Buzz
If complex jokes aren’t your thing, the classic whoopee cushion is always a reliable choice. Before setting one up, take a moment to relax (on a completely safe seat) and enjoy these amusing tidbits.
1. A Roman emperor reportedly delighted in using early versions of whoopee cushions.
In 218 CE, Marcus Aurelius Antonius, known as “Elgabalus,” became Rome’s youngest emperor at just 14. Known for his playful nature, he allegedly placed “air cushions” under his guests during dinners, resulting in humorous and awkward noises.
2. The contemporary whoopee cushion originated in Canada.
From peanut butter to the Wonderbra, numerous modern innovations hail from the great white north. In 1930, employees at Toronto’s JEM rubber company began experimenting with air-filled sacs that produced humorous sounds. Their initial designs even included wooden mouthpieces.
3. Initially, the inventor of Joy Buzzers doubted the whoopee cushion’s market potential.
Soren Sorensen Adams, hailed as the “father of the novelty prank,” created joy buzzers, sneezing powder, and the snake-in-the-can trick. By the time whoopee cushions emerged, he was already a renowned prankster and the founder of the S.S. Adams novelty company. While he was the go-to person for practical jokes, he initially declined JEM’s offer to sell their flatulent bags, stating, he said, "the whole idea seemed indelicate." Unfazed, JEM proceeded to mass-produce the product. After witnessing its success, Adams eventually changed his mind and began stocking the item.
4. Early versions of whoopee cushions were known as “boop-boop a doops” and “poo-poo cushions.”
JEM used these names until settling on whoopee cushions in 1932. (Whoopee, a term originating in the 1860s, signifies "an exclamation of joyful excitement"; by the 1920s, it also came to mean "lively or rowdy celebration.") Notably, Adams branded his version as “razzberry cushions.”
5. Images of kilt-wearing children once adorned whoopee cushions.
As noted in Blame It on the Dog: A Modern History of the Fart, JEM’s 1932 whoopee cushions featured a cheerful “Scottish boy in a kilt, wearing spurred boots and holding a rifle.”
6. The largest whoopee cushion ever measured 25 feet across.
In 2017, Matt Funk and Lee Burgess from Covington, Georgia, secured the Guinness world record for this colossal creation.
7. Whoopi Goldberg’s stage name was inspired by the whoopee cushion.
Actress Caryn Elaine Johnson earned the nickname “Whoopi” from her friends after frequently passing gas backstage, likening her to a whoopee cushion. She later adopted the name “Whoopi Goldberg” professionally.
8. Famous enthusiasts of whoopee cushions include Bob Saget and Leslie Nielsen.
“It’s scary how much I know about [them],” Saget, who has reportedly worn out 10 since his youth, told The New York Times. While Saget avoids flatulence jokes in his performances, Leslie Nielsen—known for iconic comedies like Airplane! (1980)—often used whoopee cushions during interviews and even in the presence of royalty. Once, while golfing with Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Nielsen waxed poetic: “It’s so beautiful here, the green fairway, the mountains ... It’s so beautiful, it stirs something inside me.” Then, without hesitation, he activated a whoopee cushion.
9. Your voice functions similarly to a whoopee cushion.
Acoustic engineering expert Trevor Cox explains that whoopee cushions and the human voice share similarities. “The rubber flaps open and close, releasing small bursts of air,” he explains in the video above. “This is similar to how your vocal cords operate, opening and closing to produce sound.”
10. A study revealed that the most humorous whoopee cushions produce “long and whiny” noises.
In 2009, Cox organized a large-scale survey to identify which fake fart sounds elicited the most laughter. Over 34,000 people participated, voting for their preferred whoopee cushion sounds. The results showed that longer, drawn-out sounds were favored, with the top choice lasting seven seconds. High-pitched, whiny noises were also highly popular. Interestingly, European participants generally found whoopee cushion sounds funnier than Americans did.
