What do I do with my rubber chicken now that I bought it? What don’t you do is more like it!
Certainly a standard for the clown and prop comic alike, an item that has truly stood the test of time in the so bad it’s funny realm. The rubber chicken prop is a must have if you are in the clown business, the possibilities are on going; especially when a couple of clowns put there heads together. When discussing this topic with one of my clown friends, we probably came up with 20 ideas in about two minutes, so here are just a few...
The Spring Chicken:
Take a spring that is about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter, (a small plastic slinky works well) and slide it over the legs of the rubber chicken to make your spring chicken.Gag: “ When I was young clown I used to do all kinds of stunts in the circus; High dive acts, unicycle riding on the tight rope, stilt walking while juggling live armadillos, course I can’t do that anymore, I’m no spring chicken you know.”
The Chicken Club Sandwich:
Ingredients: 2 giant foam bread slices, 1 juggling club, 1 rubber chicken.While unpacking your sack lunch of items like a giant Oreo cookie or a large foam banana, you bring out the 2 slices of bread, juggling club and then the rubber chicken. Tell your audience that you are making your favorite lunch - a chicken club sandwich!
An alternative to this is the tuna sandwich. Have a large tuna can that has already been cleaned out, remove the label and make a new one that just says "TUNA" on it, and fold your rubber chicken inside the can. Bring out the tuna can and ask the audience if they know what kind of tuna you use, then pull the rubber chicken from the can and say “Chicken of the Sea, of course!”
Thanks to Soomi
Oh Waiter!
As always when performing, make sure you know your audience, as this next gag is done in a real setting.While dining out with friends and you have ordered any chicken dish, try this one out, after making sure your waiter or waitress is good humored...
Have your rubber chicken hidden from view, after the meal has been served call the server back over and hold up your rubber chicken asking if it looks a little undercooked to them. I have done this on more than one occasion and it usually gets a laugh, make sure however you do tip the server well for putting up with your antics!
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Although the true origin of the rubber chicken has been greatly disputed by experts - stories range from botched taxidermy projects to the Great Houdini himself discovering them while on sabbatical in the Orient - one fact is true; comedy would not be the same with out them. Early production of rubber chickens had to be done completely outdoors due to the fact the chemicals being used were so volatile. After the molds of the chicken were poured and then began to cure, the floppy rubber product was hung on a line for drying. Vaudevillians later used this process to describe an act that flopped as being “Hung Out to Dry.” |
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Pictured: A young Stan Wolnic seen working the rubber chicken process for the Hackensack Novelty Co. |