Rubber chicken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The rubber chicken is a popular sight gag and slapstick comedy prop, sometimes used by comics to hit people with. They are also sometimes used by jugglers in place of clubs. The origins of the rubber chicken are obscure.
One account attributes its creation to Joseph Grimaldi, the legendary white-faced clown of the early 1800s. At that time, gluttony was fashionable and considered a sign of affluence, and Grimaldi would perform with his pockets full of fake food in order to make fun of the upper classes.[1]
Another account, which is printed on the tag of rubber chickens manufactured by Archie McPhee, claims that the use of the rubber chicken originated during the French Revolution with soldiers hanging a rubber chicken from their muskets for luck.
[edit] Rubber chickens in the news
- At the staging of Ionesco's The Killing Game, critic Gerhard Stadelmaier was sworn at and had a rubber chicken thrown at him by actor Thomas Lawinky, who later offered his resignation.[2]
- During the fifth end break (curling's version of halftime and/or a seventh inning stretch) at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, a man ran across the ice wearing nothing but an online gambling ad and a strategically placed rubber chicken. Chief referee Keith Wendorf tackled the man, and an umpire covered him with a coat before he was led out of the arena by the Italian polizia.[3]
[edit] In popular culture
- Among the users of the computer game NetHack, a "rubber chicken" can refer to the corpse of a cockatrice, used in reference to this corpse's popular use as a weapon.
- In the video game The Secret of Monkey Island, the "rubber-chicken-with-pulley-in-the-middle" is an inexplicably popular product on Mêlée Island. Everyone Guybrush asks claims they have one.
- Comic strip character Garfield owns a rubber chicken, that he named "Stretch", and treats like a pet. Stretch has appeared in a number of strips, though his appearances have slowed in recent years.
- Ring Of Honor wrestlers Natural Born Sinners, made up of Homicide and Boogalou sometimes used a rubber chicken in their matches.
- The term "Rubber Chicken" is often used disparagingly to describe the food served at corporate events, weddings, etc. where there are a large number of guests who require serving in a short timeframe. Chicken, pre-cooked, is held at serving temperature for some time and then dressed with a sauce as it is served. Consequently the chicken meat is tough or “rubbery.”
