A party horn (also known as a party blower) is a paper noisemaker which unfurls and produces a horn-like noise when a person blows into it. Party horns may be distributed at birthday parties, New Year's Eve, and other celebrations to create festive noise.
English does not have a single, consistent term for this but different places employ neologisms and variants with synonyms of blowing (puffing, blowout etc.) and onomatopoeic names (whistle, squeak etc.).[citation needed] The term for party horn in several other languages translates to "a mother in law's tongue" (e.g. Portuguese língua de sogra).
The party horn became a popular party favor in the early 1900s. Modern variations have a plastic mouthpiece to prevent damage to the paper from moisture of the mouth. The paper tube often contains a coiled metal or plastic strip that rapidly retracts the horn after it is blown. Others have a brightly coloured feather attached to the end which vibrates in the outgoing airflow. Party horns are often sold in multi-packs for parties and other celebratory events.
Blooper and the Phillie Phanatic, each a mascot of a Major League Baseball team, have party horns in their ears and as a tongue, respectively.
The world record for the most people blowing party horns at one time was set on November 21, 2009 with 6091 people in Tokyo, Japan. In September 2020, David Rush and Eirinn Hannon, both from Idaho, made 108 toots from party blowers in one minute, breaking a previous Guinness World Record of 78. They were required to alternate each toot.
