Absurdist Jokes, Anti-Jokes & Nonsense Humor – Why They Work
If there are 10,000 stars in the sky, how many pancakes does it take to paint a doghouse purple?
My Favorite Nonsense Jokes from Middle School:
- If there are 10,000 stars in the sky, how many pancakes does it take to paint a doghouse purple?
Answer: None. Because a fish doesn’t have lungs! - Why are telephone poles so high?
Answer: Because motorcycles don’t have doors!
In truth, while the setups were consistent, we often played fast and loose with the answers. Variations like, “Because ice cream doesn’t have bones” or “Because snakes don’t have legs” would often be swapped in for laughs.
A similar absurdist classic with a serious answer:
– If you’re going down a river at 2 MPH and your canoe loses a wheel, how much pancake mix would you need to reshingle your roof?
(Source with answer)
Why Are They Funny?
When I was in middle school, these jokes appealed only to a select few—most would roll their eyes or sigh in exasperation. But they’re funny precisely because they require the listener to engage and think, only to realize that logic is irrelevant.
They also mimic the structure of school math or science problems, posing unrealistic scenarios like, “George buys 120 apples to divide among his classmates.” Even closer are Fermi Questions in the High School Science Olympiad competitions, such as:
– How many blades of grass does a typical suburban house’s lawn have in the summer?
(No. 15, source page)
In a way, telling these jokes was a form of lighthearted pranking—leaving the unsuspecting listener bewildered but entertained.
Where Did They Come From?
The origins of absurdist jokes are hard to trace, but they go back further than you might think. This Reedit thread explores their roots, mentioning influences like Martin Gardner’s Annotated Alice, The Smothers Brothers, and No Soap Radio.
One Reddit user claimed to have created a similar joke in 1992–1994, but I distinctly remember these jokes from my middle school years (1981–1983). They almost certainly predate that period as well.
A Broader Perspective: The Evolution of Absurdist Jokes
Absurdist jokes like these have deep roots in humor traditions that defy logic:
- Surrealism and Dadaism (Early 20th Century): Movements like Surrealism and Dadaism rejected conventional logic, embracing nonsensical and dreamlike expressions. Artists like Salvador Dalí and Tristan Tzara created bizarre, seemingly illogical works that paved the way for modern absurdist humor.
- British Comedy (Mid-20th Century): Groups like Monty Python brought absurd humor to the mainstream in the 1960s with sketches built on non-sequiturs and surrealism. Their work popularized humor that broke traditional structures, making the illogical funny.
- Anti-Jokes (Late 20th Century): The concept of anti-jokes, where punchlines subvert expectations by being overly literal or nonsensical, gained traction later. These jokes thrive on the humor of rejecting conventional setups and punchlines.
– Example: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.”
The randomness and illogical nature of jokes like “How many pancakes does it take to paint a doghouse purple?” exemplify this tradition. The humor lies in the listener’s expectation of a logical answer being upended.
Why We Love Them
Absurdist jokes are timeless because they challenge us to find humor in the unexpected and illogical. Whether they leave you laughing or scratching your head, their charm lies in how they break the rules of traditional humor and turn nonsense into an art form.
Some Classic Nonsense Jokes
- Why are telephone poles so high?
Answer: Because motorcycles don’t have doors!
- If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how long would it take a grasshopper with a wooden leg to kick the seeds out of a pickle?
Answer: Three days — because snakes don’t have legs!
- How many shoes does it take to sharpen a pencil?
- Answer: None, because erasers don’t wear hats!
- What’s the difference between a raven and a writing desk?
Classic nonsense riddle from Lewis Carroll — there’s no logical answer!
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