I didn’t know the first thing about putting up some shelves so I thought I’d do some research first, so naturally I went to our local library and asked the librarian:
“Have you got any books on shelves?
Joke Poo: My Kid Asked
My kid asked me to build a Lego castle in the living room…
I didn’t know the first thing about building a Lego castle, so I thought I’d do some research first. Naturally, I went to the nearest toy store and asked the clerk:
“Have you got any castles made of books?”
Okay, let’s break down this joke:
Core Elements:
- Premise: A husband attempts a home improvement task (putting up shelves) despite lacking the knowledge.
- Set-up: Seeking information, he goes to the library.
- Punchline: The absurdly literal and circular question “Have you got any books on shelves?” demonstrates his complete cluelessness.
- Humor: The humor derives from the unexpected literal interpretation of “books on shelves” when the obvious implied meaning is “books about shelves, their construction, or installation.” It’s a play on words combined with a depiction of incompetence.
Enhancement Potential:
Now, let’s use these elements to create a new piece of humor built upon this foundation. Let’s focus on the “library” and “shelves” aspects, adding in some actual library-related trivia:
New Joke/Witty Observation:
“My wife, unimpressed with my shelving skills (or lack thereof, as evidenced by my inquiry at the library about books on shelves, not about shelves), suggested I stick to what I know. Which, according to her, is absolutely nothing. She even joked I should just become a ‘shelving consultant’ at the library. Apparently, the Library of Congress shelves hold about 838 miles of books. I told her, ‘See? That’s far too many shelves for one person to consult on! Besides, that’s about the distance between my confidence and actual ability when it comes to home improvement projects.'”
Amusing ‘Did You Know’
“Did you know that the Library of Congress actually employs robots to help retrieve books from those 838 miles of shelves? I bet even those robots wouldn’t ask where the books on shelves are kept. They probably have a better grasp of shelving-related knowledge than I do. Also, if you laid all those Library of Congress books end-to-end, you could probably use them to build a sturdier shelf than I ever could.”
Explanation of Choices:
The new material builds on the original joke by:
- Continuing the Husband’s Narrative: We maintain the first-person perspective and the wife’s exasperated reaction.
- Adding Library Trivia: The Library of Congress fact provides a factual grounding and a slightly absurd counterpoint to the husband’s incompetence.
- Reinforcing the Incompetence: The joke about the robots further emphasizes the husband’s lack of practical skills.
- Creating Irony: By mentioning the length of the shelves, we highlight the scale of shelving work in comparison to the character’s simple request to put up some shelves.