"Hunny, it must be on Tubi or not Tubi"
Okay, here’s my attempt at a "Joke Poo" based on your Shakespeare joke, titled "Joke Poo":
Joke Poo: The Physics Professor
My student told me he can’t find the recording of my lecture on advanced quantum mechanics anywhere online.
"Well," I said, "it must be a particle or it must be a wave."
Alright, let’s break down this joke:
Elements:
- Premise: A wife is looking for a Shakespeare documentary on a streaming service.
- Punchline: "Hunny, it must be on Tubi or not Tubi."
- Humor Source: A pun based on Shakespeare’s famous line "To be or not to be" from Hamlet, cleverly replacing "be" with the name of the free, ad-supported streaming service "Tubi."
Analysis:
The humor lies in the unexpected substitution of a serious, philosophical question with a mundane inquiry about the availability of content on a specific streaming service. The joke’s effectiveness relies on the audience’s familiarity with both Shakespeare and the popular (and somewhat bargain-bin-esque) Tubi.
Comedic Enrichment:
Now, let’s leverage those elements for something new:
Option 1: A New Joke
My friend started writing his own plays after watching too many documentaries. He’s got one called "The Tragedy of Amazon Prime," where a customer service rep argues with a robot about a late package delivery. The central question of the play is: "Ship it, or clip it…from my Prime subscription?"
Explanation:
This joke keeps the Shakespearean reference (tragedy) and uses the "choice" theme as the original. It updates the pun style to a modern problem of packages.
Option 2: A Witty Observation
It’s funny how Shakespeare’s existential angst has been reduced to wondering if a documentary is available on Tubi. I bet if Hamlet were alive today, he’d spend more time scrolling through streaming services than contemplating mortality. He’d probably complain about buffering too, and ghosting. "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite Jest, of most excellent fancy… and blocked me after a bad Tinder date."
Explanation:
This observation juxtaposes the high seriousness of Shakespeare with the trivialities of modern entertainment. The ‘updated Hamlet’ is a nod to the original joke’s foundation.
Option 3: Amusing ‘Did You Know?’
Did you know that if Shakespeare were alive today and wanted to make a movie adaptation of Hamlet, Tubi might actually be a viable option? Tubi, while often associated with low-budget films and forgotten gems, does have a surprisingly large library and a partnership with Lionsgate! So, Hamlet could be brought to the masses, albeit with a few commercial breaks. And maybe, just maybe, the ghost of Hamlet’s father would be sponsored by Geico.
Explanation:
This plays on the stereotype of Tubi while also highlighting a surprising fact (its relationship with Lionsgate). The Geico sponsor for the ghost is a fun, absurd twist.
In summary, the original joke’s humor stems from the unexpected combination of highbrow culture and lowbrow entertainment. The comedic enrichments above attempt to build upon this foundation with updated scenarios, witty observations, and absurd situations that resonate with the original joke’s core elements.