The Roman Emperor Elagabalus was known to employ a prototype of whoopee cushions at dinner parties, although the modern version was re-invented in the 1920s

The Roman Emperor Elagabalus was known to employ a prototype of whoopee cushions at dinner parties, although the modern version was re-invented in the 1920s by the JEM Rubber Co. of Toronto, Canada, by employees who were experimenting with scrap sheets of rubber.[1] Perhaps Elagabalus came up with a new idea, but I'd like to see a historian's opinion. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoopee_cushion