Kazoo

With so many metal sax-shaped “things” available in the collector and vintage toy market, what makes a kazoo a kazoo? How is a kazoo different from another vintage metal sax-shaped toy? It all comes down to a membrane. 

Scientific American offers up the following information regarding kazoos:

A kazoo is a very simple musical instrument, made up of a hollow pipe with a hole in it. The hole is covered by a membrane that vibrates, resulting in a buzzing sound when people sing, speak or hum into the pipe. People have been making and playing kazoos for years. The first kazoos were made from hollowed out bones, with spider egg sacs used for the vibrating membrane!

Although a kazoo looks and feels more like a flute or clarinet, it’s actually most closely related to a drum. As the player sings, speaks or hums into the open end, their vocal cords create sound waves that travel through the instrument. As they travel through the tube, some of the sound waves bounce off the walls of the instrument. This change in direction can add harmonics to the sound of the player’s voice (depending on the material of the tube); however, most of the sound waves strike the membrane, causing it to vibrate. This vibration adds resonance or harmonics to the sound and creates the characteristic buzzing that we associate with the kazoo.

Source: Can You Kazoo? A buzzworthy science activity. By Megan Arnett on June 30, 2016

Saxophone-shaped kazoos appear on eBay fairly regularly. Unfortunately many of them are in very rough condition. In October 2011, this example popped up. Although clearly quite old, it has not been abused.

Source: bleeding_gums

This particular toy was made in Japan, and according to the seller, measures 5¼ inches in length.

Source: bleeding_gums

The seller said he believed that this saxophone-shaped kazoo was made of tin.

Source: bleeding_gums

This little toy instrument reminds me of the Calura Jazzophon that someone else was selling on eBay sometime ago. However, the Jazzophon’s condition was much rougher, and is commonly how we way we find these vintage toy saxophones for sale.

Source: bleeding_gums

OK, so I just had to add some more. This one had actually appeared earlier in the year, but I’d forgotten that I’d saved it in my photo galleries. If you like shiny, then you’ll love this one…

Source: vintage-stuff-4-u

The seller describes this little toy like this:

This kazoo measures about 5″ in length and is stamped “Pat.P 7500.” and “Japan.”

 Source: vintage-stuff-4-u

In the summer of 2012, a painted kazoo with the same “Pat. P 7500 Japan” popped up on eBay. The seller claimed it was from the 1920s but I have my doubts. Unfortunately I haven’t yet been able to figure out where to check Japanese patents.

Source: Nigel Scott Old Advertising Tins

 Source: Nigel Scott Old Advertising Tins

If the seller of this next kazoo is correct, then it is a bit of a rarer bird. Although I cannot see a country of origin stamped anywhere, according to the seller, this little, gold-coloured noise maker was made in the US.

Source: OldVintageCollectibles

Source: OldVintageCollectibles

It is quite a bit bigger than the Japanese toys shown above, as demonstrated in the photo below.

Source: OldVintageCollectibles

In December 2012, a seller on eBay was selling a set of kazoos. Included in the set was a rare Sirenephone (third one from the left).

Source: reedsville

The first one is unmarked, and looks a lot like the gold painted one above. This seller however, speculated that it came from Japan. (The seller of the gold painted one thought it was made in the US.) It is apparently 9″ long.

Source: reedsville

This colourful, 10″ long kazoo is marked Japan.

Source: reedsville

Obviously kazoos were made in many countries all over the world, and many times were intended for local or regional sales only. The Argentinian-made Saxo is an example of one such toy that wasn’t intended for worldwide export. I know that Germany also made kazoos. I haven’t been able to track one down however, for inclusion on my site.