Once they land, the pilot tells them, “Okay, be back here same time next week for me to pick you up.” The guys agree and depart on their trip.
The week rolls by, each man kills a moose, and they return to the dock to meet the plane. When the pilot sees their bounty, he says, “Hey, guys, I can’t fit that all on the plane. We won’t make it off the water!”
The guys look at each other, and one says, “Well, the last guy said that, too, but he took us.” The pilot looks at his plane and the load again and begrudgingly agrees.
The plane struggles to get off the water.
They’re barely clearing the trees when wham! The plane sideswipes the side of a mountain.
The plane crashes, but they never got very high off the ground to begin with, so they are all okay.
They are also stranded. Lying out in the dirt, one says to the other, “Hey, Doug, where are we?”
Doug looks around and says, “Oh, ’bout a half a mile farther than we were last time.”
Joke Poo: The Space Janitors
Two space janitors charter a small freighter to take them to the edge of the asteroid belt for a week of deep cleaning.
Once they land on a particularly grimy space station, the freighter pilot tells them, “Alright, be back here same time next week for pickup. And try not to bring back too much space gunk; this bucket’s got limits.” The janitors nod and disappear into the station’s labyrinthine corridors.
A week later, they return to the docking bay. Each janitor has several overflowing containers of alien sludge, cosmic dust bunnies, and discarded zero-G chewing gum. The pilot groans, “Hey, guys, there’s no way that all fits in my freighter! We’ll never make it through the solar flares!”
The janitors exchange a look. One says, “Well, the last pilot said that too, but he managed to squeeze it in.” The pilot eyes the mess, then his rickety ship, and sighs. He begrudgingly agrees.
The freighter strains to accelerate away from the station. Sparks fly, alarms blare, and the engines are clearly struggling.
They’re barely past the first ring of space debris when bang! The freighter smacks into a rogue space toilet. The ship crash-lands back on the grimy space station, not far from where they started. Everyone is shaken, but unharmed. Lying amidst the scattered space gunk, one janitor says to the other, “Hey, Barry, where are we?”
Barry surveys the scene, shrugs, and says, “Oh, ’bout a space toilet closer than we were last time.”
Okay, let’s break down this joke and then moose-ter up some new humor.
Joke Dissection:
- Premise: Two hunters are too greedy, insist on overloading a hydroplane with moose carcasses, and ignore the pilot’s warnings.
- Setup: The pilots’ successive warnings that the plane cannot carry that weight.
- Punchline: They crash, but the crash is a slightly better crash.
- Humor Type: Slapstick (the crash), irony (repeating the same mistake), understatement (Doug’s nonchalant “about a half a mile farther” comment).
- Key Elements:
- Greedy Hunters: Willing to risk their lives for moose meat.
- Hydroplane/Bush Plane: A small, lightweight aircraft prone to overloading issues.
- Moose: Large, heavy animal. The more you know, the more comical this joke becomes.
- Pilot’s Hesitation/Inability to Say No: Adds to the mounting tension and absurdity.
- Understatement: The core element of the punchline.
Humorous Enrichment & New Joke Ideas:
Here’s how we can build on this:
1. Witty Observation (Moose Facts):
“You know, moose are ridiculously strong swimmers. They can hold their breath for up to 30 seconds and can swim several miles. I guess these hunters figured if they crashed, at least the moose could tow them back to civilization…or at least to a nicer patch of tundra.”
2. New Joke Idea (Playing on the Pilot’s Perspective):
A hydroplane pilot gets a call: “Two hunters need a lift. They’ve each shot a moose.”
The pilot sighs. “Okay, but this is the last time. My insurance premiums are going through the roof. I swear, one more moose-related incident, and I’m going to open a taxidermy shop. I will call it ‘Moosecellaneous’, or ‘Moostakes’.”
3. ‘Did You Know’ (Playing on the Plane Type):
Did you know that the de Havilland Beaver, a classic bush plane, is legendary for its ability to take off from short runways and carry surprisingly large loads? Of course, “surprisingly large” doesn’t mean “two adult moose per passenger”… unless you really trust the pilot.
4. Enhanced Punchline (More Understatement):
After the crash, Doug looks around. “Well, the good news is we’re closer to those huckleberry bushes we saw earlier.”
5. New Joke: Modern twist
Two hunters are getting into their hydroplane.
Pilot: “Did you guys remember to empty out your storage sheds before coming?”
Hunters: “Yes, why do you ask?”
Pilot: “I feel like we’re carrying a lot.”
Hunters: “No, sir, we only have 3 moose.”
Pilot: “That’s odd, this plane feels heavier than 6 moose.”
The pilot looks at the scale and sees 3000 pounds above the limit
Pilot: “Guys, be honest with me, what else is in here?”
Hunters: “… NFT’s?”