Germany's humor doesn't have the best reputation internationally. But the land of poets and thinkers loves the traditional April Fools' joke as much as the next country. DW explains the best of 2018.
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1. Berlin neighborhood passes alcohol ban
The joke: The German daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung reported on Sunday that the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin would introduce a ban on the sale of alcohol between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in July. Locals had complained about late night binge drinking and the tram smelling of beer, according to the paper.
Why it's funny: If any of Berlin's districts were to introduce an alcohol ban, it would be Prenzlauer Berg. The neighborhood is considered to be affluent, cosmopolitan and family friendly — a far cry from the more bohemian districts Berlin is known for. But it didn't introduce the ban. That makes the joke funny.
2. German Heimat minister wants to reintroduce brown bears
The joke: Germany's last brown bear was killed around 200 years ago. German Interior and "Heimat" (roughly translated as "home") Minister Horst Seehofer told German public broadcaster ARD on Sunday: "The brown bear belongs to Germany like the wolf, bison and moose. It's not for nothing that the bear is on many coats of arms and flags." Most of Europe's brown bears live in Russia. But Seehofer said any import would be "difficult given the current political situation."
Why it's funny: Seehofer, a former premier of the southern German state of Bavaria and head of the center-right Christian Social Union (CSU) party, endured heavy criticism in mid-March after he told German daily newspaper Bild that "Islam does not belong to Germany." The minister's fake comments to ARD on bringing back the brown bear echo his infamous line on Islam. That makes the joke funny.
Some of them may get lost in cultural translation, but here are different types of jokes that are now classics in Germany. Are you laughing already?
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
'Kalauer' — Pun
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.
Image: Mohamed El-Shahed/AFP/Getty Images
'Fritzchen' — Little Fritz jokes
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.
Image: picture-alliance/JOKER
'Ostfriesen' — East Frisian jokes
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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Bachmann
Manta driver jokes
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."
Image: DW/S. Oelze
'Bauernregeln' — Farmers' lore jokes
"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.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/
'DDR' — East Germany jokes
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."
Image: ullstein bild/von der Becke
Radio Yerevan jokes
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."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Kalaene
'Beamte' — State officials jokes
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."
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Patrick Pleul
'Antiwitz' — The anti-joke
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!"
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Reinhardt
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3. German Christians find out they can save on church tax
The joke: People working in Germany automatically have to pay a church tax unless they choose to opt out of it. German weekly Christian newspaper Unsere Kirche printed an article on Sunday announcing a new initiative for Catholics and Protestants to reduce the amount of church tax they pay. Believers, it said, could reduce one percentage point from their church tax payment for each time they attended a Sunday service.
Why it's funny: The church tax (like any tax) is controversial in Germany. People don't like giving their money away. The fake initiative would have let people keep more of their money but remain officially registered as a Christian. But the initiative isn't real. People can't save on the tax. That makes the joke funny.
4. Police announce deployment of East German Trabant
The joke: Police in the eastern German city of Görlitz said they had started using a reactivated Trabant 601 in their car fleet on Thursday. "The Trabant 601 is characterized by zippiness, good cornering characteristics, low weight, resilience and low maintenance needs," police chief Torsten Schultz said.
Why it's funny: Communist East Germany mass produced the Trabant 601 between 1957 and 1990. The car, known as the "spark plug with a roof" because of its small size, became an icon and is now a collector's item. By modern standards, the Trabant is a terrible car and no police force in Germany would ever think to use one. But Görlitz police said in jest that they would start using it. That makes the joke funny.
East German jokes as a political barometer for West German intelligence
What's a three-eighths joke? - Three years in prison for the guy who heard it and eight years for the guy who told it! West Germany filed away hundreds of jokes like this one to track the political mood in East Germany.
Image: imago/INSADCO
Quit stallin' and get to the first joke
East Germans faced imprisonment for "subversive provocation," including laughing at the state. This one about two GDR leaders landed one man before a judge in 1956. "Pieck and Grotewohl are visiting Stalin in Moscow. Stalin gives them a car. But when they want to leave, they realize the car doesn't have a motor. Stalin goes: You don't need a motor if you're already going downhill."
Image: picture-alliance / ZB
Prisons have only so many cells
The 2015 book "Ausgelacht - DDR Witze aus den Geheimakten des BND" ("Taking the Piss") looks at the secret West German files on East German humor, which were first made public in 2009. Its authors say that high incarceration rates in the 1960s might have meant fewer sentences for "bad" jokes. They note that by the 1970s, even some politicians risked laughing in public at the government's expense .
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
In every corny joke lies a kernel of truth
"Older East German residents are going to receive new, bigger IDs. Otherwise, they won't be able to fit their long faces into the photos." Top secret files documenting these jokes landed on many West German desks, including the chancellor's, the foreign minister's and the interior minister's. As time went on, the humor revealed more about political discontent in the communist East.
From the childish...
"Erich Honecker (pictured right) got a divorce. The reason: Gorbachev kisses better than his wife, Margot. Margot Honecker got a divorce. The reason: She doesn't think that all of Erich's hickies are from 'Gorbi.'"
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
...to the silly...
"Why do police always have a dog with them? - So that at least one of them is educated."
Image: Imago/Jochen Tack
...to the sad but true...
Bare shelves in the grocery store and year-long waits for other goods were common experiences in the GDR. "Why don't criminals take hostages in East Germany? - What kind of criminal would wait 14 years for a getaway car?"
Image: DW
...to the macabre
"Erich Honecker and Günter Mittag want to jump from the top of the East Berlin Television tower. Who do you think will land first? - Who cares as long as they jump?"
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
As if the secret files weren't enough
Rumors have abounded about where the jokes really originated, from theories that point to East Germany trying to keep up morale, to West Germany undermining the communist state's power. According to "Ausgelacht" authors Hans-Hermann Hertle and Hans-Wilhelm Saure, the German intelligence agency has denied doing anything more than compiling the knee-slappers.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm
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5. German Alpine Club announces new "Eco-Helicopters"
The joke: The mountaineering association German Alpine Club (DAV) said on Sunday that some of its alpine huts were overflowing with guests. To solve the problem, it would start flying guests between its mountain huts with "eco-helicopters" that guests could order via a smartphone app. The association admitted that the helicopter flights would cause some environmental damage. But it said the overall environmental balance was positive as some guests would be transferred from huts with a shower to huts without a shower. This, the DAV said, would save water.