Category Archives: Humor

Colombian Two Penguins in the Shower Joke

TEXT: “Hay dos pingüinos en la regadera y uno se voltea al otro y le dice, “me pasas el jabon”, y el otro se voltea y le contesta, “que me veo como un radio o que?”

INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Colombian, male, 49

CONTEXT: This man told me this joke and I truly was very confused for several minutes. I told him I did not understand. He told me that you are not supposed to. But that this joke is meant to be told very late at night, after 4 or 5 am, among men usually who have been drinking, He described it as “a specific time of the night, when you’ve laughed for hours and it seems that everything has become funny. You say this joke and at that point everything is hilarious and the joke is hilarious.”

TRANSLATION: “There’s two penguins in the shower and one turns to the other and says, “will you pass me the soap?” And the other turns to him and says, “what do I look like a radio?”

THOUGHTS: I thought this was the most bizarre thing I’d ever heard and when I heard the explanation it absolutely made sense in my mind. I know those hazy moments when you’ve been laughing so hard it seems the laughter just wants to continue. I thought this was very funny and sweet and I wonder if it actually does garner laughs in that setting.

Polish Joke: Six cars, six shirts

TEXT: “Przy plaży spacerowało i rozmawiało dwóch Żydów:

– Jeśli kiedykolwiek miałeś sześć pałaców, czy dasz mi jeden?

– Oczywiście!

– A jeśli kiedykolwiek miałeś sześć samochodów, czy dasz mi jeden?

– Oczywiście!

– A jeśli kiedykolwiek miałeś sześć koszulek, czy dasz mi jedną?

– Nie ma mowy!

– Dlaczego nie?

– Bo mam sześć koszulek!”

INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Male, 82, Polish, Jewish

CONTEXT: This polish man told me this joke. He translated it to English for me after I heard him saying in Polish to his also Polish friend. He explained that he learned the joke from his parents. The joke is about the stereotype that Jewish people are cheap or thrifty but he said that the beauty of the joke is that it seems the other man is not cheap until the scenario becomes real. Also he explained that when he was growing up in Poland in the 1940s really nobody had six cars, now the joke has changed in its absurdity because it is more common to have more cars, especially in the industrialized booming economy of the States. The joke was told anytime you wanted to make a joke and were among Jewish people that would not take offense. Or when they were all around sharing jokes about judaism as a family to get a laugh out of each other. 

ORIGINAL SCRIPT: “ Przy plaży spacerowało i rozmawiało dwóch Żydów:

– Jeśli kiedykolwiek miałeś sześć pałaców, czy dasz mi jeden?

– Oczywiście!

– A jeśli kiedykolwiek miałeś sześć samochodów, czy dasz mi jeden?

– Oczywiście!

– A jeśli kiedykolwiek miałeś sześć koszulek, czy dasz mi jedną?

– Nie ma mowy!

– Dlaczego nie?

– Bo mam sześć koszulek!”

TRANSLATION: “Two Jew men were walking and chatting by the beach:

– If you ever had six palaces, will you give me one?

– Of course!

– And if you ever had six cars, will you give me one?

– Of course!

– And if you ever had six shirts, will you give me one?

– No way!

– Why not?

– Because I do have six shirts!”

THOUGHTS: I think I am accustomed to not enjoy jokes that are at another person’s expense but this one seems to be really for people that are of this religion and have an understanding of the stereotype and are able to be comedic about it.

“Du gehst mir auf den Keks”

Nationality: American/German
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Performance Date: 4/20/2022
Primary Language: English
Language: German

Translation: you’re getting on my cookie

The informant is the daughter of 2 German immigrants. She was born in Germany, lived in France when she was young for a bit, and grew up in the US. She is now a college student.

A: The direct translation of “Du gehst mir auf den Keks” is like, “you’re getting on my cookie”, which obviously doesn’t really make sense in English but it actually just means like, “you’re getting on my nerves” or like “driving me crazy”… my parents used to say this to me all the time because I was a really annoying kid haha.

Me: why does it mean cookie…?

A: I mean, I’m not super sure….I feel like food is used in a lot of German insults I guess? It’s just something parents will say to their kids a lot ‘cause it’s like…a lighthearted way of telling someone they’re annoying. Like no one would say that if they were actually super mad so it’s like a kind of subtly funny-ish way of telling your kid they’re annoying you. 

Context: This was told to me during a recorded in person conversation.

Batman Jingle Bells

Background

The informant is a freshman at USC and is originally from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She is the roommate of a fellow informant and offered to be interviewed when I went to their apartment to conduct my interview. She has no specific religious affiliations nor does she identify with any ethnic subgroup within the United States. She is referred to as “BS”.

Context

I asked about any humorous jingles or tunes that the informant was aware of.

Content

“Jingle bells

Batman smells

Robin laid an egg

Batmobile lost its wheel

and the joker played ballet.”

I don’t know if that’s where it ends. Is that where it ends? Cause that’s all I remember- the kids singing it on the school bus. School bus was horrible.

Analysis

This rendition of Jingle Bells, using Batman characters, is fairly ubiquitous among children. The origins of it are unknown, but most kids know some version of it. I personally heard a different version, where the last line is “and the Joker got away”, but that is part of the essence of this tune being folkloric in origin – it doesn’t have one set of lyrics but has options. This tune is also demonstrative of the humor of children; they take things they’re aware of (Jingle Bells and Batman) and make it ridiculous. Jingle Bells is not the only song I’ve heard funny versions of – kids do it to all sorts of songs for fun. Children frequently begin to ridicule or joke about subjects they previously liked as a way to demonstrate their maturity; to show that they are old enough to find those “childish” things ridiculous.  

100 Days Chant

Background

Informant is a friend of mine from high school. She is now a junior at USC. She is a first-generation Vietnamese American, and is from Woodbridge, Virginia. She does not have any specific religious affiliations. We both attended The Madeira School, although she graduated two years before I did. Various alumnae were interviewed to compare versions of the same lore from the school. She is referred to as “AH”.

Context

I asked the informant to recite a chant sung by the seniors at our high school.

Content

Interviewer: Can you recite the Madeira chant senior chant for me?

AH: Oh my God. Wait, hold on the 100 days one?

Interviewer: Yeah.

AH: Do I even remember it? Um, how does it start? Oh!

Hark the Herald angels shout!

A hundred days till we get out!

A hundred days till we are free

from this penitentiary

(While clapping)

back to smoking

back to drinking

back to sex!

and evil thinking

hark the Herald angels shout!

A hundred days till we get out!

Analysis

Unlike the other traditions from Madeira, I only asked AH about this tradition, as it has become “canon” at Madeira. This chant is specifically sung after 100 Days, a special day that marks 100 days to graduation. The seniors perform the chant on 100 Days and at all-school events until graduation, counting down to graduation. For example, if graduation is in 35 days, then 35 would be subbed out in the lyrics instead of 100. The origins of this chant, however, are unknown. It is also questionable about how it became endorsed by the school, as it includes references to illicit behaviors, which are very much not allowed by the school. Unfortunately, I had stopped recording at this point, but AH remarked on the hilarity of the statement “back to”, as if Madeira students had been engaging in those behaviors prior to high school. Madeira is extremely explicit in their policies against drugs, alcohol, and lewd behavior, and gets referred to as “Prison School” by some boarding students due to the strict check-out policies for boarders. This chant is entirely satirical and humorous, poking fun at the school, as well as a tool for the seniors to celebrate their proximity to graduating high school.