The guard riding along asks them how they will pass their time.
The first one shows them a book about becoming a minister and tells the others he will be in prison helping others and when he is released, he will continue helping youth, so they do not end up in prison.
The second one shows a deck of cards and says he will practice poker and plans to become so good, he will go professional when he is released and become wealthy playing cards.
The third one holds up a box of tampons and says he will be skiing, playing tennis, swimming, riding horses, and running on the beach, just like it says he can on the back of the box.
Okay, here’s my attempt at a “Joke Poo” riffing on the original, titled “Late Night Snack Surprise”:
Joke Poo: Late Night Snack Surprise
Three insomniacs, each suffering from severe sleep deprivation, are sitting around a campfire at a remote sleep retreat. A guru, renowned for his bizarre sleep solutions, is their guide.
The guru asks them how they plan to combat their insomnia tonight.
The first one pulls out a thick, scholarly book on the history of mattresses and says he’ll be reading it until he can bore himself to sleep with dry facts.
The second one pulls out a complicated-looking circuit board and explains he’s building a device that will emit a frequency specifically calibrated to induce slumber. He believes he will fall into a deep sleep by the end of the night.
The third one holds up a jar of pickles and says he’ll be staying up to watch the new superhero movie on cable, just like it says on the pickle jar label.
Alright, let’s dissect this joke and then mine it for comedic gold.
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: Three convicts on their way to prison, each facing a long sentence.
- Core Concept: The joke plays on irony and misdirection. The first two prisoners present seemingly noble or aspirational (though arguably flawed) ways to spend their time in prison.
- Punchline: The third prisoner’s response is unexpected and absurd. He misinterprets the tampon box’s advertised activities (intended for women experiencing menstruation) as applicable to his prison life, highlighting a disconnect between reality and aspiration/advertisement.
- Humor: The humor stems from the incongruity of the tampon box promises within the context of prison, the prisoner’s naive (or sarcastic) interpretation, and the implicit commentary on marketing.
Key Elements:
- Prison: Incarceration, confinement, loss of freedom.
- Aspirations/Dreams: Hope for the future, self-improvement, ambition.
- Tampon Advertisement: Promises of freedom, activity, and normalcy despite menstruation.
- Misinterpretation: Taking something literally or out of context to comedic effect.
Comedic Enrichment:
Now, let’s leverage these elements to create some new humor. I’ll go with a ‘Did You Know’ approach followed by a short joke inspired by the original.
Did You Know?
Did you know that the average menstrual cycle lasts about 28 days? That’s almost exactly the same length as the average time it takes to receive a package from “prison pen pal” websites… which makes you wonder what those prisoners are putting on their wish lists.
New Joke:
A prisoner is asked by his cellmate what he’s planning to do after he gets out.
“I’m going to become a high-stakes poker player,” he replies. “I’ve got it all figured out. I’ll learn to read tells, master probability, and bluff like a champion.”
The cellmate raises an eyebrow. “Sounds good, but where are you going to learn all that in here?”
The prisoner grins, pulls out a package of instant ramen noodles, and points to the instructions: “It’s all right here: ‘Prepare for intense competition. Stir vigorously. Season to taste. Empty promises if not followed.'”
Explanation of Enhancement:
- The ‘Did You Know’ plays on the absurdity of connecting menstruation with prison realities, juxtaposing natural processes with the enforced monotony of incarceration.
- The second joke mirrors the structure of the original but replaces the tampon box with ramen noodles, again playing on the contrast of ordinary items within the prison setting and the humor of misinterpreting product instructions for grand life plans. This time, the target is not menstruation but the overly optimistic instructions found on mundane food products. The twist being the ramen instruction can be broadly applied to life.