What Are Anti Anti Jokes? The Absurd Brand of Humor Explained

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A deep dive into the humor behind anti-anti-humor

Co-authored by Andrea Vicunia and Dev Murphy, MA

Last Updated: December 15, 2025 Fact Checked

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• What are anti-anti jokes?
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• Anti-Anti-Jokes vs. Regular Jokes & Anti-Jokes
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• Anti-Anti-Joke Examples
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• Anti-Joke Examples
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• Other Joke Articles
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

A wikiHow editor walks into a bar. The bar is green and white and red all over, and the bartender is a chicken. Confused? That's the idea. This is an example of an anti-anti-joke—that is, a joke whose humor comes from the fact that not only is the punchline not really funny, it doesn't even make sense. Understand now? If not, keep reading! We'll explain what anti-anti-jokes are in more depth and offer up some of our favorite anti-anti-jokes as examples. We also have insight from comedian Andrea Vicunia on how they compare to regular jokes and anti-jokes. Soon, you'll be an expert in this very niche and specific brand of comedy!

The Funniest Anti-Anti-Jokes

• What do a banana and a frisbee have in common? Both of them are not cops.
• What’s the difference between a meerkat and a grape? They’re both purple, except the meerkat isn’t.
• If you teach a fish to man, you'll never man a day in your life.
• How is a laser beam similar to a goldfish? Neither one can whistle.
• How do you confuse someone? Paint yourself green and throw forks at them.

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Section 1 of 5:

What are anti-anti jokes?

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1. 
   Anti-anti jokes' humor is derived from nonsensical punchlines. While a standard joke involves setup and a humorous punchline, an anti-joke involves a setup and a punchline that is so literal and anticlimactic (or even unfunny), it's actually funny. An anti-anti-joke, then, may be described as being so surreal, chaotic, or "funny," that it's actually…sort of unfunny? Which then…makes it sort of funny again? (If it still doesn't make sense, maybe some examples will help—you can find some of our favorite anti-anti-jokes later in this article.)

   • Anti-anti-jokes may draw from classic joke setups, but somehow butcher the punchline, or combine multiple classic punchlines into one hideous Frankenstein punchline, like this joke from the AntiAntiJokes subreddit:
     • "What weighs more, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers? A pound of bricks of a pound of feathers!"
   • Another example? Basically any joke told by a young child who's just discovered humor. You probably know what we mean—"jokes" that are so bananas and nonsensical, you can't help but laugh at them.
     • If not, there's a whole X account dedicated to nonsensical jokes by children, like this one: "Q: What kind of dinosaur loves sleep? A: All of them! They will never wake up now."

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Andrea Vicunia is an actress, writer, and stand-up comedian with over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Her comedy series Stereotyped was released on Amazon Prime, and she had roles in Portrait Haus and Libres.
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Section 2 of 5:

Anti-Anti-Jokes vs. Regular Jokes & Anti-Jokes

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1. 
   1
   Standard joke: "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" "Because 7 8 9!" Vicunia explains that standard jokes “have a punchline, a twist, [or follow] a comedic rule that makes them funny.” They usually follow the basic formula of setup + humorous punchline.

   • "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" yields the satisfyingly silly answer, "Because 7 8 (ate) 9!" You get it.
2. 
   2
   Anti-joke: "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" "It's not." Vicunia says that anti-jokes are often called “dad jokes.” “They play with our expectations of a big, funny twist,” she says. Instead, the punchline is “usually just a logical outcome or … a nonsensical response.”While you'd expect the classic question "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" to yield the answer "Because 7 8 (ate) 9!" an anti-joke would instead feature a more literal and anti-climactic punchline, like "It's not. Numbers can't feel fear." The punchline is decidedly unfunny—so unfunny, in fact, it defies the listener's expectations, thereby eliciting a laugh.

