knock-knock joke

Template:original researchTemplate:expertTemplate:examplefarm The knock-knock joke is a type of joke, probably the best-known format of the pun, and is a time-honoured "call and answer" exercise.

It is a roleplay exercise, with a protagonist (the punster) and an antagonist (not in the negative sense; the antagonist here is the recipient of wit). Developmental psychologists study knock-knock joke usage in younger children, as it provides valuable insight into how children advance their language skills.

The standard format has five lines:

1. The punster: Knock, knock! (indicating a door has been struck to gain attention)
2. The recipient: Who's there? (an inquiry)
3. The punster: a response, sometimes involving a name (to set up the pun)
4. The recipient: a repetition of the response plus who? (a request for clarification)
5. The punster: the punch line, which typically involves a punnish misusage of the word set up during the response.

Some examples

Puns on first names

Some jokes, including but not limited to some of the ones listed below, only make sense if you speak with an American accent.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Little Old Lady.
Little Old Lady who?

I didn't know you could yodel!

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Doris.
Doris who?
Doris open, I'm going to come in.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Dwayne.
Dwayne who?
Dwayne the bathtub, I'm dwowning.

(Drain the bathtub, I'm drowning.)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Cow go.
Cow go who?

Cow go moo!

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Amos.
Amos who?

A mosquito bit me.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Euripides.
Euripides who?

Euripides pants and I won't make you another pair.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Keith.
Keith who?
Keith me, my thweet preenth.
(Kiss me, my sweet prince.)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
José.
José who?
José can you see by the dawn's early light?
(Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light? -- first line of The Star-Spangled Banner)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Red.
Red who?
Its John Dunkely!
(He has red hair!)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Ross Perot.
Ross Perot who?

See how quick people forget?

Puns on other words

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Alpaca.
Alpaca who?

Alpaca the trunk, you pack-a the suitcase.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Beets.
Beets who?
Beets me.

(Beats me.)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you going to open the door?
(Aren't you going to open the door?)

A similar joke expands the structure:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say "banana"?
(Aren't you glad I didn't say "banana"?)

One of the more outrageous examples is a triple pun:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Eskimo Christian Italian.
Eskimo Christian Italian who?
Eskimo Christian Italian no lies.
(Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies.)

Two localised to the United Kingdom are:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Bigish.
Bigish who?
Not today, thanks.
(A pun on Big Issue, a magazine sold by the homeless in the UK)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Doctor.
Doctor Who?
Yes, have you seen my TARDIS?</br> (Doctor Who being a British science fiction character)

Variations

Widespread knowledge of the knock-knock form gives rise to meta-jokes and other enjoyable perversions of the genre:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Boo.
Boo who? (Boo-hoo!)
Don't cry; it's only a knock-knock joke.

Or

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Atch.
Atch who?
God bless you! (referring to sneezing sound,as in,"Achoo!").

A few knock-knock jokes rely on elaborate setup, like this one:

Will you remember me in an hour?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a day?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a week?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a month?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a year?
Yes.
I think you won't.
Yes, I will.
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
See? You've forgotten me already!

Another variant draws its humor from stepping completely outside of the knock knock paradigm:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Control Freak. Now you say, "Control Freak who?"

Although successfully used by Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion, it is worth noting that about 25% of people completely fail to get this joke, and instead reply "Control Freak who?"

As in all comedy, timing can be an important skill:

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
Interrupting cow!
Interrupting co . . . (Cut off by next line)

Moooooooooo!

Many silly variations to the 'interrupting' knock-knock joke are possible:

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
An interrupting starfish!
An interrupting st . . . (Cut off by next line)

(The joketeller abruptly and obnoxiously jumps and extends his/her arms and legs to resemble a starfish)

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
An interrupting prune.
an interrupting pr...

(Teller then scrunches up their face as much as possible to resemble a dried prune)

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
An interrupting moose.
An interrupting...
MOOSE!

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
An interrupting ghost.
an interrupting gh...
Wooooo!

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
An interrupting nihilist.
an interrupting ni...
(Teller then rips off disguise and destroys everything)

One more 'interrupting' version:

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
Soviet border police.
Soviet bo . . .(Cut off by next line)

Don't ask questions!

Knock, knock!!
"Who's there?"
Interrupting "totally uncalled for".
Interrupting totally...

(slaps recipient with condom full of urine)

This one becomes a prank on the recipient.

I know a great knock-knock joke.
Ok, tell me.
All right. You start.
Ok, knock, knock!
Who's there?
. . .

Another technique is to use a descriptor within the joke, with the clarification highlighting the joke.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Suspense!
Suspense who?
. . .

Some more scatalogical variants:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
I ate mop.
I ate mop who?
That's disgusting!

or

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
I dunnup.
I dunnup who?
You should consult a doctor about your incontinence problem.

or

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Fork.
Fork who?
My, such language!

The short film Po Mo Knock Knock is perhaps unique in that the entirety of the film's subject matter is postmodern knock-knock jokes, as alluded to by the title. For example:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Jacques Derrida.
Jacques Derrida who?
Precisely.

Sometimes knock-knock jokes involve a well-known celebrity. Here's one about Brooke Shields with an added twist.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Brooke Shields.
Brooke Shields who?
Brooke shields herself from the brutal reality that is her life by finding solace in meaningless material goods and the never-ending pursuit of more and more wealth. But, little does she know, all the beachside condominiums and all-night free-for-alls cannot ease the ever-growing pain she feels at the end of each pointless and purposeless day, a pain that will never be satisfied by her decadence, a pain that will remain until the day she dies.

A variation of the knock-knock joke that was made famous by the movie Catch Me if You Can goes:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Go f*** yourselves.

This is an example from Family Guy said by Stewie Griffin:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Your friend, Stewie, and he'll always be there for you.

Here's an example of an interrupting celebrity joke involving (attempted) murderer Amy Fisher.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Amy Fisher.
Amy Fish...
(Cutting off the answer) BANG!

It is possible for the antagonist to ruin the joke and turn it into a prank on the usual protagonist.

Knock, knock!
Come in
. . .

Knock, knock!
Aaaaargggh!!! Aaaaarggh!!! (Recipient then destroys everything)

Distribution and history

Knock-knock jokes are well entrenched in certain countries such as the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, the U.S.A., Canada, and South Africa. In other nations, such as Brazil, they are practically unknown. In French they begin "Toc-Toc" and in Afrikaans "Klop-klop". Knock-knock jokes were in common usage amongst South African school children in the early 1950s but the exact origin of the format remains uncertain. A possible origin of knock knock comedy is the humorous lines (Act2 Scene3 of Macbeth) of the porter in Shakespear's Macbeth as he tend the castle gate for knocking visitors.

The following was in circulation in Cape Town in about 1953:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Delores.
Delores who?

Delores my shepherd... .

In France, the punchline is almost always a pun on the title of a popular song, allowing the last answer to be sung :

Toc Toc! (Knock knock!)
Qui est là? (Who's there?)
Sheila.
Sheila qui? (Sheila who?)

Sheila lutte finale... . (a pun on "c'est la lutte finale" (It's the final struggle), the opening line of The Internationale)

References

See also

• Why did the chicken cross the road
• World's funniest joke
• An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman

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