Historic Folk Toys: Music, 'Kazoo'

KazooOur Kazoo is a popular folk instrument that anyone can play! Made today of metal, just as they have been since the mid-1800s. Kazoo comes with instructions on how to play. These kazoos are made in the same manner as original instruments produced at the beginning of the 20th century.Historical Background: The kazoo is a simple musical instrument (membranophone) that produces tonal qualities when a player hums into it. The kazoo is also a type of vibrating membrane instrument known as "mirlitons." The kazoo dates back hundreds of years to its oldest known relative, the horn-mirliton, an African version of the mirliton. Horn-mirlitons' tubes were made from cow horns, and the eggshells of spiders were used for the membranes. African horn-mirlitons were often used at tribal gatherings to distort or mask voices.The first European mirlitons were created in the 17th century and were called "eunuk flutes." During the 1800s, various forms of kazoos could be found throughout North America. A