When I was growing up there was this weird trope of people jumping out of cakes on TV and in movies.
My first memory of it was from Some Like it Hot when the gangster pops out of a cake with a Tommy gun. At that point, I had no idea the origin of the practice.
Apparently, the first recorded version of this practice was in 1626 when a Duke and Duchess presented a pie to the King and Queen of England. A dwarf in full armor then popped out of the pie to everyone’s amusement.
It became popular in America in the early 1900’s with gross old rich white men having a “Pie Girl Dinner” at their ridiculous soirees.
This is one of those things that I have always been curious about. Is it funny? Is it sexy? Is it dangerous?
I remember the joke on The Addams Family, Lurch accidentally bakes the stripper for Fester’s birthday party into the cake. YIKES!
People jumping out of cakes sends a lot of mixed messages. There is a spectacle element to it for certain. It leaves me to ask, who would want to have someone jump out of their cake? More importantly, who would think that someone would want to have someone jump out of their cake? Who is that party planner who thinks that is a good idea?
All I can say for certain is that if someone wheels a giant cake into party, any party, I’m going to calmly excuse myself from the room.
Thank you for reading.
Jesse Kuntz 