A vuvuzela is a long, brightly colored plastic horn that makes an extremely loud, buzzing noise. Picture a cone about three feet long that produces a sound somewhere between a swarm of angry bees and a foghorn. When you blow into the narrow end, the sound comes out the wide end at around 120 decibels, which is as loud as a chainsaw or a rock concert.

Vuvuzelas became famous during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where tens of thousands of fans blew them constantly throughout soccer matches. The continuous buzzing created a wall of sound that television viewers around the world either loved or found incredibly annoying. Some people said the noise added excitement and represented South African fan culture, while others complained they couldn't hear the referees' whistles or the commentators.

The instrument has roots in traditional African horns called kudu horns, made from the horns of kudu antelopes. Modern plastic vuvuzelas became popular at South African soccer matches in the 1990s. After the World Cup, many stadiums around the world banned them because the noise made it hard for players to communicate and fans to hear announcements. The vuvuzela shows how something that creates energy and excitement in one context can become overwhelming when thousands of people use it all at once.