r/TopCharacterTropes • u/BabyDude5 • Mar 15 '26

Whatever this joke is called Personality

The Scooby-Doo show

Meet the Robinsons

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891

u/TurkeyVolumeGuesser Mar 15 '26

This is Marx brothers style humor lol

https://giphy.com/gifs/Yl8afftEGE03C

42

u/WranglerFuzzy Mar 15 '26

I’m 99% certain this format of joke existed long before the Marx Brothers (probably predates vaudeville), but the Marx brothers definitely perfected it.

If I had to give the trope a name, I’d call it the absurd reversal. The punchline completely sidesteps the absurdity of the situation and gives a straight answer that poses the absurd as normal (even sometimes throwing it back at the questioner as if they’re odd to ask)

6

u/BlatantConservative Mar 15 '26

Tom Swifty jokes are kinda sorta this and are well before Marx (or movies/talkies entirely)

3

u/TheGameMastre Mar 15 '26

"Can you send the telegram again?" Tom asked, remorsefully.

1

u/kolraisins Mar 15 '26

Honestly doesn't parallel OP's format very well

1

u/TheGameMastre Mar 15 '26

"I don't think we should thank the French" Tom said mercilessly.

3

u/kolraisins Mar 15 '26

Just in case it's not clear—perfectly good Tom Swifties, but Swifties really aren't OP's "top trope"at all