Okay, so we go up to Rancho Santa Fe all the time during the summer, and it’s this little town with winding roads that stretch for miles. And the houses there are huge and spread out, so when you’re driving it’s rare to run into another car. So one day we’re driving down to the Del Mar Racetrack on one of these winding roads, and this ambulance SWERVES in front of us. So we hit the breaks— it’s like it didn’t even see us, or didn’t care. And we wait a few minutes before moving again, and there’s only one road down, so we’re stuck behind it, but we keep our distance because it’s driving out of control—making sharp turns, speeding well past the limit. And it rounds one particular turn and practically skids, and the back doors fly open and this little objects falls out of the back and onto the street. And it’s like the driver doesn’t even notice, because he just speeds away. And we stop. And he’s gone. And there’s this… this, like, thing, sitting in the middle of the street. And we’re sitting there watching it. And it starts to steam, like… smoke starts to rise off of it. So of course we’re like, “What the hell do we do? What the hell is that?” And my wife tells me to go check it out. And I’m like, “I’m not gonna go check that out!” But then she gives me this look, so I get out and slowly approach it. So I’m walking and walking, slowly inching towards this steaming object. And as I get closer I see it’s this little square, like white. A little box? And I get even closer and see its a block of dry ice. And that’s what’s steaming. And strapped to it is this SEVERED TOE. Yeah… a TOE. Just sitting there on the ice, all bloody. And I’m like, about to throw up. And I hear the car door open behind me and my wife approaches, and she gasps when she sees that, and asks if I see what she sees. An actual steaming, severed toe. So we just stand there staring at it for a while, saying nothing. And finally I pull out my phone, and my wife looks at me and asks what I’m doing. I say, “I’m calling the toe truck.

M’s friend told him this story at the racetrack one day. His friend said it with such a straight face, and made it so compelling, that it took M a few minutes to realize the punch line—and that the whole thing was a joke. He tells this story all the time, because it captivates his listeners, and almost always gets a laugh.

This is a very clever joke, especially if you can deadpan the whole thing. If you tell it like its the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you, the reveal that it was all a made-up joke is all the more jarring in the end.

The following exchange happened with my friend from Mexico City. She is studying at USC and told me about a common joke in Mexico, the Pepito jokes. Below is the exchange that followed.

Informant: In Mexico, the Pepito jokes are extremely common to hear. Basically, they are jokes where the main character is a boy names Pepito and there are many different versions of the joke.

Collector: Can you give me an example of one of the jokes?

Informant: Sure…umm…let me try and translate it. There’s one that goes something like “Pepito went to Church one Sunday and needed to go to the bathroom. When he asked where the bathroom was they told him to go upstairs and that he would find it. Once he arrived upstairs, he saw a hole in the ceiling and thought that was the bathroom. He proceeded to take his pants of and start doing his business. Just as the Priest called for Christ’s blood, Pepito’s pee came out through the hole and into the Priest’s hand. Then the father called out for Christ’s flesh and Pepito’s poop came out. Finally the Priest called out and said ‘Is there anything Christ would like to say today?’ Just at that moment, Pepito screamed ‘Mom, there’s no toilet paper.’” It sounds funnier in Spanish though.

Analysis: 

It amazed me to learn how prominent Pepito jokes are in Mexico. It is interesting that the main character in all of these jokes is named Pepito, which according to my friend is a very common name and nickname in Mexico. Therefore, I can understand why the jokes are so common since already people can feel related to the main character because of the fact that he has such a common name. There are two important things that make this joke funny; religion and bodily functions. Bodily functions are often times the source of many jokes because they are considered to be a taboo subject. Religion, on the other hand, is very interesting to see in a joke because it is considered to be sacred. However, my friend explained that Mexico is a Catholic country. Hence, it makes sense that such a joke would target religion because it works as a form of satire on how important religion is in Mexico. Thus, I can understand why this would be funny. The joke is made relatable by using such a common name. The use of bodily functions brings in a taboo subject that makes people laugh and the use of religion brings in a sense of satire that further promotes the joke’s relevance.

The informant is my film partner (referred to as MR) who has a Jewish mother and was raised Jewish. His mother belongs to a congregation and tries to instill Jewish values on her children who have all had Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. He told me this joke and claimed his mother always told him it was a Jewish joke:

MR: “A grandmother is giving directions to her grandson who is an adult and is coming to visit her.

‘First, you need to come to the front door of the apartment,’ she says,

‘I’m in apartment 201. There’s a big panel at the front, so press number 201 with your elbow and I’ll buzz you in. Come inside the elevator and with your elbow, press the 2nd-floor button.’ She tells him, ‘When you get off, my door is there. Hit my doorbell with your elbow and I’ll let you in. OK?’[

Her grandson says, ‘Ok Grandma, but why am I hitting these buttons with my elbow?’

She says back ‘What…. you’re coming empty handed?!”

CI: Why do you think that your mother insists this is a Jewish joke?

MR: “I think is very Jewish. The grandmother character seems to be pretty common in all Jewish families, and I definitely relate that to my own family. My mother always says, ‘In a Jewish family, you never show up empty-handed. You just don’t.’”

This is particularly interesting to me because while I have never heard this joke it seems to be very Italian as well. Growing up with very Italian grandparents, they would always come with their hands full and bags of food and things no one was expecting. The very involved and giving, grandmother is a common archetype in Italian families as well.  The grandmother is a strong figure in a lot of cultures, but this particular story of the Jewish grandmother is the most similar to the Italian grandmother. I think this also shows Jewish hospitality/ views on gifts.