The men go off, graduate, and return, and now the women are gossiping about it over tea.
The first woman sets her tea down, sighs, and says, "It's horrible. Ever since my husband got back from clown college, he's been pranking me! Look at this!"
She pulls out a small flower and sets it on the table, where it squirts water at her. Scowling, she swats it away.
The second woman goes, "You think that's annoying?" She pulls out a little gift bag full of tissue paper, and starts pulling it out, but the tissue just keeps coming and coming.
They both turn to the last woman. One asks, "So, has your husband pranked you?"
And the last woman blushes and crosses her legs with a honk.
Joke Poo: Three Techies
Three venture capitalists convince their socially awkward coder friends to go to charisma school for a year.
The coders go off, graduate, and return, and now the VCs are comparing notes over lunch.
The first VC puts down her avocado toast, sighs, and says, "It’s awful. Ever since my guy got back from charisma school, he’s been trying to ‘pitch’ me ideas! Look at this!"
She pulls out a napkin and scribbles furiously on it, mumbling about "disruptive synergy" and "blockchain-based solutions" before crumpling it up in frustration.
The second VC goes, "You think that’s bad? He’s constantly trying to make small talk! He cornered me for an hour yesterday talking about his new sourdough starter!"
They both turn to the last VC. One asks, "So, has your coder tried to charm you?"
And the last VC blushes and says, "Well, he tried to wink. Now he has a permanent twitch."
Okay, let’s break down this joke:
Core Elements:
- Premise: Three women send their seemingly foolish husbands to clown college.
- Setup: Husbands return from clown college, implying a transformation or heightened clownish behavior. The wives gather to lament the results.
- Punchline: The third wife’s embarrassment, coupled with the clown horn sound, reveals her husband’s clownish antics have taken a romantic turn. The punchline relies on the unexpected sexualization of the clown training and the association of clowns with honking.
- Humor Type: Situational irony, unexpected consequence, and a bit of risqué humor. The humor comes from the incongruity of clown college skills being applied to the bedroom.
Interesting Tidbits for Enrichment:
- Clown College History: Real clown colleges existed! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College was a prominent one, operating from 1968 to 1997. They trained thousands of clowns, many of whom went on to work for the circus.
- Clowning Skills: Clown college curricula included makeup, costuming, prop work (gags, pratfalls, etc.), character development, and performance skills.
- Clown Archetypes: There are several clown archetypes: whiteface, auguste, and tramp being some of the most prominent. The joke doesn’t specify which clowning style the husbands learned, adding to the ambiguity.
- Clown Sexuality: Clowns are generally not thought of as sexually attractive, so the punchline subverts this expectation.
New Humor/Joke:
Okay, drawing on the above…
Option 1: Amusing "Did You Know" (playing off the double entendre):
"Did you know that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College had a surprisingly high graduation rate? Maybe some of the ‘skills’ learned weren’t strictly for the big top."
Option 2: New Joke (prequel to the original):
"Before sending their husbands to clown college, the women were having a different kind of problem. One said, ‘My husband is so predictable in bed! He always does the same three moves.’ The second agreed, ‘Mine is just…sad. He’s always got that droopy-eyed, painted-on frown, even during the good bits.’ The third sighed, ‘Mine? Silence. Just complete, utter silence. I swear, he could be a mime.’ That’s when they got the brochure for clown college…"
Option 3: Witty Observation:
"Clown college: proof that sometimes the best way to revive a marriage is to inject a little… honk."