Anyone know the origins of the rubber chicken bounce-proof thing?? I've asked a fair number of folks who've been around quite a while ... everyone knows about it, but not where/who started it.
Anyone know the origins of the rubber chicken bounce-proof thing?? I've asked a fair number of folks who've been around quite a while ... everyone knows about it, but not where/who started it.
Hi BB, Don't know about the "bounceproof thing," but some years ago one of those funky rubber chichens showed up at Scare-us-valley, I think it was the mid 80's or there abouts. It would be hanging out by the pool, or in the bar (the OLD Bomb Shelter). One day on a fun 4 way load about 1/2 way thru the dive, Ernie Velanueva reaches inside his jumpsuit, pulls out the rubber chicken and starts waving it around in the middle of the formation!!! 'Took everybody by surprise and after the laughter simmewred down a bit I think somebody keyed a horny gorilla as nobody else could remember what the next point was!!!! After that, I remember a bunch of people playing a beer drinking game with the chicken at the bar!! They'd skewer the chicken with a beer bottle and ya' had to tilt the chicken and drink the beer thru the head. I think they called the game,"Chicken Head Beer!!!" "Head??, Who said Head?????...."
ok ... that brings up a point I hadn't thought about ... I had the impression it was more widespread!
I can't claim to know the details, obviously ... and perhaps it's just a Texas thing. At least 2 dz's around here have one that I know of. It works something along these lines:
You get a rubber chicken and take it on a jump ... I don't know if it must be passed like a baton or if just taking it along suffices. You then hang it in a prominent spot somewhere on the dz, and it is supposed to bounce-proof the dz.
Lenny Aikens and the Thun Field Bunch brought one up to abbotsford late sixties or early seventies.It was passed around as a baton for a few days. It ended up hanging from a wall in the loft. I think it originated in California. As for majic powers I don't know of any.
The first rubber chicken I recall seeing was in a novelty shop in Marion, IN in 1967. We had to sneak over there to buy "bango-beans," they were a louder and more dangerous version of today's "snap-n-pops." The shop was an awesome place to be an 8th-grader. Think Spencer's Gifts, a head-shop, costume shop and S&M purveyor rolled into one. The spooky old clerk loved trying to scare us away. Shades of Glenjay Scott.
I oft have wondered whether the rubber chicken spawned the enduring name for banquet food of vice versa.
Hi Bb and all Skydivers!!, NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! The "Chicken" has spread his wings again at Scare-Us-Valley!! Go to www.airtrash.com and see 4 ur self on the message board!! Bully, Stinky and the guys gave the chicken a wringing out on a skydive!! To top it off, Randy "Stinky" had a mal and was the "FIRST","Chicken' Chokin" Chop!!" Don't worry, knowin' Air Trash like I do (I-R-1) dey' dun' drank da' Beer!!
LOL ... mal on a chicken jump ... so appropriate, somehow!! Glad it worked out so it was a beer occasion and nothing more.
Reason I started this, someone who knows nothing about skydiving, for some reason gave me a mini-chicken last christmas (about 6 or 7 inches). Was thinking about taking it up for a bit of breeze in it's knees, then hanging it with the old one at the dz (the old one looks kinda brittle at this point!). Now we have something to shoot for ... surpass that 6 passes to claim the new world record chicken choke ... :) ... Question is, is that record of 6 passes with 6 people, or fewer, with that total of passes? We'll have to try to top it, but if it's individual people, that will have to be a formation load from 182's to do it!!!
edited to add ... yes, I did see the link for the video, but I'm on dialup right now. Video would take FOREVER!
(This post was edited by Beachbum on Oct 20, 2009, 6:37 PM)
Hi Bb and all Skydivers!!, NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! The "Chicken" has spread his wings again at Scare-Us-Valley!! Go to www.airtrash.com and see 4 ur self on the message board!! Bully, Stinky and the guys gave the chicken a wringing out on a skydive!! To top it off, Randy "Stinky" had a mal and was the "FIRST","Chicken' Chokin" Chop!!" Don't worry, knowin' Air Trash like I do (I-R-1) dey' dun' drank da' Beer!!
The video was great! Bunch of demented old fucks...
Damn, I finally found a really good use for the pilot chute pouch (in the small of your back) of a Handbury rig: Rubber chicken storage compartment! Can you imagine reaching back & whipping a rubber chicken out in the middle of a jump?!
... LOL 
CK's Skyvan Chicken.JPG
The video was great! Bunch of demented old fucks... 
