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The original joke? Not that funny. We've got some way better reasons for chickens (and lots of other things) crossing the road.We’re going to present the hot take that we don’t think the joke “Why did the chicken cross the road?” “To get to the other side” is all that funny. It first appeared in an 1847 edition of the New York-based magazine The Knickerbocker—and, to be fair, the magazine did present it as an example of a lame punch line. “There are ‘quips and quillets’ which seem actual conundrums, but yet are none,” the entry wrote. The “joke” is so unfunny and obvious that it really belongs with these anti-jokes. But it’s become so ubiquitous that it’s spawned all sorts of variations, parodies, and jokes about other things crossing the road. (And, for that matter, better punch lines for the road-crossing chicken!) Here are some of our favorites. And if “why did the chicken cross the road” jokes just aren’t enough for you, chick—er, check out our full collection of chicken puns. We’ve also got knock knock jokes for kids and “what do you call…” jokes.
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