I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he’s 92). We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting nearby.
The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors—green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him. Every time the teen looked over, he’d catch my dad still staring.
Eventually, the teenager had enough and sarcastically asked, “What’s the matter, old man? Never done anything wild in your life?”
Knowing my dad, I quickly swallowed my food to avoid choking on his comeback. I knew he’d have a good one, and, of course, in classic fashion, he didn’t even blink when he replied:
“Got drunk once and had a wild night with a parrot. Just wondering if you were my son.”
Joke Poo: The Intern’s Quandary
I brought my overly enthusiastic intern, Brenda (fresh out of college and radiating ambition), to a high-stakes marketing conference the other day. During the networking lunch, I noticed she was fixated on a venture capitalist sitting a few tables away.
This venture capitalist, notorious for his eccentric investments, was dressed head-to-toe in blockchain-themed clothing – a Bitcoin tie, an Ethereum-printed blazer, and even Dogecoin cufflinks. Brenda kept staring. Every time he glanced over, he’d catch Brenda still gawking.
Finally, clearly annoyed, the venture capitalist approached our table. He looked Brenda dead in the eye and, dripping with condescension, asked, "What’s the matter, kid? Never seen anyone actually believe in crypto this much?"
Knowing Brenda, I braced myself. She had a knack for saying the absolute worst thing in any situation. I steeled myself for an awkward apology on her behalf. But to my surprise, Brenda smiled sweetly and replied:
"Actually, I’m just trying to figure out if you’re the guy my professor warned us about. He said some VC was so obsessed with Web3, he tried to tokenize his own bodily functions. Just wondering if you’re the one trying to launch ‘PooCoin’?"
Alright, let’s dissect this dad joke!
Core Elements:
- Setup: Old man (92 years old) is at the mall with his child, observing a teenager with outlandish hair.
- Conflict: The teenager is irritated by the staring and challenges the old man’s life experience.
- Punchline: The dad delivers an absurd and shocking comeback suggesting he might be the teenager’s parent due to a drunken encounter with a parrot.
- Humor Type: Absurdist, self-deprecating (implying the dad’s wild past), and has a touch of shock value. The humor stems from the unexpectedness of the parrot-related reveal.
Interesting Tidbits & Potential for Enrichment:
- Parrots and Alcohol: Parrots are known for mimicking sounds and can be quite vocal, especially after being exposed to mimicking their owner’s behavior after they have had a drink or two. They can also become aggressive. Some parrot owners worry when their parrots develop a fondness for alcoholic beverages.
- Longevity: The dad is 92, so he lived through many cultural shifts.
- Teenage Rebellion: Expressing oneself through unconventional hair has been a symbol of rebellion for generations.
Now, let’s use this information to craft something new:
Option 1: A ‘Did You Know’ Extension
"The joke about the dad and the parrot got me thinking… Did you know that parrots can actually develop a fondness for alcohol? And, like teenagers with brightly colored hair, they might do it just to annoy their parents, especially if the parent is 92 and has seen every other form of rebellion already. I can just imagine the parrot mimicking him, "Back in my day, we only had three colors of dye! Green, Red, Orange. And Blue. Wait, you can get hair dye in 4 colours now?! Get off my lawn!"
Option 2: A related Joke
A zoologist walks into a bar and orders a drink. After a while, he sees a man slumped over, muttering to a parrot. Intrigued, the zoologist approaches and says, "Excuse me, I couldn’t help but notice you talking to that bird. Does it understand you?"
The man sighs and says, "Yeah, but I wish it didn’t. It heard my dad’s story about his wild night with a parrot and now it keeps asking if I’m his son!"
Option 3: An observational quip:
"That joke about the dad and the parrot just goes to show you, we all assume that the older generation is out of touch, but they were young once too, they might have a few stories that would curl your hair. Which, ironically, might be the exact look they were going for when they were your age."