An English man, a French man, a Spanish man and a German man walked into a bar in New York, where the Fantastic 4 where having a drink.
The Invisible Woman was quite drunk and was arguing with the bartender if he can see her at all.
The bartender said yes he can see her but she wasn't happy with his answer and asked the rest of the people at the bar the same thing.
To which the four men replied together
"Yes"
"Oui"
"Si"
"Ja"
Okay, here’s my attempt at a "Joke Poo" version of that joke, titled appropriately:
Joke Poo: The Haunted Pub
An IT guy, a plumber, an electrician, and a software developer walk into an old, notoriously haunted pub in Dublin.
The pub ghost, a spectral Irishman named Seamus, is floating near the bar, complaining loudly to the barkeep. "I tell ya, I used to be able to scare the living daylights out of anyone who walked in here! Now, no one even bats an eye! Do you think I’ve lost my touch, Brendan?"
Brendan shrugs. "Nah, Seamus. You’re still plenty spooky. Just try the lads who just came in."
Seamus, eager to prove himself, floats over to the four tradesmen. He pulls out all the stops: chains rattling, eerie moans, spectral green glow. He finishes with a dramatic flourish and asks, "Well, lads? Am I scaring ye?"
The four men glance at each other, then reply in unison:
"Tried it."
"Fixed it."
"Wired it."
"Coded it."
Alright, let’s break down this joke and then see if we can cook up something funnier.
Joke Analysis:
- Setup: The setup is classic multi-nationality walking-into-a-bar scenario, immediately setting the expectation for some cultural or linguistic punchline. The twist is the addition of the Fantastic Four, specifically the Invisible Woman, which introduces a superhero element and potential for irony.
- Premise: The core premise is the Invisible Woman, despite her name, is trying to assert her invisibility while drunk. The bartender can see her, creating a situation of comedic misunderstanding.
- Punchline: The punchline is the four nationalities responding in their respective languages ("Yes", "Oui", "Si", "Ja"). This has multiple layers:
- Unexpected Consensus: The four, despite cultural differences, agree.
- Language Gag: The use of different languages to say the same thing is inherently funny, especially in a short burst.
- Irony: They’re confirming the bartender can see an Invisible Woman.
Key Elements:
- National Stereotypes (Mild): Implicit in the setup, though not overtly played upon.
- Superhero Parody: Uses the established character of the Invisible Woman in a mundane, humorous situation.
- Linguistic Humor: Relies on the recognition of basic words in different languages.
- Drunken Antics: The source of the misunderstanding, adding to the absurdity.
- Invisibility Irony: The central gag, playing with the concept of being seen vs. not seen.
Comedic Enrichment – Option 1: The "Did You Know?"
"Did you know that the word ‘yes’ has roots tracing back to Proto-Germanic? It evolved into variations across Germanic languages like ‘Ja’ in German and, well, ‘Yes’ in English. Makes you wonder if the Invisible Woman’s problems stem from her not knowing her etymology – maybe if she’d yelled ‘Proto-Germanic!’ instead of ‘Am I invisible?’ the bartender would have been really confused."
Comedic Enrichment – Option 2: A New (Terrible) Joke
Why did the Invisible Woman get a ticket for drunk and disorderly?
Because she kept telling everyone, "You can’t see me!" The judge, speaking fluent Italian, just sighed and said, "Si, I can!" Then Reed Richards had to explain the science of refraction to the entire courtroom and got slapped with a contempt charge for ‘mansplaining theoretical physics to a legally blind bailiff’.
Comedic Enrichment – Option 3: Witty Observation
It’s interesting how easily we assume a language barrier prevents understanding. The four men in the joke, despite their nationalities, immediately understood the situation. Maybe that’s the real superpower: the ability to see (and acknowledge) the drunk antics of a superhero regardless of what language she’s slurring.