Laffing Sal is one of several animatronic characters that were built primarily to attract carnival and amusement park patrons to funhouses and dark rides throughout the United States.[1] Its movements were accompanied by a raucous laugh that sometimes frightened small children and annoyed adults.[2]
The figure stood 6 feet 10 inches (2.1 meters) high, including a 12-inch (30-centimeter) pedestal. It was made of papier-mâché, consisting of seven layers of pressed card stock with horse-hair strengthener, mounted over steel coils and frame. It did not come with a hat — hats were added by the purchaser — but wore an artificial wig and was missing an upper incisor tooth.[3] The head, arms, hands and legs were detachable and were held together with fabric, staples, pins, nails, nuts and bolts. When activated, the figure waved its arms and leaned forward and backward. A record player concealed in its pedestal played a stack of 78 RPM phonograph records of a woman laughing. When the records finished, an attraction operator re-stacked and restarted them.[1] A woman named Tanya Garth performed the laugh.[4]
PTC produced two other "ballyhoo" (attention-getting) figures, Laffing Sam and Blackie the Barker, which used a similar construction. The Pike amusement park in Long Beach, California featured Sal, Sam and Blackie over the center of its Laff In The Darkdark ride.
Laffing Sal was a fixture at the Balboa Fun Zone in Newport Beach, California when it opened in 1936. Decades later, the park's management learned that Funni-Frite Inc. of Pickerington, Ohio still had the original molds of Laffing Sal's head and hands, and commissioned them to make an updated Sal to stand above the entrance of their Scary Dark Ride. An endless tape cartridge provided its audio. The figure was removed when the attraction was closed in 2005.
Sal's asking price in 1940 was US$360, equal to $7829 today;[5] in 2004 the one now in Santa Cruz, California cost the bidder US$50,000.[6]
As one of the first animated amusement park figures, Laffing Sal is considered[who?] a forerunner of the many animatronic figures seen at attractions around the world, including the Audio-Animatronic figures at Disney parks.
A 1963 episode of Perry Mason, "The Case of the Two-Faced Turnabout", features the Laffing Sal and Laffing Sam at the Nu-Pike amusement park in Long Beach, California.
An episode of The Magician with Bill Bixby features the Laffing Sal at the Nu-Pike amusement park in Long Beach, California in the early 1970s.
Laffing Sal yuks it up briefly in Hal Ashby's 1971 film "Harold and Maude".
Laffing Sal was the subject of the cartoon strip Zippy the Pinhead on April 16, 1998.
Laffing Sal appears in issue #5 of the DC Comics comic book series Gotham City Sirens.
Laffing Sal is mentioned several times in the song "Willie Mays Is Up At Bat" on the Chuck Prophet album Temple Beautiful (2012).
A Laffing Sal is seen and heard in the background of the comic book store in the 1987 film The Lost Boys.
A Laffing Sal appears during the carnival scene in the 1990 film Darkman.
In The Beach Boys’ 1965 song Amusement Parks U.S.A., a Laffing Sal is heard numerous times during the track, as well as being referenced in a verse: “watching girls in the air can really get you bad and I bet the laughing lady makes you laugh like mad.”
In the 1984 film “The Ratings Game” a Laffing Sal is seen in the opening shot of a scene taking place on Santa Monica Pier.
Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, at entrance of Laff Trakk coaster (Laffing Sal has been removed as of 09/23/2024. This may, or may not be temporary - nothing has been confirmed.)
Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio (This figure only comes out during "Halloweekends" as a part of the scary attractions. It is a remake dubbed "Laughing Sally".)
Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio. It is strongly believed that this one (dubbed "Laffin' Lena" at Idora Park) was auctioned off to the Playland-Not-at-the-Beach Museum. The recent auction in 2018 claimed that this was the same Laffin' Sal.
Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania; Sal is currently located at the Old Mill loading station. This Laffing Sal debuted at Kennywood Park in 1931. It was used during the Great Depression and provided some of the best medicine available in that sad period ---- Laughs. The ride it was in front of was the razed "Laff in the Dark" in 1965 at which time Sal went into retirement-- in a storage bin. But life began again in her 40's.
Loca Luna in Little Rock, Arkansas has a Laffing Sal that some people claim was once in War Memorial Amusement Park that closed in the early 1990s. Other people claim that the one from the local amusement park was sold at auction to someone in Ohio and that the one at Loca Luna is a different Laffing Sal.
Lagoon Fun House in Farmington, Utah, current location unknown[8][9][10]
Playland at the Beach in San Francisco (closed in 1972 and Laffing Sal's head and hat were stolen. J. Ets Hotkins commissioned a new head be created by local artists. One was purchased at auction in 1972 by Musée Mécanique, and the original Sal, without her original head and hat, was also sold in 1972, but had a succession of owners and was eventually purchased by Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk from auction in 2004.)[1]
Playland-Not-At-The-Beach in El Cerrito, California has three Laughing Sals. The first is a traditional-looking one from an amusement park in Ohio, suspected to be Idora Park. The second, known as Sinister Sal, was specially created by sculptor Chuck Jarman of Bump-in-The-Night Productions. The third, Psycho Sal, appears at Halloween season. All three models have been purchased by individual bidders from the auction that took place after Playland-Not-At-The-Beach closed - current whereabouts unknown.
