jack attack

A t Jack's Joke Shop, "America's Oldest Active Joke Shop Since 1922," April Fools' Day is a year-round event. This family-run novelty store keeps its patrons laughing with over 3, 100 magic tricks, gags, disguises and costumes in stock. If it's spooky, funny or just plain strange, Jack's Joke Shop can fill the order.

Every corner of the store is crammed with an incredible variety of novelty items, most of which you probably didn't know existed. With such an eclectic inventory, this small boutique has featured in magazines such as People, The Boston Globe and The Boston Phoenix. The current owners, Harold and Michael Bengin, also claim that Neil Diamond, Mohammad Ali, Larry Bird and Walter Cronkite are enthusiastic and devoted customers.

The tricks offered range from the classic to the absurd, but are all reasonably priced--almost everything is under $10. Oldies-but-goodies fill the shelves: disappearing ink, joy buzzers, whoopee cushions, two headed nickels, trick decks of cards, finger traps and snakes that pop out of mixed nut cans. They're joined by the less-clicheed instant worms, fake spilled nail polish, a hugely popular rubber brain, fake parking tickets and life-like stick-on faucets.

Exploding soap, toilet seats, wallets and cigarettes will surely shock unsuspecting users. If the situation calls for something less bombastic, how about a rare steak that moos, a screaming skull, a beer can that shocks the drinker, a shrieking ax, a hammer that makes the sound of breaking glass or a laughing mirror?

Jack's also offers a wide array of edible (and not-so-edible) products. Trick your friends over drinks with floating eyeballs or ice cubes containing bugs. Offer dinner guests a bagel with a "cockroach surprise" and for an after-dinner mint, give them a piece of garlic-, pepper-, hot- or sour-flavored chewing gum. Or perhaps some oh-so-refined mustard candy.

For those with a crude sense of humor, Jack's sells powders guaranteed to induce belching, farting and sneezing. In addition, one can buy "Chunky and Loose Puke," stink bombs, stink spray and a convincingly realistic "Dog Mess."

Feeling kinky? Make weird fantasies come true with magic metal handcuffs, fangs, bull whips, fake body parts, garter belts and fishnet stockings. More than 250 different styles of wigs and 300 different masks can make you whoever you want to be. Jack's has all the right equipment for an undercover operative, stocked with dark-tinted spy glasses and sunglasses with rear-view mirrors. In order to add mystery and look the part, amateurs can pick up an authentic Sherlock Holmes-style pipe.

Jack's also caters to professional clowns and jugglers, providing them with assorted shades of pancake makeup and comic eye lashes. Oversized props like huge scissors and flowers add the traditional touch. Jugglers delight in sets of balls, plates, bean bags, scarves and the ever infamous devil pitchforks. For stage performances, Jack's carries plenty of stage blood and liquid latex.

A joke shop doesn't sound like a likely place to find the perfect birthday gift, but Jack's makes present shopping surprisingly easy. Gag gifts include award ribbons proclaiming "1st Prize for Being Young and Horny," "World Champion Stud," and "Part-Time Alcoholic." A collection of "over the hill" merchandise for every age and personality type awaits the insensitive shopper.

If Jack's leaves you laughing all the way to the bank, you might want to save time and buy one while you're there. The "Buddha Money Mystery" makes coins appear, vanish and change, the "Chinese Wallet" will change your cash into a fortune, and the "Money Maker" cranks in blank paper and spits out dollars. Jack's can teach you how to put a cigarette through a quarter or how to place a half dollar through the neck of a bottle and out again. Budding magicians who want to learn the tricks of the trade can choose from Jack's how-to videos on card magic, thumbtip tricks, money magic, balloon magic and other illusionist genres.

Some might describe a trip to this store as a walk through a carnival fun-house. Some might find Jack's clutter and constant chatter more akin to a house of horrors. If cheap thrills at cheap prices are what you're looking for, then Jack's got some magic in his box for you.