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'The Art of the Novelty Item'

By Petra Mayer
Published December 19, 2004 at 12:00 AM EST

As shoppers face the last grim stretch before Christmas, the rush to buy gifts for friends and relatives becomes desperate. But the S.S. Adams Company in Neptune, New Jersey has a few suggestions for presents that can lighten the mood.

One of the last novelty-item factories in the country, S.S. Adams manufactures joy buzzers, whoopee cushions, fake vomit and cans of jumping snakes -- all on the same machines that made these vintage items in the 1930s.

Mark Newgarden is the author of the new book Cheap Laffs: The Art of the Novelty Item. He joins NPR's Petra Mayer for a tour of S.S. Adams.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Petra Mayer
Petra Mayer died on November 13, 2021. She has been remembered by friends and colleagues, including all of us at NPR. The Petra Mayer Memorial Fund for Internships has been created in her honor.
See stories by Petra Mayer