The wrong word. Dr. Seuss’s holiday dinner of “roast beast”
Take a slang word and use it literally.
“I feel like burying myself in a box of jelly beans and committing spearmint!”
“A lie is like a watering can. It usually has holes in it.”
- Pun, Witticism, Poetry with Rhymes and Alliteration(all a snicker to a chuckle, not a
belly laugh)
These should be used along with (and not in place of) sight gags. They don’t work
internationally because they can’t be translated properly. Association based on pure
sound. Kids love the sound of words: “The monster mumbled through a mouthful of
still-morphing marshmallows.” Also, a play on words and ideas where two different
reference scales meet. Think cliché, then twist: “Eager beagle.”
- Caricature, Satire (verbal caricature), Irony
We see ourselves and yet something else. Fun-house mirrors. Irony appears to take
seriously what it really does not. This might be over the heads of kids.
A funny put-on of someone or something. Often these are twists on books, movies,
or television shows.
Anything with a C or K. Some sounds and letters are funnier than others. Sound
effects. Accents. For children’s media accents should not be demeaning.
This can be a child’s lack of understanding or a ditsy adult. But something is not right
in the sentence context.
- Transition, Digression, or Non Sequitur
A mood or mental picture is broken by a complete transition of thought or inflection
in the punch line. The punch line isn’t logical and doesn’t fit the setup.
“How do you get milk from a kernel of corn?” “You use a low stool!”
- Say One Thing and Show Another
What is said is the setup. What is shown is the punch line.
Animation Comedy and Gag Writing 187
