Henry’s lying in his death bed, breathing his last. He catches a faint whiff, growing stronger, of his wife’s famous chocolate chip cookies. These are his favorite treat and he must have one before he dies. He tries to call out weakly to his wife “Margaret”. “Margaret”. Nothing. Henry decides to take matters into his own hands and uses his last bit of strength to fall out of the bed, crawl across the bedroom floor, the hallway and finally to the kitchen. He sees his prize cooling on the counter. He painfully pulls himself across the kitchen floor to the counter. He reaches up for his favorite cookie, when suddenly “HENRY!! Those are for AFTER the funeral!”
Okay, here’s my attempt at a “Joke Poo” based on the cookie joke, titled “Data Leak”:
Joke Poo: Data Leak
Agnes is sprawled on her sofa, nearing the end. Her brain is dying, filled with important passwords. She catches a faint signal, growing stronger, of her company’s ultra-secure server. These are company secrets and she must leak them before she expires. She tries to think them but her mind is too far gone. Agnes decides to take matters into her own hands and uses her last connection to the internet, drags her fingers across the keyboard on her ancient phone. She crawls across the sofa floor, the living room and finally to the bedroom. She sees her prize plugged into the wall. She painfully drags herself across the bedroom floor to the power supply. She reaches up for her favorite phone, when suddenly “Agnes!! Those are for AFTER the funeral is over!”
Alright, let’s analyze this cookie-centric joke!
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: A dying man, Henry, is overcome by the smell of his wife’s delicious cookies, his favorite. He’s desperate to have one last bite.
- Action: He undertakes an epic, arduous journey on the brink of death to reach the cookies. The humor here lies in the contrast between his imminent demise and the triviality (yet powerful draw) of a cookie.
- Punchline: His wife Margaret scolds him for trying to eat the cookies before his funeral, subverting expectations. The dark humor comes from the absurd prioritization of the cookies for the mourners over the dying man himself.
Key Elements:
- Cookies: Chocolate chip cookies, a comfort food and symbol of domesticity.
- Deathbed: A serious, emotional setting.
- Contrast: The stark juxtaposition of life/death and cookie desire.
- Subversion: The unexpected “for after the funeral” line.
Humorous Enrichment:
Here are a few ways to play off this joke:
1. New Joke:
A man, facing the electric chair, is asked if he has any last requests. He replies, “Yes, I’d like to eat a whole plate of chocolate chip cookies.”
The warden says, “Certainly. But wouldn’t you prefer something more substantial? Maybe a steak or a burger?”
The man shakes his head. “No, cookies are perfect. I just want to be able to say I went out with a delicious zap!”
Why it works: This keeps the “comfort food vs. mortality” theme but shifts the context to an execution, adding another layer of dark humor. The “delicious zap” pun is the added bonus.
2. Witty Observation (or “Did you Know”):
“Did you know that the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is scientifically proven to evoke feelings of comfort and nostalgia? It’s so powerful, it can apparently even overcome the will to stay dead! Just ask Henry. Though, he might be too busy arguing with his wife about proper cookie etiquette at funerals.”
Why it works: It adds a (somewhat) factual element and then twists it back to the original joke’s scenario, reinforcing the absurdity.
3. The “Margaret’s Cookie Recipe” Gag:
“Margaret’s famous chocolate chip cookie recipe was renowned for its secret ingredient: a pinch of dried tears of frustration. It was rumored that Henry’s deathbed dash for a cookie was actually driven by an unconscious desire to finally figure out what made them so addictive.”
Why it works: Takes the already absurd scenario and gives the cookie a deeper, morbidly humorous secret, leaning into the dark humor.
4. Cookie-Related Pondering:
Let’s consider what Margaret’s saying. Is she saying these cookies are exclusively for after the funeral? Is there a legally binding agreement? Is this the latest trend in funeral celebrations – the chocolate chip cookie wake? What about people who don’t like chocolate chip cookies? What cookies do they get?
Why it works: Extrapolating the absurd logic to other ridiculous outcomes.
These are just a few examples. The key is to take the core elements of the joke and either twist them in a new direction or add a layer of unexpected information to amplify the comedic effect. The original joke succeeds because of its dark humor and subverted expectations. The humor enrichment relies on maintaining those elements in new and creative ways.