Here is a recording I made sometime between 2000 and 2002. It’s a box that plays an actual tiny vinyl record of laughter. My parents probably bought it in the early 1970s. I remember using the same microphone that I used for recording my stomach noises. It was connected directly to the microphone input of my Hewlett-Packard Pavilion PC. While recording the laugh box, it was beginning to malfunction and finally stopped.
9 users commented on " The Laugh Box "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackMy uncle had not one, but two of those shrunken head things that hang on the wall and spit water and laughed when you when you pulled the tie. Scared the crap out of my poor cousin.
I have a funny feeling the Laugh Box is somehow related to this.
That reminds me of that ‘Bag O’ Laffs’ that used to be sold by novelty companies like Johnson Smith throughout the 60’s and 70’s. Similar mechanical mechanism and the same horrific laugh, all coming out of a little cloth bag. I think you either pulled a string or squeezed it.
I also liked that scary demonic laughter by the old timey carnival machina The Laughing Turk. You can actually see and hear one in Blade Runner, towards the end, in J.F. Sebastian’s apartment.
Bill Shatner just shat in the Laugh Box
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ&feature=related
Yeah I have been doing a very little bit of research. I think that this toy and the cardboard record(s?) with the two holes in them that you have and that I have commented on before may have been produced by Rainbo records there in california. “1939: Jack Brown starts a small business to manufacture cardboard recording blanks for a Home Recording Machine manufactured locally. Using available cardboard in many colors, covered with a clear lacquer, led to the name of RAINBO(W) RECORDS”
Mechanical toys make some interesting sounds when they are failing. My kid has a Barney the dinosaur dance mat that loops and goes fast and slow when the battery is running out. And various other battery powered toys do the same, I must record them next time. Very entertaining.
Thank you for the comments and by the way you can go to “play the Silophone” (copy this url into your browser: http://www.silophone.net/eng/play/index.html), then type “The Weatherman”, without the quotes, using the search term author and if you are able to get to my list of sounds you will be able to play “The Laugh Box” among others though a giant reverberation chamber. Remember when searching for my sounds be sure and type The Weatherman. It is case sensitive, leave the space between The and Weatherman, and all of the letters will not show. It will show “The Weathe”, then click “Go.” Good luck and have fun!
http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/laughboxmono.mp3
Laughbox on Facebook is using your pic!!!!!!
Somewhat similar to what you have shared on your blog, in the late 70âs there use to be laughing bag. The bag covered a skin pink plastic box, when pressed the laugh button, would start laughing at a loud pitch and volume. The sound it made was infectious and all around would begin to laugh.