I Love to Laugh Mr. Wigg, is said to float because of an excess of "laughing gas", although it is clear that the term is not used in the chemical sense. So-called "laughing gas" (nitrous oxide) was one of the earliest effective anaesthetics developed in the Nineteenth century. it was popularised by dentists, for pain-free tooth extractions, as well as by showground novelty booths. Customers at the booth would be gassed and, as they were recovering from the drugged sleep they often felt euphoric and giggly. Hence the name. A famous 1931 British comedy sketch starring Cicely Courtneidge, called "Laughing Gas", was based on
The Laughing Policeman (song) Penroses wrote numerous other laughing songs ("The Laughing Major", "Curate", "Steeplechaser", "Typist", "Lover", etc.), but only "The Laughing Policeman" is remembered today, having sold over a million copies. Its popularity continued into the 1970s, as it was a frequently requested recording on the BBC Radio 1 show "Junior Choice". It even had a dance mix made of it, which was released on a 10 inch 45rpm disc, resembling an old-style 78rpm record, with the original version on the other side. Stikkan Anderson gave the song lyrics in Swedish, as "Den skrattande polisen" ("the laughing police officer"), which was recorded and