Who Was S.S. Adams?

We went right to the source and asked Kirk Demarais about this enigmatic man. Kirk is the author of “Life of the Party- A Visual History of the S.S. Adams Company Makers of Pranks & Magic for 100 Years” This stunning full color book is the definitive magnum opus on S. S. Adams and makes a perfect addition to the Classic Prankster box.

Kirk tells us:

Established in 1906, the S.S. Adams Company was the first to mass-produce practical jokes and magic tricks for the public. Its namesake was Samuel Sorenson Adams (1879-1962), a Danish immigrant who lacked any formal education beyond grammar school.  He had the ingenuity to see a profit where the rest saw a problem. The dye company for which Samuel worked spent big money to extract an undesirable ingredient called Dianisidine from the German coal-tar derivative they sold.

Dianisidine was troublesome because it caused massive sneezing for anyone who worked near it. In 1904, Sam intentionally released a sample of the by-product on a roomful of subjects and nasal chaos ensued. Thus his first product, Cachoo Sneeze Powder, was born. It is estimated that Mr. Adams invented over 700 practical jokes in his career including masterworks such as the Joy Buzzer and the Snake Nut Can.

Thanks, Kirk! We think you’ll love this Renaissance man’s blog, hhtt://secretfunspot.blogspot.com.  He does a little bit of everything!