Does this joke work for you?

[Patty O'Furniture]

Recently I was watching an episode of The Golden Girls and was shocked at how everybody in the room (about six people) understood this somewhat raunchy joke. I'd have thought you'd have to have had the experience yourself at some point in your life in order to understand the punchline.

Here's the joke:

Dorothy and a male neighbor have been arguing over something and eventually come to an agreement. The neighbor makes the following conciliatory gesture:

Neighbor: Listen ladies, if there’s anything that I can do for you to improve our relationship, I’d be happy to oblige.

Dorothy: There is one, small thing. In the morning when you go out in your robe to pick up the newspaper, wear your shorts.

[Embarrassed neighbor quickly exits.]

For the record, this exact thing happened to me when I was younger (I was at a friend's house and some male bathrobe-wearing resident did a reverse-bend-over in my line of site), so I immediately got the joke.

I'm wondering if I would have gotten it if I had never had that experience.

The video is on you tube. If you want to watch the exchange, fast-forward to 18:35.

[Mahaloth]

Originally Posted by Patty O'Furniture

The video is on you tube. If you want to watch the exchange, fast-forward to 18:35.

Or you could just watch this link embedded to the time.


The joke is that his robe sometimes comes open and they get a peek at him, right? I guess the joke works, but it isn't even subtle to me and this has NEVER occurred in my life.

[Patty O'Furniture]

Originally Posted by Mahaloth

The joke is that his robe sometimes comes open and they get a peek at him, right?

That's not quite what happens... so I might be right in that it's hard to visualize the set-up without having had the experience yourself.

[Anaamika]

How short is his robe? Is something falling out of his shorts? Or maybe there's just a tear in it?

Why don't you just tell us what happens instead of being vague? Put it in a spoiler box if you must.

[Patty O'Furniture]

Too late to edit:

SPOILER:

This is what happens (risqué pic but should be SFW in most places). Just imagine a guy instead of a girl. A bathrobe would be lower, but you would still get a good shot of the boys.

[pulykamell]

I assumed that was what they were going for, but I can't think of any bathrobe I have that would do that--they're all too long.

[Yorikke]

I'm not sure I understand why the Original Post even exists. The joke is obvious to anyone who speaks English.

Joe

[terentii]

It took me a second, but I finally got it. At first, I though she (being a horny old woman) was asking him to wear shorts instead of trousers so she could get a good peek at his business. Now I realize she meant just the opposite.

Maybe he's an exhibitionist, or maybe he just has this problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvDzE6oDWM8

[Patty O'Furniture]

How short is his robe?

This got me thinking. Maybe the joke doesn't work any more because it's too dated. Bathrobes in the 80's were a lot shorter (circa mid-thigh) in the 80's than they are these days. The ones I see on Amazon now appear to come down to mid-calf.

People must be afraid to show their knees in their own houses.

[terentii]

Originally Posted by terentii

shorts instead of trousers

Not trousers, pajamas.

There! That makes a lot more sense!

[Loach]

Of course there is another implication in the joke:

There is one, small thing...

Dick jokes never go out of style.

[Kamino Neko]

Originally Posted by Patty O'Furniture

Too late to edit:

SPOILER:

This is what happens (risqué pic but should be SFW in most places). Just imagine a guy instead of a girl. A bathrobe would be lower, but you would still get a good shot of the boys.

And how is that different than 'the robe comes up and they get a peek at him'? Aside from the fact it's a woman who's actually wearing underwear in that picture.

[hogarth]

I haven't had the exact situation happen (e.g. with a bathrobe, etc.), but I had an overweight roommate who wore the most raggedy-ass gitch while wandering through the house, and we all agreed that it would be a wonderful favour if he started wearing something else.

[billfish678]

Originally Posted by Patty O'Furniture

This got me thinking. Maybe the joke doesn't work any more because it's too dated. Bathrobes in the 80's were a lot shorter (circa mid-thigh) in the 80's than they are these days. The ones I see on Amazon now appear to come down to mid-calf.

People must be afraid to show their knees in their own houses.

Also, keep in mind this happens in Miami? not Minnesota. Long robes in the deep south are a little more rare down here.

[Bob Ducca]

I assume it has nothing to do with the length of the robe, but rather whether or not it's tied shut properly or not - which can often be an issue. If he's not wearing shorts (boxers) and the front of his robe pops open, they're getting an eyeful.

[Anaamika]

Originally Posted by Patty O'Furniture

People must be afraid to show their knees in their own houses.

Or the longer ones are more cozy/warmer. I only wear a bathrobe in the winter, and then it's almost down to my ankles because I'm cold! I never saw robes that short...

but yes, obviously I figured out what the joke is supposed to mean.

[Leaffan]

Originally Posted by wheresgeorge04

I'm not sure I understand why the Original Post even exists. The joke is obvious to anyone who speaks English.

Joe

It's so obvious I'm not even sure you need to speak English.

[Bryan Ekers]

It doesn't work for me in the sense that it's not funny.

[Patty O'Furniture]

Originally Posted by Tengu

And how is that different than 'the robe comes up and they get a peek at him'? Aside from the fact it's a woman who's actually wearing underwear in that picture.

Are you referring to post #2? It's different in that the post said "the robe comes open, not up. Picture this: Old man walks out on his front lawn, bends over to pick up the newspaper, causing the boys to drop down below the hem of the robe.


Think of Miss Mann in Scary Movie 2, if you've seen that movie.

