank, the most amusing thing to me was the picture of the fat lady sitting down in the chair, with a little speech bubble coming out of it saying “poo!”. Â I’m pleased to say some things do stay the same, as you can still get Whoopee Cushions with the same image adorning them from Stocking Fillers!
Me and my friends were bemused at the slogan ‘ For a real Bronx cheer’ and
for a long time thought people from the Bronx suffered from bad wind.
Yeah, that always confused me too. I ssumed it meant something to do with human gaseous emissions, but it certainly wasn’t a phrase I’d ever heard anyone use.