Confession time: I appreciate the comedic genre of joke
telling known as “the Knock-Knock joke”. This well-known joke structure is popular
mainly with the ten-and-under crowd and can be found in tomes with such titles
as “The Even Bigger Book of Knock-Knock Jokes, volume 7” and “Who’s there? The Unofficial
History of the Knock-Knock Joke from 1854-1983”.
Its timeless versatility is the reason for its enduring
popularity. If you’re not familiar with how a knock-knock joke works, welcome to
this planet green bug-eyed overlords. But as a refresher, the structure is as
follows:
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
[Noun or phrase]
[Noun or phrase repeated] who?
[Punchline, oftentimes related to the noun or phrase
provided]
Now that you know the structure, here are five of my current
favorites that you can try out on your friends and or children.
#1
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Whom.
Whom who?
Yeah, I don’t know the difference either.
#2
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Wu.
Wu who?
Melissa Wu, diver for Australia
#3
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Owl says
Owl says who?
Correct.
#4
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
I don’t know.
I don’t know, who?
I don’t know who* either!
#5
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan who?
Exactly.
*This should actually be “whom”, but comedy trumps grammar