[Drunky Smurf]

Originally Posted by Loach

Of course there is another implication in the joke:

There is one, small thing...

Dick jokes never go out of style.

Yeah I thought the butt of the joke was she was saying he had a small dick.

Originally Posted by Bryan Ekers

It doesn't work for me in the sense that it's not funny.

It wasn't to me either but I didn't watch the video so maybe there was some context lost.

[Roadfood]

Originally Posted by Patty O'Furniture

Are you referring to post #2? It's different in that the post said "the robe comes open, not up. Picture this: Old man walks out on his front lawn, bends over to pick up the newspaper, causing the boys to drop down below the hem of the robe..

Sure, but will you agree that the joke works pretty much the same no matter which of those the joke-hearer pictures in their head?

Also, I agree that it's not a particularly funny joke. But it's quite possible to get a joke and also not think it's very funny. "To get" a joke does not mean "think it's funny", it means "to understand what is intended to be funny".

[corkboard]

It's irrelevant whether his robe is too short or it comes untied or a breeze blows it up like Marilyn Monroe's dress- the point is, one way or another they get an eyeful of his franks & beans, and it's undesirable. So they want him to wear underwear.

So in that sense, yes, it works, I get it.

[jsgoddess]

This is a really weird thread.

[terentii]

Originally Posted by Bryan Ekers

It doesn't work for me in the sense that it's not funny.

Sitcom jokes have generally been pretty lame ever since the late '70s.

[Bryan Ekers]

Originally Posted by terentii

Sitcom jokes have generally been pretty lame ever since the late '70s.

I dunno, Cheers only rarely disappointed.

[panache45]

I don't understand this entire thread. What is it that the OP thinks people aren't getting? It's actually too obvious to be called a "joke."

[terentii]

Originally Posted by Bryan Ekers

I dunno, Cheers only rarely disappointed.

"Cheers!", God bless it, was a rare exception to the rule, as was "Frasier."

I'm sure there have been others, but they are few and far between.

[Shagnasty]

Originally Posted by panache45

I don't understand this entire thread. What is it that the OP thinks people aren't getting? It's actually too obvious to be called a "joke."

Same here. Talk about overcomplicating things.

[TruCelt]

See, I actually think you've got it wrong. Thick terry robes that cross over and are closed with a tied terrycloth belt were the norm back then.

It doesn't matter how long the robe is, if you bend over forward your knees go out thus pushing the front of the robe open in a long triangle from bottom to belt. It's not the back view that's the problem, it's knees to waist frontal. Squatting frontal, no less. Ewwww!

The older the bender, the more exagerated the effect, because older folks need to widen their stance and bend their knees outward. Plus, the view gets less appealing as time marches on.

[Philster]

Old man crotch joke: Good times.

[magnusblitz]

Originally Posted by terentii

It took me a second, but I finally got it. At first, I though she (being a horny old woman) was asking him to wear shorts instead of trousers so she could get a good peek at his business. Now I realize she meant just the opposite.

Reading the OP, I thought it was the former as well (wear shorts instead of pants so I can see the goods) but watching the video and hearing her tone, it's clear she wants the opposite (wear shorts instead of nothing so I don't have to see your horrible old man crotch).

The whole thing took awhile for me because all the robes I have are long/big enough I don't have a problem with them opening when I bend over.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Originally Posted by panache45

I don't understand this entire thread. What is it that the OP thinks people aren't getting? It's actually too obvious to be called a "joke."

It is a joke, in the sense that the guy is offering to do a favor and the "favor" requested is "stop flashing us." It conflicts with expectations a bit, like if someone said "is there anything else I can do for you?" and the other person replies "yeah, leave."

It's not particularly funny and certainly isn't complicated, so I'm also confused by why the OP thinks some kind of personal experience might be needed to understand it.

[Cub Mistress]

I think the old guy was wearing a shortish robe, and bent over to get his newspaper and since his back was to the ladies, they got a look at his saggy old man balls.

[Shagnasty]

Originally Posted by Cub Mistress

I think the old guy was wearing a shortish robe, and bent over to get his newspaper and since his back was to the ladies, they got a look at his saggy old man balls.

Maybe but this was the 80's and the era of the terrycloth robe. Even a full length one could flash people multiple ways. Robes don't cover well by themselves because they are loose, open in the front, and cinch around the waist so any walking or bending will expose you. You need underwear (shorts) for full coverage. It seems obvious and that is all I made of it.

[ThelmaLou]

Originally Posted by wheresgeorge04

I'm not sure I understand why the Original Post even exists. The joke is obvious to anyone who speaks English.

Joe

Ditto. She's saying "Do us all a favor and keep your boy parts covered. We can see everything when you bend over and it's not pretty."

[billfish678]

I didn't understand this joke until I did some experimenting with paper towel tubes in the back yard.

[ministryman]

Originally Posted by billfish678

I didn't understand this joke until I did some experimenting with paper towel tubes in the back yard.

I did NOT need that visual.........

[TruCelt]

Originally Posted by billfish678

I didn't understand this joke until I did some experimenting with paper towel tubes in the back yard.

This is not meme material. Really, it's right up there with Goatse: just quit!

[levdrakon]

I guess bending over and showing too much makes sense. I was thinking maybe the guy sports an early morning hard-on and shorts would keep it in, or something. I wouldn't expect everyone to immediately get that though.

[drewtwo99]

Why would personal experience be required to find this funny? And if this counts as a RAUNCHY joke, then I dont know how you handle most humor these days, let alone some of the other jokes that were on golden girls.