Whoopee Cushion: A Roman Emperor's PrankThe silly gag's surprisingly ancient and controversial past.

From the show

The Secret Life of Objects

Discover the unexpected origin of one of history's most infamous pranks. The whoopee cushion's story begins not in a 20th-century factory, but in the court of a mischievous Roman Emperor who used inflated animal bladders to shock his guests. Learn how the modern version was later dismissed as too vulgar by a novelty toy kingpin, only for him to change his mind after a rival's success proved him wrong.