There once was a woman with 100 children. She was too tired to give each of them individual, unique names, so she decided to just name them "One", "Two", "Three", and so on until "Hundred".
Years pass and all the children have grown up. Some have marriages, but none have children except for Ninety.
One day, while Ninety's children were playing outside, they stumbled upon a stray dog. They wanted to keep it, but they knew Ninety would be against it so they hid it. One of the children had the idea to name it "This" so that they would be able to talk about it around their mom without her knowing. They would say "Let's go take This outside" and other similar things, and sure enough, Ninety never knows about This. In fact, no one ever knows about it other than the children.
Unfortunately, one day, This dies in an accident while the children weren't paying attention. Once the kids find out, they silently agree to never talk about it, and keep it to their deathbeds. Sure enough, no one else hears about This ever again.
Only Ninety's kids remember This.
Joke Poo: The Data Backup
There once was a programmer with 100 servers. He was too overwhelmed to give each of them descriptive, unique names, so he decided to just name them “Server1”, “Server2”, “Server3”, and so on until “Server100.”
Years pass and all the servers have been running for quite some time. Some have been upgraded with new hardware, but none have been completely wiped except for Server90.
One day, while Server90’s virtual machines were processing data, they stumbled upon a corrupted file. They wanted to back it up, but they knew Server90 would automatically delete it. So, they hid it. One of the virtual machines had the idea to name it “This” so that they would be able to talk about it around Server90 without triggering the auto-delete function. They would say “Let’s analyze This further” and other similar things. Sure enough, Server90 never detects This. In fact, no other server ever knows about it other than the VMs.
Unfortunately, one day, This gets overwritten due to a memory leak while the virtual machines weren’t properly managing resources. Once the VMs realize what happened, they silently agree to never log the error and keep it a secret. Sure enough, no other server finds out about This loss.
Only Server90’s VMs remember This.
Okay, let’s break down this joke:
Key Elements:
- The Premise: An overwhelming number of children named sequentially. This sets up an inherently absurd situation.
- The Twist: The children of “Ninety” secretly acquire a dog named “This,” cleverly camouflaged within the numeric naming convention.
- The Punchline: The ultimate secret – the dog, “This,” remains unknown except to Ninety’s kids, fulfilling the wordplay.
- Humor Type: Wordplay (pun), situational irony, absurdist.
Analyzing the Humor:
The joke’s humor derives from the unexpected application of the established naming convention. We expect the mother to continue naming numerically, but the grandchildren subvert this for their own purpose, creating a double layer of numerical obscurity. The ending reinforces the secrecy, adding a dark-humored, almost poignant layer.
Now, for the Comedic Enrichment:
Let’s take the element of unusual naming conventions and run with it:
New Joke/Observation:
Original: I was going to name my kids after the four seasons, but then I realized I only had the “Spring” for it.
Enhanced Version: I was going to name my kids after the four seasons: Autumn, Winter, Spring, and… Wait for it… “Construction Season.” It’s a local tradition.
Did You Know? (Related to unusual names):
Did you know that in Sweden, there’s a naming law? Parents need to apply for name approval before their child turns five! Some names rejected include “Superman,” “Ikea,” and…wait for it…”Elvis.” Guess they wanted to return to sender that naming request.
Why it Works:
- The “Construction Season” joke highlights the absurdity of choosing names based on common experiences, a parody of trendy naming conventions.
- The “Did You Know?” fact about Swedish naming laws enhances the original joke’s theme of naming absurdities. The Swedish government can make a list of names considered “unsuitable” for children, some names include: Metalica, Veranda and Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116.
Another Take – a New Joke Based on the Original:
There once was a town with 100 houses. The developer, known for his cost-cutting measures, decided to name them all sequentially: “One Avenue”, “Two Avenue”, all the way to “Hundred Avenue”. Years later, some residents on “Fifty-Five Avenue” decided to build a secret underground bunker. They needed to refer to it discreetly. So, they named it “Bis”.
Now, whenever anyone asked where they were going, they’d just say, “Oh, heading to Bis Avenue.” Everyone assumed it was a typo and never questioned it. To this day, the existence of “Bis Avenue” is known only to the residents of Fifty-Five Avenue.