# Do you think this (dead baby) joke is funny? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663 "2009-01-16T21:55:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/1 "2009-01-16T21:55:00Z")
I’m not starting this as a joke thread and I’m not looking to learn a slew of dead baby jokes. I’m also not trying to offend anyone, so be aware that this thread contains a dead baby joke. I’m interested to see if others do or do not find this joke amusing. If anyone cares to know why I’m interested I can try to answer that question, but otherwise I’d like to hear YHOs. > [@](#): > > A dead baby walks into a bar. Everyone turns from their drinks to watch as the baby crawls across the room and starts to climb onto a barstool. The baby whines and grunts and moans as he climbs. > > “Oooff!, ow!, oh!, man-o-man!” > > Finally, when he gets to the top he grimaces and says, “Owie, owie, owie” as he sits. > > The bartender asks, “Are you OK?” > > The dead baby says, “I’m OK… I’m just a little stiff.” Not destined to be a classic, but, do you find it amusing? If Yes, just say as much and expound if you like. If Not, why not? Do you like jokes of this type, but just not this one? Is is poorly written or related clumsily? Is it in poor taste? Is it too unrealistic or non-sensical? Would it matter where or from whom you heard the joke? Bonus question: If you heard this joke and commented that you didn’t like it, what would your response be if the teller said, “It’s just a joke.”? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/2 "2009-01-16T21:56:44Z")
I vote for funny! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/3 "2009-01-16T21:56:52Z")
> [@SiXSwordS](#): > > If Not, why not? It’s too long long a walk to find out the store was closed. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/4 "2009-01-16T21:58:44Z")
Meh. I’d give it a six. I have a problem right off the bat that if a baby is walking into a bar, it’s likely that it’s not so much dead as alive. I much prefer the one about why babies have soft heads. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/5 "2009-01-16T21:58:53Z")
It is removed enough to be primarily a pun or wordplay. I find it amusing, I love a good pun. However, you never know when you’re talking to the recently bereaved – can you change it to “dead Lilliputian”, or (poss. not PC) “dead midget?” ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/6 "2009-01-16T22:06:12Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > .. can you change it to …“dead midget?” A living challenged little person? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/7 "2009-01-16T22:10:03Z")
> [@](#): > > However, you never know when you’re talking to the recently bereaved I think that might be part of the appeal of the genre of dead baby jokes. To quote Kaylee, “The whole point… is that it _ain’t_ appropriate”. That said, having the dead baby crawling into the bar somewhat strains the premise, I think. Might it be possible to re-word so the baby’s just lying there, er, being dead, with someone else delivering the punchline? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/8 "2009-01-16T22:19:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Might it be possible to re-word so the baby’s just lying there, er, being dead, with someone else delivering the punchline? So the stripper says to the customer, “That’s some stiffy you’ve got there!” and the customer says, “Yeah, but I’ve only got thirty minutes to get him to the funeral home before my wife freaks out.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/9 "2009-01-16T22:20:49Z")
I’d go with funny albeit not without its offensive moments. The set-up works. It establishs that the dead baby is in some kind of discomfort which prompts the bartender’s question which sets up the punchline. The idea of a dead baby walking into the bar might not work cold but it plays off the established genres of dead baby jokes and walking into a bar jokes. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/10 "2009-01-16T22:23:57Z")
It’s corny, but you got a tehe out of me. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/11 "2009-01-16T22:28:57Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > It’s too long long a walk to find out the store was closed. I agree. Plus, it took a minute for me to hear the “little” with “stiff”. Maybe because stiff is often used as a pun in dead anything jokes. Stiff’s expected, little isn’t. If in telling the joke, you emphasized “little”, I’d probably chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/12 "2009-01-16T22:47:38Z")
Eh. Sorta funny, but a lot of setup for not much payoff. I also had a problem with the dead baby walking around. Maybe a zombie baby? Would that still work with the punch line? I like dead baby jokes, btw, so I certainly wasn’t offended. Did you write the joke? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/13 "2009-01-16T22:47:38Z")
Funny. Not fall on the floor funny, but I chuckled. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/14 "2009-01-16T22:51:14Z")
First off, to me this is not a DEAD BABY JOKE. Genuine DEAD BABY JOKES have the format _one-line question/one-line zinger answer_. This is simply a joke that happens to have a dead baby in it. Secondly, while I appreciate the punchline, there are ways to set it up better. Not only does the dead baby distract from it (by bringing to mind DEAD BABY JOKES, which it ain’t), but the walking talking corpse distracts by bringing to mind the living dead. These are extraneous concepts not necessary for the joke, and in my opinion they detract from it just by cluttering it up. I agree that the third person “he’s a little stiff” (or similar line) would be preferable. All that said, I’d say it’s a mildly funny semi-groaner. With the right set-up (no dead babies) I’d find it funnier. As far as joking about dead babies, it doesn’t offend me, but I’m careful about when, where, and to whom I tell such jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/15 "2009-01-16T22:57:29Z")
I’ll give it a 5/10 for combining two genres (dead baby and bad pun) but other than that it isn’t a great one. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/16 "2009-01-16T22:58:50Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > Did you write the joke? Write may be a little extreme… I’m sure I’ve heard something like it before. I put it together, so I’m the one to blame if the set-up is too long etc… ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/17 "2009-01-16T23:00:18Z")
The joke’s not funny because it’s too long a set up for an unoriginal pun. It’ll probably get more groans than laughs. Puns in general don’t really get much laughter but they can work if they’re extra clever. The telling of the joke might make a difference if the speaker can do really funny dead-baby-crawling sounds. Still, it’s a groaner. The offensiveness is unrelated to the funniness. Jokes can be funny and still be offensive. People who tell offensive jokes should accept that they’re going to offend people. People who trot out the “it’s just a joke!” line are trying to argue that the offended parties shouldn’t be offended. Don’t argue - just read your audience and tell a different joke. Hopefully, a funnier joke. Most people do have a higher tolerance for offensive jokes provided they’re worth the pay-off. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/18 "2009-01-16T23:27:59Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > So the stripper says to the customer, “That’s some stiffy you’ve got there!” and the customer says, “Yeah, but I’ve only got thirty minutes to get him to the funeral home before my wife freaks out.” See, now that’s funny! The OP, not so much. It’s the dead baby walking into the bar, but it’s also that the joke is essentially a pun. It isn’t really funny no matter how hard you set it up. Watch, try it like this: A man walks into a bar with a dead baby slung over his shoulder. The bartender looks at him and says “” the man relpys “Oh him? No problem at all, he’s just a little stiff.” Meh, it still doesn’t work. The problem is really that the joke isn’t funny enough/shocking enough to get you past the premise that you are talking about a dead baby. Dead Babies aren’t actually funny in and of themselves. Sexy, sure, but not funny. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/19 "2009-01-16T23:54:49Z")
Hmm. The pun was a bit weak and formula, and the rest doesn’t make sense in the dead baby genre (if it’s moving it’s a zombie baby, no?) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663/20 "2009-01-16T23:59:16Z")
“A little stiff” worked for me. \*\*Knead \*\*set it up better though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-this-dead-baby-joke-is-funny/481663.md?page=2)