But even still, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if she didn't keep it in a jar on the nightstand.
Okay, here’s my “Joke Poo” version, titled:
Joke Poo: The Trophy Fish
My neighbor keeps telling me I shouldn’t be intimidated by the size of the marlin her ex caught. But it would be easier if she didn’t have it mounted on the wall right above the bed.
Alright, let’s break down this joke and then build on it.
Joke Dissection:
- Core Concept: The humor comes from the juxtaposition of reassurance about physical insecurity with a bizarre, macabre detail.
- Elements:
- Insecurity/Male Ego: The setup taps into the common male anxiety about physical comparison, particularly in the bedroom.
- Reassurance: The girlfriend attempts to alleviate this insecurity.
- The Twist/Absurdity: The jarred appendage on the nightstand completely undermines the reassurance and amplifies the initial insecurity to an extreme level. This is where the main humor lies. The visual is jarring and unexpected.
- Implied Relationship Dynamics: The presence of the jarred…thing…suggests a very unusual dynamic between the current couple, and potentially a history of some kind with the ex.
Building a New Joke/Observation/Did You Know:
Here are a few options, playing with different aspects of the original joke:
Option 1: Did You Know? (Playing on the “jar” aspect)
- Did you know: Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was actually quite common to preserve body parts in jars for medical study… or sometimes as morbid keepsakes. However, while museums have jars containing things like hearts, livers, and brains, I’ve yet to see one with a placard that reads, “Exhibit A: Why I’m in Therapy.”
Option 2: New Joke (Extending the Absurdity)
- My girlfriend told me I shouldn’t be intimidated by her ex, because, and I quote, “Size isn’t everything.” Then I found out she was a taxidermist, and he was a particularly large elk. Now that’s intimidating.
Option 3: Witty Observation (Playing on the Relationship Dynamics)
- The truly terrifying thing about a jarred ex-lover’s appendage on the nightstand isn’t the size differential. It’s the implication that she was so dedicated to the relationship that she took the time to store that ex-lover’s appendage on the nightstand. So don’t worry about comparing yourself to the ex, worry that this is not the first one stored in her house.
Option 4: Parody (More absurd)
- “Hey, babe, you know I love you. And you shouldn’t be intimidated by my ex’s collection of vintage Barbie dolls.”
“I’m not!”
“Good, because I wouldn’t want you to feel bad that your collection of vintage Barbie dolls isn’t as well preserved as the dolls he’s been storing in his body”
Why these work:
- Option 1 (Did You Know): Adds a layer of historical creepiness and ties it back to the core of the joke.
- Option 2 (New Joke): Mirrors the original structure, escalating the initial insecurity with a ridiculous, unexpected twist.
- Option 3 (Observation): Shifts the focus to the girlfriend’s potential eccentricities/past.
- Option 4 (Parody): Makes the joke more absurd and outrageous.
The key is to either amplify the absurdity, play on the implied history/relationship weirdness, or leverage the unexpected imagery to create a new, humorous angle.