Is This a Joke?: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Many a strange things are happening in Normaltown, USA and the [[Weirdness Censor]] isn't working at 100% efficiency today, so someone will suggest that the events are "Some kind of joke," despite how overly elaborate and complicated measures would have to be taken in order to produce such phenomenon for the sake of a laugh. They're hoping it's a [[Candid Camera Prank]].

 

{{examples}}

== Advertising ==

 

 

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In issue #0 of ''[[Crossed]]'', one of the Crossed walks into a diner covered in blood and holding a severed spine. At first, everyone thinks it's a prank... {{spoiler|until the guy grabs the cook and bites his nose off.}}

 

 

== [[Film]] ==

** This occurred in the book as well.

* Asked by name in [[Spy Kids]] by Juni, after being instructed on the blue and green buttons, and opening the door {{spoiler|1=to the SpyGuppy}} to find... a closet.

* The tribunal in the original ''[[Planet of the Apes]]'' dismiss Taylor's claim of being from another planet as "a joke."

* [[Subverted]] in the 1971 adaptation of ''[[The Andromeda Strain]]''. Two scientists are dispatched to try and find out how an entire town in Arizona died overnight. One of them, while checking over a corpse, excitedly calls the other over to "look at this man's anus!" His partner tells him to stop being juvenile, but it does turn out to be an important clue to the virus' nature.

 

* ''[[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]]'' is littered with this. When Roger Button first sees that his newborn child is in fact an elderly man, he demands to know if the hospital is playing a joke. Years later, when Benjamin is 18 (and looking 50), he tries to gain admittance to Yale. The dean throws him out for trying to pull such a prank, despite Benjamin's protests. Late in his life when Benjamin appears 10, he attempts to rejoin the Army. The other soldiers play along until he presents official military documents, and is told that this isn't funny anymore.

* Suggested in [[The Mist]]

 

 

* Standard answer for any of strange events of every other episode of the original ''[[The Twilight Zone]]''.

* In the ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' episode "New Order", Dr. Weir's reaction to the Stargate program was to think it was a joke. She was then handed a letter from the President reading simply "This is not a joke." It was also stated that this was the President's reaction to learning of the Stargate program, as well, hence his ability to predict her response.

* ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' does this in the [[Pilot]].

* ''[[Friends]]'', when Phoebe is on the phone with Ross' fiancée's stepmother, trying to warn Ross that Rachel is coming to disrupt the wedding:

'''Mrs. Waltham:''' Am I on the radio? }}

* ''[[Waiting for God]]'': Diana(who, for those not familiar with this show, is about seventy) tries to get a job in a trendy clothing store. The young clerk doesn't quite understand it, until she "figures out" it must be some kind of prank show, and tries to find where the host is hiding.

* On an episode of ''The Later Show With David Letterman'', where Letterman was interviewing Mike Myers, Letterman asked Myers if Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving. Myers explained that Canadian Thanksgiving is on a different day than Thanksgiving in the U.S., but Letterman kept asking if Canadians nevertheless still observed the U.S.'s Thanksgiving. Myers eventually got exasperated at that line of questioning and asked if he was being Punked.

 

 

== [[Video Game]] ==

* In [[Apollo Justice]]: [[Ace Attorney]]:

Phoenix Wright: Oh, {{spoiler|Kristoph}}? You know even I'd never take a joke this far. }}

 

 

== [[Web Original]] ==

 

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

** Aunt May says the exact same thing when she is confronted about Peter's identity as Spider Man.

* In ''[[Regular Show]]'' (and ''The Man From Lolliland''), this is the reply Pops normally gets after giving lollipops as payment. Benson also says it to Mordecai and Rigby when they come up with a half-baked unorthodox solution for something.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]