Rubber Chicken

The rubber chicken is a novelty item that has been a staple of humor for more than a century. As indicated by the name, it is a toy replica of a plucked chicken made out of rubber. The source of the humor associated with the rubber chicken derives both from its seeming purposelessness--lending it a sense of absurdity--and its resemblance to an actual chicken, thus making it an effective prop for slapstick humor.

• 1789–1799: Purportedly hung from muskets during the French Revolution for luck (this may be a myth).

• 1875-1932: Used as a staple of the Vaudeville comedy circuit, usually as an implement for hitting.

• 1984: Appears in the comic strip Garfield, when Jon gives Garfield a rubber chicken for his 6th birthday. Garfield keeps it as a pet, naming it Stretch.

• 1990: Video game The Secret of Monkey Island features a "rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle."

• 2006: During the curling event at Winter Olympics, a nude man streaks across the ice wearing a rubber chicken over his genitals.

• Google Blog Search: Rubber Chicken

• pencil shavings blog post: My Rubber Chicken

• Snoopy's Corner Blog Post: The Rubber Chicken

• Answer Girl Blog Post: Why Are Rubber Chickens Funny?

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