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Have you ever heard a super-repetitive joke that seemed kinda funny at first, but the longer you watched it, the funnier it got? When I first noticed this principle at work in a certain kind of (generally absurdist) comedy years ago, I invented a little pseudo-academic classification to explain the phenomenon: I call it the sine wave of funny. Here’s how it works:
There’s a certain ineffable thing about jokes that operate according to the sine wave of funny that make them work; not just any joke repeated over and over will work. It takes a special kind of joke to really engage the sine wave of funny. When this happens, though, it’s like magic — it’s like the joke goes into hyperdrive, and you never want it to end. And the really amazing thing about these kinds of jokes is that, at first, they don’t really seem that funny at all. They’re chuckle-worthy, at best. (In fact, you might invert the sine wave on this graph — initially, your patience is tested by the joke … then it becomes funnier and funnier. Then not so funny. Then even funnier than before. And so on.)
Time for some examples. Here’s a classic one from The Simpsons:
It’s not that funny at first — then at some point around the middle, the sine wave kicks in. (Actually, I think it’d be funnier if the clip were even longer.) Now, if that wasn’t your style — the sine wave is a very personal thing, you see — try this on for size. It’s a promo for the upcoming film Strange Wilderness (thanks for pointing this out, Higgins!):
Lastly, we’ve posted this video before, but there’s a reason it’s gotten more than nine million hits on YouTube … and that reason is the sine wave of funny. Allow me to illustrate:
Now that you’ve got the principle down, what are your favorite sine wave of funny jokes?
Peter Griffin and his fights with the chicken!
posted by Juliet on 1-31-2008 at 11:35 am
The biggest sign curve laugh I’ve ever seen was the Mt. Everest sketch on Mr. Show.
posted by David on 1-31-2008 at 11:41 am
David Letterman is the master of the inverse sine wave. Not only does he instinctively know which chuckle-worthy phrase to repeat, he times the repetition masterfully so that the wave peak occurs right around the end of the show, and the joke doesn’t have a chance to get unfunny again.
What’s most amazing is that you’re aware he’s doing it. Even as the wave first bottoms out and you just wish he’d STOP SAYING THAT, you know that in 20 minutes you’ll be laughing at it, and probably repeating it at work the next day.
posted by Jeff Edsell on 1-31-2008 at 11:49 am
Go to YouTube. Type in “Praire Dog Du Hast” Enjoy.
posted by Ashley on 1-31-2008 at 12:08 pm
My favorite is when Peter GRiffin falls down and hurts his knee:
youtube.com/watch?v=RAPr2T30V00&feature=related
posted by Eric Luper on 1-31-2008 at 12:12 pm
The alley vomit scene in Team America. I laughed so hard the guy next to me gave me a high five! :D
posted by tona b. on 1-31-2008 at 12:16 pm
Definitely Team America vomit scene. Also the Family Guy episode where Peter keeps hurting is his knee and his pained gasps go on and on.
posted by SgtPepp on 1-31-2008 at 12:23 pm
The section of the Simpson’s movie with Bart skateboarding naked. It lets you just start to get tired of the joke and then hits you with the punchline.
posted by Keith on 1-31-2008 at 12:26 pm
How obscure is this?
The running “Albrecht Dürer” joke from the German Monty Python episode.
posted by Fruppi on 1-31-2008 at 1:07 pm
What about that thing, ‘The Insanity Test’ that’s everywhere online?
posted by Katherine on 1-31-2008 at 1:21 pm
Yes,”Family Guy” does it a lot. A lot. A lot. A lot. Like, every episode. Every episode. Every. Episode. It gets less funny every time.
posted by Sillstaw on 1-31-2008 at 1:24 pm
SNL’s “Spelling Bee” qualifies:
nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/segments/6777.shtml
posted by Max R on 1-31-2008 at 1:33 pm
Agreeing with the Family Guy. They make a full repetition, though, with going from ‘chuckle’ to ‘ROFL’ to ‘MEH’ back to ‘ROFL’.
posted by Courtney on 1-31-2008 at 1:55 pm
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (sp?) are Dead. Heads. Heads. Heads. Heads.
