Danish inventor who created novelty toys like the Joy Buzzer and the Cachoo Sneeze Powder.
He was a salesman for a coal-tar company. He discovered one of the products caused co-workers to sneeze. The resulting Cachoo Sneeze Powder became an instant bestseller.
He sold classic prank products like exploding cigars and nut cans with spring snakes. He was offered the rights to the whoppee cushion as well, but deemed it too indelicate.
He was born in Aarhus, Denmark, and moved with his family to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, at the age of four.
His exploding cigars became slapstick comedy staples employed by everyone from Groucho Marx to the Looney Tunes animated characters to the Joker in the Batman comics.
