# Knock knock joke **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796 "2013-04-15T22:54:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/21 "2013-08-08T15:01:49Z")
Ding, dong. Bard of Avon calling. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/22 "2013-08-08T15:12:38Z")
Considering the Op’s username I would assume that he already knows the answer to this. OR is this some kind of joke? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/23 "2013-08-08T15:19:58Z")
That’s just the first successful knock knock joke, there were earlier versions that never caught on. Adam: Knock knock Eve: Who’s there? Adam: Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/24 "2013-08-08T15:20:48Z")
Looking on Google Books I find this snippet from a 1936 issue of Baltimore Transit Topics: Knock knock Who’s there? C. Mag C. Mag who? C. Maggersupp, our ex-commissioner Really want more than a snippet in case there is actually something funny in there. That said, looking at how knock knock jokes appear to have exploded onto the scene in 1936 based on the Google Book results it must have been a really annoying fad. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/25 "2013-08-08T15:22:53Z")
Oh, and does anybody know what form of scintillating parlor game “What’s This?” was if it was replaced by the abundant wit of Knock Knock jokes? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/26 "2013-08-08T15:29:59Z")
[http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19360810&id=47BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-CEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4808,5836682](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19360810&id=47BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-CEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4808,5836682) From this link: “Knock, knock” is a parlor game. It is the natural successor to “What’s This”. That one, you may remember, was played with the hands and fingers, which were used to illustrate such killing conceits as the Dionne quintuplets taking a bath. It was exceedingly jolly while it lasted, but inventiveness soon lagged." ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/27 "2013-08-08T15:52:39Z")
Comics historian Craig Yoe, in his book _[Weird But True Toon Factoids](http://www.amazon.com/Weird-but-True-Toon-Factoids/dp/0756763592/ref=sr_1_40?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375976813&sr=1-40)_, attributed the invention of knock-knock jokes to cartoonist Bob Dunn, who published [a collection of them](http://www.etsy.com/listing/118633811/vintage-1936-bob-dunn-enoch-knox-knock) in 1936, featuring a character named Enoch Knox. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/28 "2013-08-08T22:57:59Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > The name of the guy on first base, what’s his name? No. What’s the designated hitter. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/29 "2013-08-09T02:48:17Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > No. What’s the designated hitter. No, What’s on second. Third, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/30 "2013-08-09T03:10:57Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19360810&id=47BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-CEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4808,5836682](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19360810&id=47BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-CEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4808,5836682) > > From this link: > “Knock, knock” is a parlor game. It is the natural successor to “What’s This”. That one, you may remember, was played with the hands and fingers, which were used to illustrate such killing conceits as the Dionne quintuplets taking a bath. It was exceedingly jolly while it lasted, but inventiveness soon lagged." Hm. That reminds me of a game that was endlessly amusing when I was five. ‘What’s this?’ [Hands held horizontally, one above the other, fingertips touching, fingers spread apart, pushing hands together and relaxing them back] ‘A spider doing pushups on a mirror.’ ‘What’s this?’ [hand held palm up, fingers slightly spread and curled] ‘A dead one of these.’ [invert hand] ‘What’s this?’ [wiggle index finger and move hand laterally] ‘I don’t know, but there is goes again!’ [repeat movement] ‘What’s this?’ [hand held out like a fence, snap fingers on either side of it] ‘Mr. and Mrs. Yehudi playing tennis.’ (‘Yehudi’ was an invisible man, so all you saw was the ball being hit.) ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/31 "2013-08-09T05:43:58Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > No, What’s on second. Third, I don’t know. Correct. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/32 "2013-08-09T11:43:55Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19360810&id=47BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-CEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4808,5836682](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19360810&id=47BQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-CEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4808,5836682) > > From this link: > “Knock, knock” is a parlor game. It is the natural successor to “What’s This”. That one, you may remember, was played with the hands and fingers, which were used to illustrate such killing conceits as the Dionne quintuplets taking a bath. It was exceedingly jolly while it lasted, but inventiveness soon lagged." Ah…good to know that “What’s this? Dolly Parton standing behind a tree.” which amused everybody so much in the 2nd grade has such a timeless pedigree. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796/33 "2013-08-11T19:43:05Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Correct. I don’t give a darn! (Shortstop?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knock-knock-joke/655796.md?page=1)