Canned laughter, or a laugh track, became standard in American television sitcoms in the 1950s and 1960s to mimic a live studio audience. The technique was popularized by sound engineer Charley Douglass and his laugh box. Multi-camera sitcoms later recorded real audiences, but the short isolated laugh clip spread online as a meme sound. Editors now use it ironically, dropping it after unfunny or cringe moments to recreate the feeling of an old broadcast comedy.
About this sound
Audience laughter from a classic TV sitcom, the canned laugh track played after jokes. Use it for sitcom edits, funny moments, and reaction videos.
This is a short burst of canned studio audience laughter, the kind sitcoms play right after a character delivers a punchline. A full crowd laughs together for about two and a half seconds then fades, with that bright, slightly artificial television sound. It instantly signals a joke has landed, even if none was told. Creators drop it over awkward pauses, sarcastic lines, or failed attempts to make any moment feel like a cheesy sitcom scene.
