The Kazoo Museum
Encyclopedia
The Kazoo Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of the kazoo
, located in Beaufort, South Carolina
. The museum houses one of the largest collections of kazoos in the world. Originally established in 2007 in Seattle, Washington
, The Kazoo Museum opened in its current location in Beaufort on October 6, 2010. The museum is located in the Kazoobie Kazoos Factory and features a collection of kazoos, kazoo recordings and kazoo memorabilia.
, the company returned to South Carolina
in 2009 and settled in co-owner Steven Murray's home town of Beaufort. In this location, Kazoobie expanded into a 6500 square feet (603.9 m²) warehouse and showroom and in 2010 added a gift shop and became home to The Kazoo Museum.
in 2007, located in Seattle. From there the collection moved to Portland, Oregon
in 2008, where it was not available for public viewing, except via The Kazoo Museum's website. At this time the collection comprised approximately 100 kazoos, including some of the first kazoos to be manufactured, and various pieces of memorabilia including books, patents, sheet music and records. By 2010 the collection had expanded to around 200 pieces. Upon the invitation of the Kazoobie Kazoos factory, the museum took up residence in Beaufort and officially opened to the public at that location on October 6, 2010.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Kazoobie Kazoos on the opening day of The Kazoo Museum, attended by local people, curator Boaz Frankel and the owners of Kazoobie Kazoos.
The museum's collection is made up of nearly 200 kazoo-related items, making it one of the world's largest private kazoo collections. All items are kept in glass cases in a dedicated building at the Kazoobie Kazoos factory. Kazoos in the collection include one used in the television program The Partridge Family
, kazoos shaped like famous cartoon characters, electric kazoos and kazoos that are over 100 years old. In addition, the museum features an old press used to make kazoo parts, kazoo music sheets and various pieces of memorabilia.
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
, located in Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
. The museum houses one of the largest collections of kazoos in the world. Originally established in 2007 in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, The Kazoo Museum opened in its current location in Beaufort on October 6, 2010. The museum is located in the Kazoobie Kazoos Factory and features a collection of kazoos, kazoo recordings and kazoo memorabilia.
Kazoobie Kazoos
Kazoobie Kazoos is one of the world’s largest distributors of kazoos, founded by Rick Hubbard and Gayle Andrus in 1997 as an Internet retailer of kazoos. Previously based in Hilton Head Island and in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the company returned to South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
in 2009 and settled in co-owner Steven Murray's home town of Beaufort. In this location, Kazoobie expanded into a 6500 square feet (603.9 m²) warehouse and showroom and in 2010 added a gift shop and became home to The Kazoo Museum.
Museum founding
A forerunner of The Kazoo Museum was created by television personality and kazoo enthusiast Boaz FrankelBoaz Frankel
Boaz Frankel is an American television personality who hosted and co-created the television show Clips & Quips and created the video series The Un-Road Trip, slated to become a television series on Halogen TV in 2011.He is also the curator of The Kazoo Museum in Beaufort, South Carolina and owner...
in 2007, located in Seattle. From there the collection moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in 2008, where it was not available for public viewing, except via The Kazoo Museum's website. At this time the collection comprised approximately 100 kazoos, including some of the first kazoos to be manufactured, and various pieces of memorabilia including books, patents, sheet music and records. By 2010 the collection had expanded to around 200 pieces. Upon the invitation of the Kazoobie Kazoos factory, the museum took up residence in Beaufort and officially opened to the public at that location on October 6, 2010.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Kazoobie Kazoos on the opening day of The Kazoo Museum, attended by local people, curator Boaz Frankel and the owners of Kazoobie Kazoos.
Collection
Museum visitors can learn about the history of the kazoo, from its invention in the 1840s through to the present day at the museum and can tour the working factory to see modern production techniques.The museum's collection is made up of nearly 200 kazoo-related items, making it one of the world's largest private kazoo collections. All items are kept in glass cases in a dedicated building at the Kazoobie Kazoos factory. Kazoos in the collection include one used in the television program The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
, kazoos shaped like famous cartoon characters, electric kazoos and kazoos that are over 100 years old. In addition, the museum features an old press used to make kazoo parts, kazoo music sheets and various pieces of memorabilia.