Things to do with the kids: Learn the history of the kazoo at museum in Beaufort
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - If you are looking for something unique to entertain the kids with this summer you might want to check out a museum in Beaufort.
It’s called The Kazoobie Kazoo Factory.
The museum displays over a hundred different kazoos and produces thousands a day that they ship all over the world.
Our Michaela Romero took a trip there to see how they make these tiny musical instruments.
“We started in an airplane hangar in Hilton Head and we just kinda grew and grew to where we are now here for 24 years. The original owner was a performer and it used to be you had to have a few kazoos for a performance because of the moister in your breath he started experimenting with a kazoo that will last a little longer for a performance that kinda where are kazoos took off.”
Sarah Barnwell, the Marketing Director at Kazoobie Kazoos said that was just the start of their kazoo journey but today, their main goal is to educate and give guests an experience.
“We have them walk through our museum it’s self-guided and interactive, and they learn about all the different styles of kazoos and the history then we watch a couple of videos and we go over a bunch of instruments and then we take them to the back of the factory where we assemble these million kazoos a year and 5 thousand a day.”
Those kazoos are then boxed up and shipped all over the world.
“We do a ton of kazoos to Europe on a regular basis and then we do orders to Japan South Korea China Vietnam all over the place.”
It may be a lot, but the process is simple.
“The body and the cap and this is where all the magic comes from this tiny resonator little membrane right here and we just stick one of these in our bodies of the kazoo and we come into the capper, and we insert the kazoo and that air is going to send a plate at the top of the kazoo its very quick, the magic happens and you just got a kazoo.”
So simple, we could even figure it out.
And while it may not be the most sophisticated toy or the most elegant instrument, seeing how people react when they play one for themselves…well that is truly music to her ears.
”A kazoo to me sounds like you know it sounds like pure joy.”
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