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The Secret of Itching Powder

This is a package of itching powder I sold at my joke and novelty shop 25 years ago. Just about every package I've ever seen comes from Germany. This page lists the secret recipe. Make it yourself, or buy it online all ready to use! Just what is the secret ingredient that makes you itch? Here's a hint: it's all natural!

We guessed (correctly) what it was, and made up a batch ourselves. Yep, it looked just like the commercial itching powder that we obtained by mail. Here's what we stumbled upon:

1. In early fall, we found a maple tree and noticed all the brown helicopter-like seedpods that some people call "whirligigs." The pods are green when they're immature (spring and summer) and turn brown as they ripen. When they're dry enough, they fall from the trees with a graceful, spiral motion.

2. I picked up a whirlygig and looked carefully at the seed end. Guess what? Those same tiny, hair-like slivers that were in the bag of itching powder were covering the seedpod!

3. To remove the slivers from the whirlygigs, my brother and I hit upon this process:
   1. Place a sheet of white paper (or a paper towel) on a flat surface.

   2. Hold a whirlygig in each hand, grasping the "propeller" end between thumb and forefinger.

   3. Let the seed pod end hang down towards the paper.

   4. Now rub the seed pods against each other over the sheet of paper and notice that the slivery hairs that coat the seed pods will loosen and fall to the paper.

   5. Do this with a few dozen whirlygigs and the result is a teaspoon of slivers, which is the ingredient of the commercially available itching powder. A little goes a long way!

   6. We also tried scraping the hairs off with a razor blade, but the rubbing method described above works best. Not only did we have to worry about scraping away too much of the seedpod itself, we risked cutting up our fingers with the sharp blade. The simplest methods are often the best.

4. The catalog said to pour a small amount of itching powder down the victim's back and he/she would be scratching for quite some time. Did we ever try it out? We'll never tell!

5. It would be a good idea to store your itching powder in a ziplock bag or envelope. The more the sliver-like hairs dry, the better your "powder" should be.

Don't feel like making a batch yourself? No problem! Now you can buy itching powder online!

DISCLAIMER: As always, use care with this, or any other practical joke. If your victim happens to be allergic to maple seedlings, your intended joke may be more serious than you intended. The publication of this information does not condone the act of playing such a wicked gag on a victim. It is intended to be an article of historical interest, inasmuch as dealer catalogs (and online sources) have carried itching powder for decades.