They’re both bodybuilders.
Joke Poo:
What do a goldfish and a politician have in common?
They both circle the bowl and occasionally spit out something that vaguely resembles food.
Okay, let’s analyze this joke:
Dissection:
- Setup: "What do Frankenstein and Arnold Schwarzenegger have in common?" This sets up an expectation of a surprising or clever connection between two seemingly disparate figures.
- Punchline: "They’re both bodybuilders." This is the humorous payoff. The humor derives from the unexpected, literal interpretation of "bodybuilder." Frankenstein’s monster is literally built from body parts, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is famous for bodybuilding.
- Key Elements:
- Juxtaposition: Putting a fictional horror monster (Frankenstein) and a real-life action star/politician (Arnold Schwarzenegger) side-by-side.
- Double Meaning: "Bodybuilding" is used in both a literal and figurative sense.
- Understatement: The punchline presents a simple, almost obvious, connection, which amplifies the incongruity.
Comedic Enrichment:
Here’s a "Did You Know?"-style observation building off the original joke, focusing on the "bodybuilding" aspect and playing with the historical context:
Did You Know:
Bodybuilding as a competitive sport really took off in the late 19th century, right around the time Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was gaining massive popularity. So, you could argue that Frankenstein’s monster was almost ahead of his time – if he’d just worked on his posing and got a decent tan, he could have been a contender at the first Mr. Universe competition! Though, he might have faced some challenges with the judges noting "sub-par stitching" and "a general lack of symmetry outside of specific body donations."