A plate lifter or plate wobbler is a novelty item[1] consisting of a tube with a small flat[2] bladder on one end and a bulb on the other.[3] The bladder is to be placed under a plate; inflating it will make the plate wobble.[4] This fake demonstration of psychokinesis[2] is intended to provoke surprise and merriment.[5][6]
A free plate wobbler was included with the first issue of the British comic magazine Monster Fun and promoted as a "monster mirth maker".[1]
In industry
edit"Plate lifter" is the name of various devices used in industry for handling heavy metal plates.[7][8]
References
edit- ^ a b Stringer, Lew (3 December 2010). "Blimey! It's another blog about comics!: Free Inside! - Part 5". Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ a b Jillette, Penn (1992). Penn and Teller's How to Play with Your Food. Villard Books. p. 66. ISBN 978-0679743118.
- ^ Nyberg, Tim (2004). The Practical Joker's Handbook. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 160. ISBN 0740741985. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
Get a 'plate lifter' at your local joke/novelty shop. This is a long tube with a little bladder on one end and a bulb on the other. The original joke was to hide the bladder under the table cloth under plates to make them jump up and down when the bulb was squeezed.
- ^ Kibble-White, Graham (2005). The Ultimate Book of British Comics. Allison & Busby. p. 175. ISBN 9780749082116.
- ^ "Plate Lifter KA94". Fright Depot. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ "Plate Lifter". The Joke Shop. Retrieved February 13, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Sheet Lifter and Plate Lifters". Bushman Equipment, Inc. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ "Plate Lifter". Caldwell Lifting Solutions. Retrieved February 13, 2013.