

In the United States, the craze of knock knock jokes was especially potent in Pennsylvania. These jokes could be told by strangers on the streets, shared by school-going children, and even woven into song lyrics by orchestral bands. By the mid-1930s, knock knock jokes had garnered tremendous popularity.

“Have You Ever Heard Of” jokes eventually morphed into the now-popular “Knock Knock” jokes around the early 1930s. When these jokes returned, they were now packaged as “Have You Ever Heard Of” jokes.Īn example of “Have You Ever Heard Of” joke is: The popularity of “Do You Know” jokes went down for about 20 years. In a typical “Do You Know” joke, the teller would walk up to someone and ask a question like ‘Do you know Tom?’ The often-unsuspecting listener would reply, ‘Tom whom?’ The jokester would then say a word like ‘Tombstone’ and run off. These jokes are believed to have been spawned by another joke category known as “Do You Know” jokes, which were popular around 1900. Knock knock jokes have been around since at least the early 20th century. Interestingly, our kids love them that way. Some parents may even consider them somewhat annoying. Knock knock jokes can also be overly corny and a little goofy. While they’re traditionally shared among kids, you can tell a knock knock joke to just about anyone, from your mom and dad to your friends, classmates, and even office colleagues. That makes them suitable for all ages and occasions. You may hear a knock knock joke unfold and think you’ve got it all figured out, until you’re met with a rude shock to discover that the punchline is nothing like what you’d thought it would be.Īnother thing to love about knock knock jokes is that most of these jokes are clean as opposed to risqué. Secondly, their punchline is almost impossible to anticipate. Perhaps that’s what makes them exceedingly popular among kids. Knock Knock jokes have two contrasting features that distinguish them from many other popular jokes.įirst is the fact that these jokes are reasonably short and follow a fairly predictable pattern.
