Rubber chicken

  The rubber chicken is a popular sight gag and slapstick comedy prop, sometimes used by comics to hit people. They are also sometimes used by jugglers in place of clubs. The origins of the rubber chicken are obscure.

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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.

The term "Rubber Chicken" is often used disparagingly to describe the food served at political or 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.”

Rubber chickens in the news

• At the staging of Ionesco's The Killing Game, theatre 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 police.^[3]

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.
• In the video game King's Quest VII, one of the items Valanice must obtain is a rubber chicken.
• Comic strip character Garfield owns a rubber chicken named "Stretch" which he 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.
• A popular sketch on Royal Canadian Air Farce involves using a "Chicken Cannon" to fire rubber chickens and other assorted projectiles at a picture of whoever is deemed to be the most annoying public figure of the week.
• In the MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game) Runescape, you could have acquired a Rubber chicken for doing the Easter Bunny quest in the Easter 2005 event. Doing so gave you the capability to use it to "Whack" other players and do a Chicken Dance.
• In an episode of Family Guy, you see Osama Bin Laden holding a Rubber Chicken while recording one of his tapes
• In the spring of 1969, Cincinnati TV personality Paul Dixon staged a wedding for two rubber chickens on his TV show.
• In The Surreal Life: Fame Games Traci and Chyna Doll had rubber chicken shots.
• At AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants fans, frustrated at opposing pitchers intentionally walking slugger Barry Bonds, wave a rubber chicken named "Walk'er" when Bonds is intentionally walked. Each time a Giants player is intentionally walked, one additional rubber chicken is hung on the right field fence of AT&T Park.
• KISW's (99.9FM, Seattle, Washington www.kisw.com) DJ "Ricker" uses a rubber chicken almost daily to torment a frequent caller who usually rambles on for two to three minutes followed by Ricker squeezing the rubber chicken, causing another rambling reaction out of the caller about how she "hates that damn chicken." It is rumored that the frequent caller is a schizophrenic or has another mental disorder, although she has stated on air repeatedly that she does not take offense to the actions of Ricker.
• In an episode of The West Wing, entitled Jefferson Lives, Democratic Congressman (and future Vice President) Robert "Bingo Bob" Russell states: "I get along with people. They like me in the House because I don't ruffle feathers and they like me back home because I honestly enjoy a good rubber chicken...." ([1])

References

1. ^ Buck Wolf, Flight of the Floppy Fowl, ABCNews.com, 2000.
2. ^ BBC News, Fake bird row hits German play, February 23, 2006.
3. ^ Light The Torch, Drats I missed this .., February 26, 2006.