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 Man (short story) the character's story in the series pilot, and also presented a copy of "The Catcher in the Rye". The Laughing Man (short story) "The Laughing Man" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, published originally in "The New Yorker" on March 19, 1949; and also in Salinger’s short story collection "Nine Stories". It largely takes the structure of a story within a story and is thematically occupied with the relationship between narrative and narrator, and the end of youth. The story is inspired by the Victor Hugo novel of the same name: "The Man Who Laughs" ("L'homme qui rit").