The Whoopee cushion has been the center stage of many practical jokes. This is actually a cushion that is made of rubber and it is used for playing practical tricks on unsuspecting people. Made of two rubber sheets that have glued from one end at the edges, there is also a small opening from one side where the air can be filled and then will leave the cushion. The other names for the cushion are a pooh-pooh cushion and a raspberry cushion or human flatulence. The device must first be inflated and then it should be placed on a chair or squeezed to make the sound.
When a person unknowingly sits on the cushion or the chair where it has been placed, the whoopie cushion will make a noise that is akin to human flatulence and will become the butt for the practical joke.
Historically it has been known that the Roman Emperor Elagabulus used such cushions at his dinner parties to have fun at the expense of the unsuspecting people. In the 1930’s this practical joke cushion was reinvented by the JEM Rubber Co. employees that was based in Toronto. The Whoopee cushion has been showcased in a number of on stage plays, TV and many publications and never fails to garner a joke when a person unknowingly sits on it.
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