COST OF LAUGHING UP 3 PERCENT

COST OF LAUGHING UP 3 PERCENT

SANTA CRUZ, California (Wireless Flash) -- Gas prices aren't the only thing going up, the cost of laughing has leaped 3 percent since 1999. That's according to humor consultant Malcolm Kushner, who has just compiled his annual Cost Of Laughing Index, which tracks the prices of 16 leading humor indicators. The biggest increase in "yuk-prices" is on TV where a 30-minute sitcom script that sold for $12,248 in 1999 now costs $12,615. A singing telegram featuring a pink gorilla costs $85 today -- $10 more than last year, while "Mad" magazine has increased in price from $2.50 to $2.99 per copy. On the other hand, the cost of a dozen rubber chickens in 2000 remains firm at $60, while a dozen Groucho Marx glasses can still be had for $15.