Tickle torture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tickle torture is a form of torture where a victim is subjected to tickling over a prolonged period of time.
Tickle torture most often involves restraining a person so they cannot pull or move away from the source of tickling, finding highly ticklish spots on the body, and then subjecting the victim to prolonged tickling over minutes or even hours.
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[edit] Is tickle torture real?
The debatable nature of tickle torture begins in that, historically, there is little evidence that is was actually practiced as a method of hard torture. Well-known torture epidemics, such as the Salem Witch Trials and the Spanish Inquisition, used methods of torture far more painful than acidosis from simple tickling.
As public humiliation, however, tickling would be an effective torture. In addition, a person being tickled and laughing cannot eat, drink, or sleep, meaning death by exhaustion if not by respiratory arrest is theoretically possible.
[edit] Possible tickle torture forms
"Chinese tickle torture" is a term used in Western Society to imply an ancient form of torture practiced by the Chinese, in particular the courts of the Han Dynasty. Chinese tickle torture was allegedly a punishment for nobility since it left no marks and a victim could recover relatively easily and quickly.
Another example of tickle torture was used in Ancient Rome, where a person’s feet are dipped in a salt solution, and a goat is brought in to lick the solution off. This type of tickle torture would only start as tickling, and in the end wind up being extremely painful.
The stocks are perhaps a device which gives credence to tickle torture as an actual torture method in that stocks are designed to restrain a person’s ankles, exposing their bare feet, thus allowing passersby to torture the soles with various methods such as tickling. According to tour guides at Colonial Williamsburg, people in the stocks could expect tormentors to “take off your shoes and socks and tickle your feet.”
Another form of tickle torture is between siblings, lovers, and friends. In this scenario, one or more people gang up on one victim, proceed to hold down that person and tickle them to the point of helpless laughter. In this environment, however, the tickling perhaps last for no more than a few minutes and, should a person actually begin experiencing severe pain or discomfort the tickling would either be stopped by the initiators or another party (such as a parent) would step in.
[edit] Consensual tickle torture
In the world of fetishism, tickle torture may be found as an activity between two partners where one will tie up and tickle the other. Trends on Internet tickling websites and chat rooms also shows an increased level of recent interest in tickling partners in pantyhose. The pantyhose are used to increase a person’s ticklishness (especially on the feet) and may be worn by both men and women in this tickling experience.
[edit] Tickle torture in popular culture
- In the Three Stooges Short Film, "Self Made Maids," In which the Stooges played all the characters, The Stooges roll their sweethearts' father (played by Moe Howard) up in tapestry and Moe (playing his Stooge self) tickles the father's bare foot until he gives his blessing for the Stooges to marry his daughters.
- In one episode of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, the heroes are captured and taken to Koopa's castle to undergo tickle torture.
- Howard Stern has spoken extensively about tickling on his show and has tickled ladies on air.
- In one of the quests in RuneScape, the player must tickle a gnome to convince him to fix an experimental device.
- In the popular cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a minor villain named Don Turtelli frequently tickled the soles of his hostages with a feather until they told him what he wanted to know.
- In the titleless first comic in the Asterix the Gaul series, and in the cartoon based thereon, the druid Getafix is tickle-tortured to get him to reveal the formula for the Gaulish power potion. To the amazement of his Roman captors, his magical abilities enable him to take it without even laughing.
- Tickle Torture is often used in cartoons (especially cartoons made for a young audience) instead of a painful torture.
- Body oil, talcum power, sheer socks, blow dryers (used on the feet at a safe distance) are used to heighten the tickling effect.
- Favorites devices used for tickling are feathers, hair brushes, tooth brushes (including electric), string or floss (used between the toes), toothpicks, vibrating devices, and combs.
