National Kazoo Day occurs on January 28 each year in the United States. So dust off your childhood kazoo and play a happy tune to celebrate the day!
When is National Kazoo Day?
National Kazoo Day is celebrated on January 28 each year. For this year, National Kazoo Day falls on Thursday, January 28, 2021.
Kazoo FAQs
Learn more about National Kazoo Day by reading the answers to these frequently asked questions.
What is a kazoo?
A kazoo is a handheld, novelty instrument usually made of tin or plastic. It creates a buzzing sound when someone sings, hums, or speaks into it.
Why is it called a kazoo?
The name kazoo comes from a variation on the 1800s slang term ‘bazoo,’ meaning trumpet. Kazoos in the U.K. were originally called ‘Timmy Talkers.’
Is a kazoo a real instrument?
The kazoo is a real instrument. It is used in popular songs like the Beatles’ Lovely Rita and Crosstown Traffic by Jimi Hendrix. Frank Zappa is also known to have favored the kazoo in his work.
How does a kazoo work?
The kazoo is one of the easiest musical instruments to play. It is a type of mirliton—a woodwind-type instrument that produces music similar to when you blow on a comb and paper for a buzzing sound. When a player blows into the kazoo, an inner membrane vibrates.
Who invented the kazoo?
An African-American man named Alabama Vest from Macon, Georgia, most likely invented the kazoo around 1840. However, no documentation remains to support the claim.
Why do we celebrate National Kazoo Day?
In 1983, Chaplin Willard of the Joyful Noise Kazoo Band created National Kazoo Day. The special day recognizes the joy and happiness of listening and playing the kazoo.
How do we celebrate National Kazoo Day?
- Make your own kazoo – For easy and cheap fun for kids, all you need is a cardboard tube, wax paper, and scissors. Or, for an even quicker option, just hold some wax paper against a comb and blow!
- Listen to kazoo music – Many famous songs feature the kazoo. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead all recorded songs with the kazoo.
- Play the kazoo – Play along with your favorite songs with your kazoo. All it takes is the ability to hum a tune. Challenge your family and friends to kazoo karaoke!
- Give a kazoo as a gift – Kazoos are inexpensive and full of fun. Give a child a kazoo, and you’ll be providing hours of happiness.
The Kazoo – A Timeline
Kazoo fun facts
1.) The Kazoo Factory and Museum, the modern iteration of the Original American Kazoo Company of Eden, New York, produces around 1.5 million kazoos each year and is the only manufacturer of metal kazoos in North America.
2.) Kazoos are played in jug bands and comedy music everywhere, from amateurs to professionals. Popular songs featuring the kazoo include Del Shannon’s “So Long Baby,” Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen,” and the Grateful Dead’s “Alligator.”
3.) During a Jerry Garcia tribute night at a 2010 San Francisco Giants game, about 9,000 kazoo players performed Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
4.) Before it was called a kazoo, the instrument was known as a “toy trumpet” in the United States. In the U.K., it was known as a “Timmy Talker.”
5.) You can visit The Kazoo Museum in Beaufort, South Carolina, to learn about kazoos and view historical exhibits.
Profession Kazooist on Conan Video
Kazoo jokes
- Patient: Doctor, I was playing with my kazoo, and I swallowed it!
Doctor: Thank goodness you’re not a tuba player. - Q: What do you call ten kazoos at the bottom of the ocean?
A: A good start. - Q: Hey, my band needs a new kazoo player. Are you interested?
A: Kazoo’d be great! - Q: Why do loud, obnoxious whistles exist at some factories?
A: To give us some sort of appreciation for kazoos. - Q: What do you say when a kazoo sneezes?
A: Kazoontite. - Q: What do a kazoo and a baseball have in common?
A: People cheer when you hit them with a bat. - Q: What do kazoos and my father have in common?
A: They were both around for a short time in the ’90s, only to be unheard of from then on. - Q: What is the perfect weight for a kazoo player?
A: 3 and a half pounds, including the urn.
Kazoo Joke Meme
Quotes about kazoos
- That’s me: an old kazoo with some sparklers.
Bette Davis - I think the kazoo and chocolate-chip cookies have a lot in common. All you need is a mouth to appreciate either one.
Wally Amos - Know someone you hate? Give their kid a kazoo!
Dana Gould - What, exactly, is the internet? Basically, it is a global network exchanging digitized data in such a way that any computer, anywhere, that is equipped with a device called a ‘modem’ can make a noise like a duck choking on a kazoo.
Dave Barry - Besides, the bass isn’t a difficult instrument to play. It’s like one step up from the kazoo, isn’t it?
Dave Mustaine - She felt like a world-class musician standing before a full auditorium and handed a kazoo.
James S.A. Corey
Sayings
- I worked at an ice cream parlor called Chadwicks. We wore old-timey outfits and had to bang a drum, play kazoo, and sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to people while giving them free birthday sundaes. Lots of ice cream scooping and $1 tips.
Amy Poehler - You give me a (bleep-ing) kazoo, and I’ll write you a good song.
Billy Corgan - There’s nothing worse than bad scatting, except maybe bad mouth trumpet. Mouth trumpet may sound like a trumpet, but it’s really more like playing kazoo. The instant you do your solo, the audience has a bit of a chuckle.
Bria Skonberg - I had a lot of survival jobs. One was for the Witty Ditty singing-telegram company. I was in the red-and-white stripes with the straw boater hat and kazoo. Balloons. Even when you’re sleeping on a friend’s couch, you have to pay some kind of rent.
Aaron Sorkin
Kazoo captions for Instagram
- Kazoo vibes only.
- Ho-Hum.
- Got kazoo?
- Kazoo – it’s what all the cool kids play.
- Kazoo Hero.
- Hum and Haw.
- That’s a real humdinger!
- Introverted but willing to discuss kazoo.
- World’s greatest kazoo player.
- Hum with activity.
- I have a kazoo, and I know how to use it.
- Life is short. Play kazoo.
- Kazoo! God Bless You.
- Kazoo power.
- Do U Kazoo?
- If you build it, they will hum.
- Just kazoo it.
- Music to my ears.
- 1-800-KAZOO
- Jam Session.
- Eat. Sleep. Play kazoo.
- Name that tune.
- Kazoo Crew.
- Humming along.
- Face the Music.
- A tune-up.
- Play by ear.
- Change one’s tune.
- Keep calm and kazoo on.
- Kazoo master.
Hashtags
- #NationalKazooDay
- #KazooDay
- #KazooLover
- #KazooMusic
- #KazoosRock
Future dates for the holiday
Find out what day National Kazoo Day falls on this year with the chart below.
| Year | Date | Day of the Week |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | January 28 | Thursday |
| 2022 | January 28 | Friday |
| 2023 | January 28 | Saturday |
| 2024 | January 28 | Sunday |
| 2025 | January 28 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | January 28 | Wednesday |
Go forth and kazoo to your hearts’ (and your neighbors’ ears) content.
— Emily Ryan
Emily writes about family, entertainment, and variety topics.
Etcetera
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