   • Did you know the classic joke "Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side" is an early example of anti-humor? Its silliness comes from the fact that the punchline is so literal and obvious—basically, it's so unclever, it's actually sort of clever.
   • Vicunia points out that not everyone enjoys anti-jokes. “My husband loves telling me dad jokes so joy can leave my body,” she shares. But she says the joke teller often lacks “a personal connection to the joke,” adding that it’s usually funnier when the person has an attachment to a situation.
   • We'll dive into more examples of anti-humor later in this article.
3. 
   3
   Anti-anti-joke: "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" "Because 8 9 10!" Anti-anti-jokes' humor is derived from surrealist chaos and manic absurdity. Just as an anti-joke's punchline makes too much sense of a humorous setup, an anti-anti-joke's punchline goes in the complete opposite direction—and just as anti-jokes often subvert classic jokes, anti-anti-jokes frequently upend expected joke and anti-joke punchlines. So a question like, "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" could be answered by the completely nonsensical, "Because 8 9 10!" Make sense? No? Good.

   • Keep in mind that while anti-anti-joke punchlines may be wildly random and nonsensical, there should still be some sort of internal logic that keeps the punchline from being a total non-sequitur.
   • For instance, the response to "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" shouldn't be "Corn on the cob!" Does "Because 8 9 10" make actual sense? No, but it's at least rooted in the joke's setup, and is a nonsensical callback to a classic joke.
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Section 3 of 5:

Anti-Anti-Joke Examples

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1. 
   Get a better idea of what an anti-anti-joke is with these examples. Look, we never said these jokes would make you laugh. We just said that the humor, if there is any to be had, comes from the fact that the punchlines to these jokes are truly bonkers and idiotic. If you like bonkers, idiotic humor, you will probably enjoy these jokes:

   • Why are hamsters like cigars? They’re rather harmless until you put one in your mouth and set it alight.
   • What do a turkey and a tricycle have in common? They both have handlebars… except for the turkey.
   • What weighs more, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers? A pound of bricks of a pound of feathers!
   • What does a horse have in common with a peach? Nothing. They are unalike in almost every way.
   • What's funnier than a man walking into a bar? The Grim Clown at the end of time whose insane whims fore-ordained the doomed man's arrival. His laughter is time itself.
   • If you teach a fish to man, you'll never man a day in your life.
   • How do you confuse someone? Paint yourself green and throw forks at them.
   • How is a laser beam similar to a goldfish? Neither one can whistle.
   • What do a banana and a frisbee have in common? Both of them are not cops.
   • What’s the difference between a meerkat and a grape? They’re both purple, except the meerkat isn’t.

Section 4 of 5:

Anti-Joke Examples

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1. 
   Still not sure what anti-jokes are? We've got you covered. It's a lot easier to understand anti-anti-jokes once you have a grasp on anti-jokes. (You can't run before you can walk!) So if you're still not sure what qualifies as an anti-joke—or just want some silly examples!—keep reading:

   • A man walks into a bar. Ouch!
   • What do you call a homing pigeon that can't find its way home? A pigeon.
   • What's blue and smells like red paint? Blue paint.
   • What's orange, round, and tasty? An orange.
   • Why did Billy drop his ice cream cone? He tripped.
   • Two clowns are eating a cannibal. One clown looks at the other and says, "I think I started this joke wrong."
   • What ended after 2001? 2002.
   • How many hotdogs are eaten on the 4th of July every year? A lot.
   • What's white and annoying at breakfast? An avalanche.
   • A priest, a rabbi, and an imam walk into a bar. They have a pleasant time discussing a variety of topics because they are friends.
   • Why did they bury the general on the hill? Because he was dead.
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Section 5 of 5:

Other Joke Articles

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1. Keep up the laughs with these other joke articles. Or, y'know, laugh for the first time, if none of the weird and ridiculous jokes in this article got you chuckling.

   • 45 Funny & Corny Text Jokes to Make Your Friends Laugh
   • 135+ Hilarious & Funny Clean Jokes for Adults
   • 120 Fishing Jokes to Reel In All of the Laughs
   • 355+ Funny Dad Jokes to Get the Giggles Going
   • 80+ Best Long Jokes & Stories to Make Your Friends Laugh
   • 110+ Kid Jokes About Animals That Are Roaringly Funny
   • 75+ Hilarious Pirate Jokes, Puns, & One Liners
   • 155+ Short Funny Jokes (That Are Easy to Remember)

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