Cheap Laffs: The Art of the Novelty Item

by Mark Newgarden, Picturebox Inc.

A lighthearted exploration of pop culture's fascination with gag and practical joke novelty items celebrates the history of the industry, exploring the originality, if tastelessness, of such items as the Whoopee Cushion, the artificial ink spot, and the rubber chicken. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Humor, History, Pop Culture, Nonfiction, Art

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2004

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that you can tell much about generations based on the humor that is accepted at a given time and place. This book takes us back to a more simple time, when humor was used to interact with others in a way that was not meant to be cruel or demeaning way; something that has been lost in the here and now.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this little gem in a remainder catalog for $2.98...what a bargain! I would highly recommend this title to anyone with a burning desire to learn the origins of the joy buzzer.
Whoopee cushions, fake vomit, the dribble glass, plastic swiss cheese, itching powder --- they're all here, in glorious living color, each accompanied by a detailed description.
If you were ever tempted to order X-Ray specs from the back of a comic book, this one is for you!
I particularly enjoyed the "Life of the Party" gift set - at least a dozen gags collected together in one snazzy box, all for your entertaining convenience. Guarantees that folks will remember you even if you can't find a lampshade for your head!
One caution, however - don't read this book while eating, as the fake doggie doo photo may inspire some non-fake vomit.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a book about fake vomit and joy buzzers - What more can I say.

[Todd Coopee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy harmless pranksterism – either perpetrating it or consuming it – Cheap Laffs: The Art of the Novelty Item will be right up your alley. From joy buzzers to whoopie cushions, fake dog poop, snake nut cans, and much more, author Mark Newgarden provides a smart look at the corny heyday of gagdom.

Cheap Laffs sets the context in Chapter 1, Laff History, in which Newgarden provides a historical review of the “Joy Industry”. This is a loose network of highly competitive novelty toy manufacturers and retailers. Special attention is paid to some of the industry’s heavyweights, including The Richard Apple Co.; Johnson Smith & Co.; and, my personal favorite, H. Fishlove & Company, purveyors of, among other things, fake barf.

After the opening history lesson, the book catalogues classic and less well-known novelty items that probably appeared for sale at your favorite childhood variety store or drugstore. Each gag is given equal billing, complete with a full-page photo and write-up that provides dates, descriptions, manufacturers, retail pricing, and dimensions. Newgarden, also one of the creators of the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards for the Topps Company, also infuses a bit of snark in his Notes section for each item, routinely reveling in the absurdity of some of the offerings.

[Freda Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great art book filled with a history and mostly photographs of novelty and gag items. It is photographed extremely well. The whole book is very graphic and aesthetically well laid out. The weight, shape, and binding of it is nice to hold in your hands. If you like good graphic design and you like strange histories, this is a good book for you.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book! Gives a brief history of novelty items in the US followed with photos, presumably items from Newgarden's collection. A fascinating read and the written descriptions accompanying each photo are often hilarious.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this in a bookstore window while walking to dinner. Ran in and snapped it up. An entertaining and intriguing examination of a curious and unique part of our culture.

[William Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the simple pleasures, the jokes and toys that used to make childhood interesting.

[MagicDave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been a young man seeking peer popularity through the use of joke novelties, and later the art of Magic, I grew up with the wonders of the S.S. Adams line of trick, jokes and novelties, as well as the famous (infamous?) Johnson Smith Company catalog.
This book describes in detail many of the greatest jokes and novelties invented for the shy jokester and trickster to entertain (fool?) his friends and family, the ads for which would appear in the back of comic magazines for scores of years during what I can only call the greatest decades of the 20th Century - the 50s and 60s, when I was growing up.
To all those who remember these great gags and those wonderful years, this is a wonderful stroll down memory lane.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn't find this book all that funny. But maybe it wasn't supposed to be humorous. It outlines various novelty items accompanied by pictures and descriptions. There is an introduction that is incredibly pedantic which weighs down the book from the start. The best part of the items descriptions were the "Target Audience" descriptions and the "Notes" sections. Some of them were very entertaining, but most were just 'eh.'

[Elaine Meszaros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following a short history of the creation of novelty gifts and subsequent "novelty gift wars" among various manufacturers, Newgarden displays various and sundry popular novelty gifts. Along with the old stand-bys, whoopee-cushions, joy buzzers, buck-teeth, there are also such wonder as a razor sharp device to be a ventriloquist, fake hypodermic needles and "rubber mouse looks real" - presumably. Commentary on the manufacturer, price and the target audience for the good are included "consumer in need of a rubber mouse." The perfect book for the consumer of gag gifts. Is that an oxymoron?