The Laughing Place

The Laughing Place is a traditional African American folktale, featuring Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. It is famous for its inclusion among Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus stories.

Summary

Following Br'er Rabbit's capture, the hero leads his captors, wily Br'er Fox and dim-witted Br'er Bear, to his "laughin' place". Out of curiosity, they let him lead the way, only for Br'er Rabbit to walk them straight into a cavern of bees. While the antagonists are stung, Br'er Rabbit escapes.

This story can be traced to African trickster tales, particularly the hare that figures prominently in the storytelling traditions in Western Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. In the Akan traditions of West Africa, the trickster is usually the spider (see Anansi), though the plots of tales of the spider are often identical with those of stories of Br'er Rabbit.[1]

The story was used in the movie Song of the South along with "The Tar Baby" and "The Briar Patch".[2] It is also referenced in a dark ride scene of Splash Mountain, a log flume-style attraction at Disneyland, Orlando's Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, based on Song of the South.

The term "The Laughing Place" is also used in the Stephen King novel Misery and the second season of the series Castle Rock.

gollark: I have one hatching in a day and a half; maybe it'll be different.
gollark: You may take our dragons, but you will never take our baguettes!
gollark: You must sacrifice your soul to Ba'al to win a prize.
gollark: Balloons: Surprisingly Rare.
gollark: Breed it to the messiest dragon possible.

References
  1. Opala, Joseph A. "Gullah Customs and Traditions". The Gullah: Rice, Slavery, and the Sierra Leone-American Connection. Archived from the original on 2006-05-17.
  2. Brasch, Walter M. (2000). Brer Rabbit, Uncle Remus, and the 'Cornfield Journalist': The Tale of Joel Chandler Harris. Mercer University Press. pp. 74, 275.
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