# Prop comedy

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Prop_comedy
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Prop_comedy.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prop_comedy
> Source revision: 1303064357
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{short description|Comedy genre}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2024}}
'''Prop comedy''' is a [comedy](/source/comedy) genre in which performers use humorous objects, or conventional objects in humorous ways. The stages and films term "[prop](/source/Theatrical_properties)", an abbreviation of "property", refers to any object an actor handles in the course of a performance. Though some form of prop comedy has likely existed as long as there have been comedians, the genre reached its zenith in the [vaudeville](/source/vaudeville) era. The vaudeville team [Olsen and Johnson](/source/Olsen_and_Johnson) used prop comedy extensively in their long running [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theatre) revue ''[Hellzapoppin](/source/Hellzapoppin_(musical))''.

A '''prop comic''' is a [comedian](/source/comedian) who uses prop comedy. Prop comics are sometimes looked down upon by other comedians, and the term is sometimes used derisively. However, some, such as [Tommy Cooper](/source/Tommy_Cooper), rose to critical acclaim as their props revolved around a [gimmick](/source/gimmick) (such as Cooper's [magic](/source/Magic_(illusion))) and the comedian's character around that gimmick.

==Types of props==
Props are any items that the comedian or comic uses in an absurd way. These can be hand props, such as a book or [slapstick](/source/slapstick), costume props (such as tearaway pants), and set props (such as a breakaway chair).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vox.com/2015/8/22/9189581/prop-comedy-vintage | title=Prop comics were the 20th century's greatest artists, and this vintage video proves it | date=22 August 2015 }}</ref>
Another example is the [rubber chicken](/source/rubber_chicken).
<!-- list should be a List page: ===Prop comics=== -->

==Other occurrences==
The TV comedy game show ''[Whose Line Is It Anyway?](/source/Whose_Line_Is_It_Anyway%3F_(U.S._TV_series))'' has a round called ''Props'' in which two teams of comedians are each given a prop each and must improvise with them to humorous effect.

{{Comedy footer}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prop Comedy}}
Category:Comedy genres

{{Theat-stub}}
{{Comedy-stub}}

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Prop comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prop_comedy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prop_comedy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.