The kazoo and its smaller cousin, the humazoo, are deceptively simple musical instruments with a rich history, playful cultural role, and even moments of professional use.
The kazoo belongs to the family of mirlitons, membranophones that alter the human voice through vibration.
Its roots trace back to African voice-altering instruments, which used animal skins stretched over tubes for ceremonial and musical purposes.
The kazoo, as we know it, emerged in the United States in the mid-19th century, with the most popular story crediting Alabama Vest, an African-American inventor, in 1840, who collaborated with German-American clockmaker Thaddeus von Clegg to create the prototype.
By the late 19th and 20th centuries, kazoos were being mass-produced, especially in Eden, New York, which became known as the "Kazoo Capital of the World." The smaller Humazoo appeared later as a toy-like variant, marketed for children and casual use.
A kazoo is typically a tube-shaped instrument with a flattened mouthpiece at one end, a small circular opening along its body, covered by a thin vibrating membrane (traditionally goldbeater's skin, now waxed paper or plastic), and a resonating chamber that amplifies the buzzing effect. Kazoos are made of metal, wood, or plastic, with novelty designs ranging from race cars to French horns. The Humazoo is a scaled-down, all-plastic version, often brightly colored and marketed as a noisemaker for children.
Unlike wind instruments, the kazoo is not blown into, but hummed into. The player's voice sets the membrane vibrating, producing the signature buzzing timbre. Techniques include syllabic variation (humming "doo," "too," or "rrrr" to change tone and texture), dynamic control (adjusting volume and pitch through vocal intensity), and articulation tricks (using rhythmic syllables to mimic percussion or brass effects). The Humazoo functions identically, although its smaller size produces a lighter, thinner buzz.
Though often dismissed as a novelty toy, the kazoo has found its way into jazz, blues, jug bands, and even orchestral humor pieces. Notable appearances include early jug bands of the 1920s, where kazoos added rhythmic texture; performances by artists like Jimi Hendrix, who occasionally used the kazoo for playful experimentation; and contemporary professional-grade kazoos with adjustable tone and resonance, used in studio recordings. The Humazoo, by contrast, is rarely used professionally, but it remains a staple in classrooms and children's ensembles.
The kazoo thrives in community events, parades, and fundraisers, where its accessibility and humor shine. Kazoo parades and kazoo bands are popular at festivals, allowing large groups of non-musicians to participate. Fundraising events often distribute kazoos or Humazoos as low-cost, high-energy crowd engagement tools. National Kazoo Day (January 28) celebrates the instrument with concerts, museum exhibits, and playful gatherings.
The beauty of the kazoo is its appeal as an instrument that anyone can play and that everyone can join in. These little instruments have carved out a niche that blends humor, accessibility, and genuine musicality.
E-commerce sites selling kazoos are generally found in the Musical Instruments section of our Shopping & eCommerce area. However, we have included a few retail sites below due to the informational content included on the site or their historical significance.
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Performing high-energy music from the 1920s and 1930s, the band blends jug band, country blues, early jazz, hillbilly, novelty songs, and small-swing vocal group material, mixing group vocals, swinging rhythms, vaudevillian sight gags, and colorful stage attire for a festive, theatrical experience. The band uses an eclectic set of instruments, including the kazoo, washboard, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, washtub/boom bass, harmonica, accordion, rhythm bones, slide whistle, and bicycle horns.
https://www.thebustedjugband.com/
In 1907, tinsmith Harry Richardson opened a small sheet-metal workshop in Eden, New York. In 1915, he began producing metal kazoo versions under the newly formed Original American Kazoo Company, which patented the metal kazoo in 1923. In 2002, the kazoo business was sold to Woodstock Percussion, transferring the rights to manufacture standard kazoos under the Original American Kazoo Company trademark. However, the Edn factory, museum, and specialty kazoo operations remained independent.
https://www.edenkazoo.com/
Located in Beaufort, South Carolina, the Kazoo Museum & Factory (Kazoobie Kazoo) combines a free museum and gift shop with guided factory tours that let visitors see how plastic kazoos are made and make their own kazoo to take home. Its location, hours, guided factory tour schedules, and tour costs are stated on the website, along with an overview of its accessibility, amenities, and policies. In business since 1999, Kazoobie Kazoos manufactures plastic kazoos.
https://thekazoofactory.com/
A family-oriented live performance led by Rich Hubbard, the Kazoobie Kazoo Show blends kazoo music, comedy, and audience participation, with every child receiving a free kazoo and the possibility of being invited on stage to join he finale kazoo band. Rick Hubbard, the show's creator and frontman, is a veteran entertainer who is associated with Kazoobie Kazoos. The show is regularly featured at family events and resort series, including summer concert lineups and holiday variations.
https://www.kazoobie.com/
Operating from Beaufort, South Carolina, Kazoobie manufactures kazoos and related instruments and accessories, and also distributes other instruments from reputable manufacturers worldwide. Its website has been online since 1997, and the company began manufacturing plastic kazoos in 2001, operating a brick-and-mortar store, a retail website, and a wholesale product line for music stores and specialty retailers, as well as housing the Kazoo Museum. Admission is free.
https://kazoos.com/
Ophir Prison Marching Kazoo Band & Temperance Society
The long-running novelty marching band and performance collective presents itself as a tongue-in-cheek prison band, combining marching band instrumentation, kazoos, comedy, and vaudeville-style antics while playing a wide range of music from traditional jazz and big-band standards to rock, pop, and hip-hop. Members wear customized "prison blues," outlandish hats, and props, and are led by a character known as Capt. Rufus T. Whizbang. Their staging blurs parody, satire, and music.
http://ophirprison.com/
Based in Eden, New York, the Original Kazoo Company traces its roots to a sheet-metal shop that began producing kazoos in 1916 when local wooden kazoo makers joined forces with the shop owner, growing into the principal North American maker of metal kazoos. The kazoo moved from novelty to mainstream use in vaudeville, jug bands, and recorded music, and the company's output helped popularize the instrument across the United States. Its history, product catalog, and online shopping are enabled.
https://originalkazoocompany.com/
