This is because the pictures are taken from a Renaissance Faire, which is a family-oriented event of people dressed in costumes, acting out skits related to medieval history (regardless of its historical accuracy), and the tickling in the stocks is simply one aspect of that.
In fact, I read on another forum about someone with a bondage fetish who created a skit for a Renaissance Faire where he'd tie up and gag his wife, who played the role of a witch, and re-enact the historical persecution (and burning at the stake) of witches. They would act out her arrest loudly to get attention, take her from one place to another and act out her trial, gathering more attention and viewers, and so on, up until her "execution" at the stake, as she was tied and gagged, and there were a lot of people watching.
They were told by the people who ran the Faire that the act would be banned due to its violent and upsetting nature.
Anyway, the foot tickle torture in the stocks is an act that involves the public participating. And that's pretty much all the families visiting see it as. A fun challenge to survive tickle torture for a few minutes while helpless.
I hope he will consider sharing.
