Also known by some Germans as a "Flachwitz" or "Plattwitz," the "Kalauer" is a humorous play on words — a pun. The term Kalauer is believed to come from the German city of Calau, where the satire magazine "Kladderadatsch" was published from 1848 to 1944, offering weekly "news from Kalau." Here's one that's translatable: What is brown, sticky and walks through the desert? A caramel.

Fritzchen, or "Little Fritz" is a fictional mischievous little boy whose name is often used in German jokes, like Little Johnny in English. Fritzchen asks his teacher, "Can I be punished for something I haven't done?" The teacher answers, "Of course not, Fritzchen, that would be very unfair!" Fritzchen is relieved: "That's good to know, because I haven't done my homework."

"Alle Kinder" jokes repeat a specific structure, ending with a child's name that rhymes with the last word. The best ones have the darkest humor. Some examples: All the children got the joke, except Tim — he's too dim. All the children are jumping over a fire, except Brigit — she's sitting on it. All the children are playing with a knife, except Ted — he has it in the head.

Every country has their own "stupid" ethnic target. East Frisians, from northern Germany, became the center of a joke cycle in Germany around the 1960s. Although these jokes usually depict this minority as being slow or dumb, successful East Frisian comedian Otto Waalkes made Ostfriesen jokes his trademark, allowing the region to find a certain sense of "pride" in them.

The Opel Manta was a German sports car model built from 1970 to 1988. Manta jokes are based on the stereotype that the male owner of this car was a lower class, and is a macho and aggressive driver with a blonde girlfriend. A Manta driver goes to the garage: "Could you repair my horn?" "Your brakes aren't working either," notices the mechanic. "I know, that's why I need to honk all the time."

"Bauernregeln" humor parodies farmers' weather lore, with its traditional rhymed style. These jokes can either be about the weather, revealing an absurd or tautological rule, such as in "Thunderstorm in May, April is over." Or they can also be about any other topic, often including sexual references or featuring an actual hint of wisdom.

East German jokes would reflect the situation of the citizens of the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1949 to 1990, referring to the political situation or to economic scarcity. A border soldier at the Berlin Wall asks another one: "What do you think about the East German state?" His colleague answers tentatively, "The same as you." "OK, that means I must arrest you now."

Jokes parodying the question-and-answer series on Armenia's public radio, Radio Yerevan, were popular in the former communist Eastern Bloc. The answers in the German version would usually start with, "In principle yes, but..." So here's a question to Radio Yerevan: "Is the press free of censorship in the Soviet Union?" Answer: "In principle yes, but we shall not further discuss this matter."

Stereotypical "Beamte" are seen as slow and lazy bureaucrats, leading to jokes like this one. Three boys argue. The first one says, "My father is a race car driver; he's the fastest." "No, my dad is an air force pilot; he's faster," a second one replies. "That's nothing," counters the third one. "My father is a Beamte; he's so fast that when his work day ends at 5 pm, he's already home by 1:00."

The "Antiwitz" often depicts a short, absurd scene. It might lack a punch-line, as in the case of this weird, but well-known one. "At night it's colder than outside." Hmm. Or take a bite of this one: Two muffins sit next to each other, baking in the oven. Suddenly one of them says, "Is it ever hot in here..." The other one replies: "Oh my god! A talking muffin!"