Saw the play in college with good college friends and the local retirees. We were hailed as ‘the laughing section’ by the actors as we left.
posted by Mev on 1-31-2008 at 2:01 pm
I completely agree with the “Family Guy” hurting-of-the-knee joke. I laughed involuntarily just reading that first mention of it on this page and am mesmerized when it pops up on the commercials for Adult Swim reruns (the sine wave continues). The first time I saw it though, I thought it would never end. That, to me, is a sign of a darn good show.
posted by bas on 1-31-2008 at 2:54 pm
The running penis joke on Austin Powers (was it #2?) where every different character came up with random different names for the penis. The one that lasted, like, half the movie. It went through the full sine curve at least 5 times before they finally let it go.
posted by Jen on 1-31-2008 at 2:54 pm
as stupid as that strange wilderness movie looks, that goofy laughing shark gets me every time. i almost pee on myself, even if I hear it from the next room.
posted by lori on 1-31-2008 at 3:33 pm
Please tell me how to explain to my boss why I have tears running down my face? Can bank recs really be this funny?
The ‘Strange Wilderness’ clip had me “silent-shoulder-shaking-to-tears” laughing right from the first stupid shark giggle. No sine wave there. Oh my, now I have to answer the phone…
posted by mrs.djs on 1-31-2008 at 4:02 pm
Not necessarily related, but: “These sharks are attacking Nicole Richie” got a better laugh out of me. My sense of humor might need an oil change.
posted by Brian on 1-31-2008 at 5:54 pm
My husband and I saw the Strange Wilderness clip weeks ago, and it still gives me the sort of desperate-for-air laughter as the first time; I didn’t even play it and I cracked up when I saw it. And, to Brian: That part is forkin funny, don’t feel lonely in your warped violence-loving humor.
posted by adrienne on 1-31-2008 at 10:06 pm
Oh man, I hadn’t seen that Simpsons’ clip in about forever…still cracks me up!
One that cracks me up is the running joke on Colorful involving the cat and the old man…
posted by kitsana_d on 2-1-2008 at 6:16 pm
A boot to the head.
Gets me going every time.
posted by Freezair on 2-2-2008 at 2:33 am
I can’t believe someone else already mentioned the Mt Everest joke from Mr. Show!
That would definitely be my answer.
And also on Family Guy when Peter, Brian, and Stewie take the ipicac.
posted by ack on 2-7-2008 at 12:36 pm
MTV2 had a show called “wonder showzen.” The patience episode rides the wave.
posted by Josué on 2-8-2008 at 11:26 am
The scene in The Bachelorette episode of Family Guy where Stewie’s talking to Brian about that novel he’s been working on. Gets me every single time.
posted by Krys on 2-10-2008 at 5:13 pm
HAHAHA, yes, Krys, that one is brilliant.
posted by Laura on 2-11-2008 at 9:00 pm
Family Guy has lots of them. The vomiting competition is a great scene. Disgusting, but I end up crying laughing by the end of it.
posted by Lisa on 2-12-2008 at 7:11 am
I don’t know about sine wave, but my God that Strange Wilderness clip is cracking me up.
posted by emordino on 2-12-2008 at 11:04 am
One of the best examples:
South Park, in that episode where Cartman had a massive alien device shoved up his ass, but every time he’d try to “show” it to friends (namely Kyle), he’d fart.
There were easily more than 3 peaks and valleys over the course of the episode.
posted by Nik on 2-12-2008 at 1:31 pm
I love the line, “sharks can only be found 2 places on Earth, the northern and southern hemisphere.”
posted by greenstrawberries on 2-20-2008 at 5:07 am
the best ever: in the sitcom taxi, rev jim getting his drivers licence.
what’t a yellow light mean?
slow down
what’s a yellow light mean?
posted by dave on 2-28-2008 at 7:32 am