“Why were you driving only 20 miles per hour?” he asks the driver.
“I was just going the posted speed limit!” She points to a sign up ahead.
The officer corrects her. “That’s not the speed limit sign, that’s the sign for this highway—Route 20!”
“We tried to tell you, Sheila!” says one of the passengers.
The cop takes another look at the old women and sees that they are wide-eyed and disheveled. One of them is tightly gripping the door handle, white-knuckled.
“What’s the matter?” the cop asks.
“We just came off of Interstate 120.”
Joke Poo: The Interdimensional Plumbers
A reality inspector pulls over a leaky transdimensional portal on the cosmic highway. Three wizened, interdimensional plumbers are crammed inside.
“Why were you only traveling at a Planck length per Planck time?” he asks the driver.
“I was just following the posted spacetime curvature!” She points to a wobbly singularity ahead.
The inspector sighs, “That’s not the spacetime curvature limit, that’s the designation for this dimension – Dimension Planck!”
“We tried to tell you, Glarthrax!” says one of the passengers, whose tentacles are trembling.
The inspector takes another look at the plumbers and sees their faces are pale and smeared with exotic matter. One of them is desperately clutching a neutron star wrench.
“What’s the matter?” the inspector asks.
“We just came out of Singularity 10^120.”
Okay, let’s analyze this joke:
Key Elements:
- Setting: Freeway, car, police stop. Creates immediate tension and expectation of wrongdoing.
- Characters:
- The Cop: Authority figure, initially reasonable but quickly becomes bewildered.
- The Driver (Sheila): Naive, literal-minded, slightly stubborn.
- The Passengers: Aware of the absurdity, but powerless to stop Sheila. Their increasing anxiety is the punchline trigger.
- Misunderstanding/Premise: Confusion between highway number and speed limit. Classic example of literal interpretation taken to extremes.
- Punchline: The escalating misunderstanding culminates in the ladies having driven 120 mph on the Interstate, causing them extreme distress. Humor derives from the absurdity of their actions and the contrast between their age/demeanor and the dangerous speed.
- Structure: Set-up, escalating misunderstanding, revelation/punchline.
Comedic Enrichment & New Humor:
Let’s focus on the “highway number vs. speed limit” misunderstanding. Here’s a witty observation based on highway numbers:
New Bit:
“You know, I always thought highway numbers were like golf scores. The lower the number, the better the road. Turns out, that’s only true until you hit Route 66. After that, things get pretty dicey – that’s a road best enjoyed at a much lower speed. The National Park Service wants to rename the road to Route 55 after a few too many folks missed a turn at 75mph.”
Explanation of New Humor:
- Connects to the original joke by focusing on highway numbers.
- Uses the common understanding that lower numbers are typically better (think ‘first place’) and applies it to highways for a lighthearted expectation.
- Adds a twist related to a specific and recognizable highway (Route 66) that everyone associates with a more relaxed experience.
- The punchline ties it back to speed, creating a chuckle through unexpected suggestion.
- The final joke-within-a-joke imagines the National Park Service as an official voice of speed.
Another approach: A “Did You Know?” factoid with a comedic twist:
“Did you know? The highest numbered Interstate Highway is I-990 in New York. Imagine if the old ladies from that joke had stumbled onto that highway, and then kept going until they reached the actual speed limit! That’s the plot for a new action movie.”