Whoopee cushion

A whoopee cushion, also known as a razzberry Cushion, is a practical joke device, used in a form of flatulence humour. It 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. It is used by first inflating with air, then place it under a chair cushion for an unsuspecting victim to sit on. It is intended to embarrass the person. The Roman Empress Elagabalus was known to use an early version of a whoopee cushions at dinner parties. It is very similar to a pig-bladder used by court Jesters in the middle ages. It would produce the same results. The modern version was re-invented in the 1920s by the JEM Rubber Co. of Toronto, Canada. Employees were experimenting with scrap sheets of rubber to produce the gag item.