- Pop-Culture References
Shared cultural experiences.Shrek - Topical Humor
Jokes based on the news of the day or time period. You can use any old joke and
bring it up to date. Topical humor is harder to use in animation because of the exten-
sive lead-in time until the television show or film is shown. Also, topical humor may
be dated by the time a show is rerun or released on video or DVD.The Simpsons,
South Park - The “In” Joke
“In” and upscale. “In Beverly Hills 911 is unlisted.” - The Dumb Joke(usually a belly laugh)
Blonde jokes, women driver jokes - Kid’s Mistakes
Not always funny to kids. This is hard to use in kids’ cartoons unless the joke involves
a younger brother, sister, tagalong, or (in the same vein) a pet.Bill Cosby’s Kids Say
the Darnedest Things - The True Story
Usually this is a real belly laugh. Often it’s something embarrassing that has actually
happened to you. - The Ridiculous Situation
The opposite from The True Story. The gag is exaggerated so far that it couldn’t pos-
sibly be true, but the sheer ridiculousness of it is funny. The cowboy riding the nuclear
bomb. - Understatement
Chaos may be all around, or something very unusual is happening. The main charac-
ter ignores it or says something very understated. A huge crowd is watching the take
off of the first flight to leave our solar system. The spaceship rockets toward the sky,
then explodes like a firecracker. Cool Surfer Dude: “Looks like a dud, dude.” - The Excuse
We’ve all made them, and we recognize ourselves. Usually there’s a lie involved. The
character tends to keep digging himself in deeper and deeper. - Insult and Name-Calling (often a belly laugh)
These are some of the easiest to write. You have to be careful in children’s television,
but it can be done.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesused this frequently. - Comebacks and Put-Downs
Modern cartoon staples
186 Animation Writing and Development