The knock-knock joke is a type of joke, probably the best-known format of the pun, and is a time-honoured "call and answer" exercise.

It is a roleplay exercise, with a protagonist (the punster) and an antagonist (not in the negative sense; the antagonist here is the recipient of wit). Developmental psychologists study knock-knock joke usage in younger children, as it provides valuable insight into how children advance their language skills.

The standard format has five lines:

1. The punster: Knock, knock! (indicating a door has been struck to gain attention)
2. The recipient: Who's there? (an inquiry)
3. The punster: a response, usually involving a name (to set up the pun)
4. The recipient: a repetition of the response plus who? (a request for clarification)
5. The punster: the punch line, which typically involves a punnish misusage of the word set up during the response.

 

Knock Knock Jokes

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Barbie.
Barbie who?
Bar-B-Q

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Dwayne.
Dwayne who?
Dwayne the bathtub, I'm dwowning.

 

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Amos.
Amos who?
A mosquito bit me.

Knock, knock!
Who's there
Andy.
Andy who?
Andy bit me again.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Keith.
Keith who?
Keith me, my thweet preenth
(Kiss me, my sweet prince)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
José
José who?
José can you see by the dawn's early light?
(Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light? -- first line of The Star-Spangled Banner)

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Olive.
Olive who?
Olive you!
(I love you!)

[edit] Puns on other words

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Alpaca.
Alpaca who?
Alpaca the trunk, you pack-a the suitcase.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you going to open the door?
(Aren't you going to open the door?)

A similar joke expands the structure:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say "banana" again?
(Aren't you glad I didn't say "banana" again?)

One of the more outrageous examples is a triple pun:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Eskimo Christian Italian.
Eskimo Christian Italian who?
Eskimo Christian Italian no lies.
(Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies.)

 

Variations on Knock Knock Jokes

The "banana" example above expands on the structure; in another twist it may be reduced instead:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Doctor
Doctor Who?
That's right!

Widespread knowledge of the knock-knock form gives rise to meta-jokes and other enjoyable perversions of the genre:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Boo.
Boo who?
Don't cry; it's only a knock-knock joke.

A few knock-knock jokes rely on elaborate setup, like this one:

Will you remember me in an hour?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a day?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a week?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a month?
Yes.
Will you remember me in a year?
Yes.
I think you won't.
Yes, I will.
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
See? You've forgotten me already!

As in all comedy, timing can be an important skill:

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
An interrupting cow!
Interrupting co . . . (Cut off by next line)
Mooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many silly variations to the 'interrupting' knock-knock joke are possible:

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
An interrupting starfish!
An interrupting st . . . (Cut off by next line)
(The joketeller abruptly and obnoxiously jumps and extends his/her arms and legs to resemble a starfish)

One more 'interrupting' version:

Knock, knock!!
Who's there?
Soviet border police.
Soviet bo . . .(Cut off by next line)
Don't ask questions!

One that's really a prank on the recipient.

I know a great knock-knock joke.
Ok, tell me.
All right. You start.
Ok, knock, knock!
Who's there?
. . .

Another technique is to use a descriptor within the joke, with the clarification highlighting the joke

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Suspense!
Suspense who?
. . .

Some more scatalogical variants:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Runnyp
Runnyp who?
(Sounds like runny poo, a reference to diarrhea).

or

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
I dunnup
I dunnup who?
You should consult a doctor about your incontinence problem.

or

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Fork
Fork who?
My, such language!

The short film Po Mo Knock Knock is perhaps unique in that the entirety of the film's subject matter is postmodern knock-knock jokes, as alluded to by the title. For example:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida who?
Precisely

Shel Silverstein's 1981 poetry book, A Light in the Attic, contains "The Meehoo With an Exactlywatt", a cross between a knock-knock joke and the famous comedy routine, "Who's on First?":

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

Me!

Me who?

That's right!

What's right?

Meehoo!

That's what I want to know!

What's what you want to know?

Me who?

Yes, exactly!

Exactly what?

Yes, I have an Exactlywatt on a chain!

Exactly what on a chain?

Yes!

Yes what?

No, Exactlywatt!

That's what I want to know!

I told you - Exactlywatt!

Exactly what?

Yes!

Yes what?

Yes, it's with me!

What's with you?

Exactlywatt - that's what with me.

Me who?

Yes!

Go away!

Knock, knock...

Sometimes knock-knock jokes involve a well-known celebrity. Here's one about Brooke Shields with an added twist.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Brooke Shields.
Brooke Shields who?Brooke shields herself from the brutal reality that is her life by finding solace in meaningless material goods and the never-ending pursuit of more and more wealth. But, little does she know, all the beachside condominiums and all-night free-for-all's cannot ease the ever-growing pain she feels at the end of each pointless and purposeless day, a pain that will never be satisfied by her decadence, a pain that will remain until the day she dies.

Here's an example of an interrupting celebrity joke involving (attempted) murderer Amy Fisher.

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Amy Fisher.
Amy Fish...
(Cutting off the answer) BANG!!

A bilingual joke possible amongst those who understand both Hindi and English:

 

Distribution and history of Knock Knock Jokes

Knock-knock jokes are well entrenched in certain countries such as the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, the U.S.A., Canada, and South Africa. In other nations, such as Brazil, they are practically unknown. In French they begin "Toc-Toc" and in Afrikaans "Klop-klop". Knock-knock jokes were in common usage amongst South African school children in the early 1950's but the exact origin of the format remains uncertain. The following was in circulation in Cape Town in about 1953:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Delores
Delores who?
Delores my shepherd... .

In France, the punchline is almost always a pun on the title of a popular song, allowing the last answer to be sung :

Toc Toc ! (Knock knock!)
Qui est là ? (Who's there?)
Sheila
Sheila qui ? (Sheila who?)
Sheila lutte finale... . (a pun on "c'est la lutte finale" (It's the final struggle), the opening line of The Internationale)

 

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Knock Knock Jokes